Is Peanut Butter Good For You
Sadly, peanut butter isnt very good for you at least in the amounts that were used to consuming. Peanut butter contains protein, good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and contains the powerful antioxidant vitamin E, bone-building magnesium, potassium and vitamin B6.
The problem is that many of us are eating way too much. Whether its slathering it all over bread or eating it by the spoonful, peanut butter is definitely a snack food were overdoing.
Its that lack of moderation, those large amounts, that can have a negative impact on our health, according to cardiologist Dennis Bruemmer, MD, PhD. And we spoke with him in more detail about peanut butter and whether its something you can ever enjoy, guilt-free.
What Happens If You Eat Too Many Nuts In A Day
Feeling bloated and gassy after eating too many nuts is quite common. You can blame the compounds present in the nuts for that. Most of the nuts contain compounds like phytates and tannins, which make it difficult for our stomach to digest them. Nuts also contain different kinds of fat, which can lead to diarrhea.
Peanuts And Cholesterol The Secret Is The Monounsaturated Fats
In the past, health experts gave peanuts a bad rating because they contain fat. However, peanuts moved back into the healthy food column once it was understood that the fats they contained were heart healthy monounsaturated fats.
All fats are not created equal concerning the health of your heart. You want to lower the amount of saturated fats you consume. This means eat less red meat and foods from other animal sources such as bacon. Consuming these fats can raise your bad cholesterol count.
You can replace saturated fats with monounsaturated fats such as peanut oil or polyunsaturated fats that come from plant sources such as safflower oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil. These types of fats lower your cholesterol level.
You do need to understand that even though monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, you cannot eat them without limitation because they are packed with calories. Eat peanuts and other nuts in moderation to avoid weight gain, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
You may be reading about this link between peanuts and cholesterol and be wondering if peanuts contain cholesterol. The answer is no. You do not get cholesterol from eating peanuts. In fact, your liver produces most of the cholesterol in your body, and this leads to an additional benefit of peanuts having to do with their fiber content.
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Do Nuts Lower Your Risk For Heart Disease
Nuts, such as almonds, pistachios, and walnuts, contain high amounts of unsaturated fat or good fats, which increase high-density lipoprotein and lower low-density lipoprotein .
LDL is a bad cholesterol because it clogs up your arteries. This is why high LDL levels increase a person’s risk of heart attacks and strokes.
HDL, on the other hand, is your “good” cholesterol because it carries “bad” cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver. Lower HDL levels are linked to heart disease whereas higher HDL levels may actually help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
While nuts lower your risk of heart disease by lowering your LDL cholesterol, research suggests that the frequent eating of nuts benefits the heart beyond this cholesterol-lowering effect.
Nuts may provide other heart and overall health advantages by decreasing blood pressure and reducing visceral adiposity, which is the fat that surrounds your organs in your abdomen. Having too much visceral fat increases your chance of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
The health benefits of eating nuts are best studied in walnuts, a type of nut that is especially high in omega-3 fatty acids, the same “good” fats found in oily fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines, and albacore tuna.
Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids have several heart benefits, such as:
Of course, besides unsaturated fats, there are other health benefits to nuts including:
What Nuts Are Highest In Protein
Proteins are the essential building blocks of our body and are crucial for the bodys proper development and functions.
However, there has been confusion regarding how much protein to consume for a healthy lifestyle as an increasing number of people resort to protein shakes and high-protein foods to ensure they consume the proper intake.
Nonetheless, studies have found that the right amount of protein is around 0.7 grams of protein for every pound of body weight.
In particular, nuts are foods that are high in protein and essential minerals, and vitamins.
They are easy to add to your diet, versatile, and extremely healthy.
In the list below, you can find the nuts with the most significant amount of protein for one serving :
- Almonds: 7g
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What Nuts Contain Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a vitamin that has been discovered as recently as 1926.
However, since then, it has been connected to various health conditions and health levels.
The primary responsibilities of vitamin B12 are to protect the nervous system, keep the blood cells healthy, and create DNA.
When adequately consumed, Vitamin B12 can prevent anemia and combat fatigue.
Vitamin B12 is primarily produced by animals thanks to interactions with certain bacteria.
Since the human body lacks this important bacteria, we cannot produce vitamin B12, and we have to take it from food.
You can find out more about vitamin B12 in the video below:
Animals produce the best B12 quality and quantity, and the best sources of B12 are considered to be fish, eggs, poultry, meat, and dairy.
While some studies look for the presence of B12 in plant-based foods, more research is needed to understand what foods might provide this critical compound.
Nuts, being a minimally-processed, plant-based food, dont contain B12.
However, you might be able to find breakfast foods such as granola and cereals that have been fortified with B12 and include nuts.
Vegans might not like this next point, but the bioavailability of B12 from plant foods and fortified foods is minimal and does not provide the same quality of B12 that animal foods do.
However, some seaweed like chlorella and spirulina can provide a similar quality of B12 that animals do.
Peanuts : Nutrition Facts And Health Benefits
Peanuts are a legume that originated in South America.
They go by a variety of names, such as groundnuts, earthnuts, and goobers.
Despite their name, peanuts are unrelated to tree nuts. As a legume, theyre related to beans, lentils, and soy.
In the United States, peanuts are rarely eaten raw. Instead, they are most often consumed roasted or as peanut butter.
Other peanut products include peanut oil, flour, and protein. These goods are used in a variety of foods, such as desserts, cakes, confectionery, snacks, and sauces.
Peanuts are rich in protein, fat, and various healthy nutrients. Studies show that peanuts may even be useful for weight loss and are linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.
This article tells you everything you need to know about peanuts.
Here are the nutrition facts for 3.5 ounces of raw peanuts:
- Calories: 567
- Trans: 0 grams
SUMMARY
Peanuts are high in fat.
In fact, they are classified as oilseeds. A large proportion of the worlds peanut harvest is used for making peanut oil .
The fat content ranges from 4456% and mainly consists of mono- and polyunsaturated fat, most of which is made up of oleic and linoleic acids .
SUMMARY
Peanuts are high in fat, consisting mostly of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. They are often used to make peanut oil.
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The Truth About Peanuts
In my grocery store experiment, peanuts took a beating. However, many studies show eating peanuts, including peanut butter, can reduce heart risk. In the Nurses Health Study, those women who consumed peanuts and peanut butter lowered their risk of heart disease by 34 percent. The greatest benefit was in those who ate peanuts multiple times a week. In a study of 6,309 women with diabetes, eating one serving of peanuts five times a week or more lowered risk of heart disease by 44 percent.
Eating peanuts and peanut butter has also been shown to lower risk of diabetes in both lean and overweight women. Finally, like many other nuts, peanuts as an alternative food source for your protein needs can lower your cholesterol, particularly when added to other healthy diet choices.
If you are like the people in my study, perhaps you are asking: Are peanuts better than the others I have mentioned?
Eat Peanuts Daily Decrease Blood Pressure And Cholesterol
- Peanut flavoring salted, spicy, honey-roasted, or unsalted did not impact positive health benefits of peanuts, according to new study.
- Daily peanut consumption reduced blood pressure in all participants during the first two weeks, even in those with high blood pressure.
- Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased for daily peanut-eaters who had high levels at the start.
Daily Peanut Consumption Decreases Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Regardless of Flavoring, According to New Study
A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that even different flavors of peanuts result in positive health benefits.
Regardless of flavoring, peanut consumption offered significant benefits to participants with elevated serum lipids and blood pressure, says Dr. Richard Mattes, Professor of Nutrition Science at Purdue University.
Their study, A Randomized Trial on the Effects of Flavorings on the Health Benefits of Daily Peanut Consumption, aimed to determine whether peanut flavorings affected health benefits. Results showed that all varieties of peanuts significantly decreased mean diastolic blood pressure in all participants. For participants with high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, total serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased after daily peanut intake.
About the Study
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Peanuts Can Protect Against Inflammation
Inflammation also plays a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. And several substances in peanutsincluding magnesium, vitamin E, arginine, phenolic compounds, and fibermay help fight inflammation. In one study, researchers measured substances in the blood that are markers of inflammation. They found that eating nuts instead of red meat, processed meat, eggs, or refined grains was associated with lower levels of these substances.
Walnuts Help Keep Arteries Clear
Most nuts contain a high concentration of healthy fat. Walnuts are composed of 47 percent polyunsaturated fatty acids, thought of as “good fats.” But while most nuts contain polyunsaturated fatty acids, walnuts are the only ones with a significant amount of a certain type called alpha-linoleic acid. Alpha-linoleic acid acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and has actually been shown to help reduce plaque buildup in coronary arteries. Eating walnuts has been shown to improve cholesterol levels and the function of the small arteries and vessels within our bodies. Recently, a study looking people who consumed 43 gm of walnuts every day found the nuts reduced total and LDL cholesterol levels. However this study showed something even more important, in my view. Consumption of walnuts reduced the level of apolipoprotein B, which is a strong genetic risk factor for coronary artery disease.
If you are at high risk for coronary artery disease or already have it, consider adding walnuts to your diet.
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Can You Eat Too Many Nuts
The answer is yes, absolutely. The best approach to eating nuts is moderation.
Nuts are very good sources of energy, and if you eat too much you can gain weight and offset the heart benefits. I like to recommend adding nuts to an already heart-healthy diet or as an alternative healthy snack. If you change your snacks alone to unsalted nuts you will be surprised how effective that choice is in helping with weight loss and cholesterol management.
One thing to keep in mind is that some people can experience dangerous allergic reactions to nuts. If you have a potential allergy or a family history of nut allergies, dont consider using nuts until you talk with your doctor.
Finally, there are data regarding contamination of some nuts with mycotoxins. Consider reading about these toxins as I dont have enough room to cover them here. The one that has the most data behind it is cases of contamination of peanuts with aflatoxin.
Peanut Butter And Cholesterol
Many high-fat foods are also high in cholesterol think bacon and full-fat cheese. But being high in fat doesnt necessarily mean cholesterol will follow. As a matter of fact, we get cholesterol only from animal products. So, fatty plant foods such as nuts and avocados have virtually no cholesterol at all!
According to the American Heart Association, nuts are high in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Some of them, like walnuts, are also a good source of omega-3 fats, which are great for your heart. So nut butters, including peanut butter, contain lots of nutrients and no cholesterol, making for a pretty heart-healthy snack.
Another bonus: The Journal of the American Medical Association reported in a 2002 study that women who consumed peanut butter more than five times per week had significantly reduced risks of type 2 diabetes compared to women who rarely ate peanut butter.
Now lets compare: When it comes to grinding these nuts up and spreading them on your sandwich, whats the best bet?
The three most popular nut butters are peanut butter, almond butter, and cashew butter. Weve compared them side-by-side to find out which packs the most nutritional punch. And it turns out, the race is pretty close.
We compared 1 tablespoon of each unsalted natural nut butter.
| Almond butter | |
| 1.337 | 2.006 |
With similar calorie counts, nutrient breakdowns, and low saturated fat levels, any one of these nut butters would be a healthful choice, in moderation.
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The Best Nuts To Lower Your Cholesterol
All in all, the best nuts to lower your cholesterol have the highest amounts of unsaturated fats and the lowest amount of saturated fats. These include, but are not limited to:
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
- Almonds
Peanuts, too are heart-healthy, which may surprise you. In fact, the peanut is the most popular “nut” in the United States and contains high amounts of unsaturated fat and lower amounts of saturated fat.
The peanut’s unsaturated fat profile encourages heart health. Even so, farmers have now developed a way to grow high-oleic peanuts, which have a higher content of unsaturated fat and lower content of saturated fat when compared with regular peanuts.
The Food and Drug Administration has given approval for peanuts and almonds to receive a heart-healthy distinction on their labeling.
Finally, it’s worthy to note that dry roasted, lightly salted nuts appear to have similar health benefits as eating raw nuts, according to a study in the European Journal of Nutrition. In this study, 72 participants consumed 30 grams per day of either raw or dry roasted, lightly salted hazelnuts for 28 days. Heart disease factors like cholesterol levels and blood pressure were measured at the beginning of the study and at the end.
Results revealed that compared to the beginning of the study, eating either form of hazelnuts significantly improved HDL levels and blood pressure, without a change in body fat.
How To Eat Them Healthfully
Mix them into meals. Peanuts and peanut butter can punch up the flavor and texture of a variety of dishes. You can chop and sprinkle them into salads, stir-fries, sandwiches, and grain bowls or whisk peanut butter into a sauce, smoothie, soup, or dip.
Make smart swaps. Malik and her colleagues from Harvard have found that replacing a daily serving of red meat with nuts can lead to big benefits. We saw a huge benefit for risk of diabetes and of cardiovascular disease, Malik says. Instead of eating a sandwich with processed meat, she says, try spreading peanut butter onto whole-wheat bread.
Do the same with snacks. Theyre crunchy and salty, giving you a satisfaction similar to what youd get from an unhealthier snack without the nutritional pitfalls. Weve seen that if you replace potato chips with nuts, Malik says, theres a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
Roast them yourself. When looking for some sweetness without the extra sugar, Harvard Medical School recommends sprinkling peanuts with a little turmeric, cinnamon, or cocoa powder, then roasting them in your oven at 350° F for 15 to 20 minutes.
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Does Peanut Butter Have Cholesterol
Dr. Bruemmer says theres no real cholesterol content in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so, again, peanut butter in moderation is okay. A little bit of peanut butter isnt the worst thing, he adds.
But while that may bring you a sigh of relief, it doesnt mean that there arent other aspects of the snack spread that make it unhealthy, especially in larger amounts.
Most people dont consume just a little bit, though, he continues. For many people, theyll take a spoon and suddenly half the jar is gone. A two-tablespoon serving of peanut butter has a couple of grams of saturated fats but when you eat half the jar, that becomes an issue.
Peanut butter does typically have a good amount of both saturated and unsaturated fats. Its highly dense with salt and its high in calories, he adds, and I think the calories and sugar would be more of what I would be concerned about. Major store-bought brands can also contain hydrogenated oil or palm oil, molasses and high fructose corn syrup.
Other Health Benefits Of Cashews
1. Cashews have heart-healthy properties that can help in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Micronutrients like potassium, Vitamin E and B6 and folic acid offer protection from heart disease.
2. You can include cashews in controlled portions in weight loss diet too. And nut just cashews, but all nuts are high in calories but are super healthy at the same time. Portion control is the key when it comes to eat nuts in weight loss diet.
3. Zeaxanthin and lutein are antioxidants in cashews that can be beneficial for eye health. Regular consumption of cashews can offer protection to eyes from damage and can prevent loss of vision that comes with age.
4. Cashews also contain copper and iron. The two nutrients work together to help in formation of red blood cells. Regular consumption of cashews can optimise bone health too.
As far as you practice moderation, cashews, which are a product of nature, can benefit your body in numerous ways. Eat them guilt-free, every day!
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