Peanut butter cups, PB &J's, ants on a log, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter & apple slices, peanut butter & banana, peanut sauce, peanut butter toast, peanut butter on a spoon (who hasn't done that)Peanut butter is a delicious treat and can be quite nutritious.
At around 190 calories per 2 tablespoons (size of golf ball) you may be scared off by this spread, but its packed with some gooooooooooooood stuff: Fiber, Protein, Iron, Vitamin E, Folate, Niacin, and not to mention monounsaturated fats- famous for lowering cholesterol when replacing saturated fats.
A serving of PB is 2 TABLESPOONS = SIZE OF A GOLF BALL
Question: Are you a crunchy or a creamy PB fan?
(I go crunchy).
There is no difference in nutrition content of crunchy/chunky or creamy. Brands differ in what they add though.
THE INGREDIENT LIST!
Most peanut butters add Hydrogenated Oils to the mix (aka TRANS FAT) so your spread is not so heart healthy. Labels can advertise 'No Trans Fat!' if there is less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. Pretty frustrating, huh?
Try the plane ol' churned peanuts (DIY at Whole Foods) or buy a PB with peanuts as the main ingredient and minus anything HYDROGENATED. Vegetable oils are ok in small amounts.
Wanna know some good brands?
Costco's Kirkland Natural PB- my favorite
Teddy's-have to refrigerate-the PB gets kinda hard after awhile, not too easy to spread
Trader Joe's
Smart Balance Omega - more expensive & has a different taste than normal PB-but has Flaxseed -good for heart health and an anti-inflammatory
Smuckers Natural- pretty good. Only ingredients: PEANUTS. SALT
Jiffy and Skippy Natural- no trans fats but small amounts of Vegetable oils
Reduced Fat?
Nahhhh...you're still getting roughly the same calories, just 25% less 'total fat'. Some brands may add more sugar to make up for the taste. Stick the full-heart-healthy-fat kind and you're good to go.
Mini-quiz: Guess what company got the honor of owning the website www.peanutbutter.com ?FIGURES.
No comments:
Post a Comment