Peanut Butter

PEANUT BUTTER

Peanut butter is obtained by grounding the peanuts and then making a paste. It is either smooth and creamy like butter or crunchy. Peanut butter is usually the key ingredient for chocolate cakes, brownies and cookies.

Peanut butter, which is almost like a staple food eaten at breakfast or perhaps any time of the day, in several countries around the world, has several interesting recipes associated with it. Peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter fingers or even peanut butter pancakes, there is absolutely no end to the variety of peanut butter recipes available.

Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground dry roasted peanuts. It often contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners or emulsifiers. Peanut butter is popular in many countries

How do you make peanut butter?

Place peanuts in a food processor. Turn the food processor on and let it run for 4-5 minutes. During this time, you'll see the peanuts go in stages from crumbs to a dry ball to a smooth and creamy “liquid” peanut butter. Stir in the sugar, honey, or salt, if you want

Nutrition Facts

Peanut butter chunk style

Nutrition per 100gms

Calories 589

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 50 g	76%
Saturated fat 8 g	40%
Polyunsaturated fat 14 g
Monounsaturated fat 23 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0%
Sodium 17 mg	0%
Potassium 745 mg	21%
Total Carbohydrate 22 g	7%
Dietary fiber 8 g	32%
Sugar 8 g
Protein 24 g	48%

Vitamin A	0%	Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	4%	Iron	10%
Vitamin D	0%	Vitamin B-6	20%
Vitamin B-12	0%	Magnesium	40%

Peanut butter smooth style

Nutrition per 100gms

Calories 588

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 50 g	76%
Saturated fat 10 g	50%
Polyunsaturated fat 14 g
Monounsaturated fat 24 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0%
Sodium 17 mg	0%
Potassium 649 mg	18%
Total Carbohydrate 20 g	6%
Dietary fiber 6 g	24%
Sugar 9 g
Protein 25 g	50%

Vitamin A	0%	Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	4%	Iron	10%
Vitamin D	0%	Vitamin B-6	25%
Vitamin B-12	0%	Magnesium	38%

Health Benefits of Peanut Butter

1. Suppresses Hunger For Weight Loss: Eating peanuts and peanut butter helps control hunger without leading to weight gain.
2.  Your Heart Loves Peanuts: Studies found peanuts lowered the risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease.
3. Lowers Colon Cancer: Eating peanuts and peanut butter may reduce colon cancer in women.
4. Helps Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Impairment: A study found that those getting the most niacin from foods were 70 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Peanuts are one of the foods highest in niacin.
5. Prevent Gallstones: In two studies, individuals eating five or more servings of nuts per week had a 25 percent to 30 percent lower risk of getting gallstones compared to those who rarely or never ate nuts. Although peanuts are technically classified as a legume, they were considered nuts for these experiments, so peanuts are actually the most commonly consumed ‘nut’ in the world.
6. Full of Healthy Fat: All of the fat in peanut butter is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. A study found that insulin-resistant adults who ate a diet high in mono-saturated fat had less belly fat than people who ate more carbohydrates or saturated fat.
7. Lowers Type 2 Diabetes: Eating peanuts can reduce the risk of diabetes according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
8. High in Valuable Nutrition: Peanut butter has protein as well as potassium — which lowers the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. It also contains fiber for your bowel health, healthy fats, magnesium to fortify your bones and muscles, Vitamin E and antioxidants.

Promotes a Healthy Heart
Peanut butter and heart health go well together. Over 80% of fat content in peanut butter is made up of unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are healthy fats that play a significant role in lowering bad cholesterol, thereby decreasing the chances of coronary heart diseases. It is a known fact that elevated cholesterol levels are not good for the heart. This is because excess cholesterol starts accumulating in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. With build up of cholesterol, the arteries become narrow, which may decrease blood flow to the heart. This can increase the risk of heart attack. All these heart problems can be avoided by including peanut butter (in moderation) in the diet. Research has also revealed that having peanuts helps to minimize the chances of heart problems. One can reap these heart health benefits by consuming peanut butter.

Maintains Skin Health
Is peanut butter good for your skin? Well, those asking this question would be glad to know that peanut nut butter forms an integral part of healthy skin diet. Peanut butter being a good source of healthy fats, can be helpful to improve skin complexion. Peanut butter is found to be high in vitamin B12 (Cobalamin), which promotes a healthy skin. Doctors opine that diet lacking in vitamin B12 causes a pale skin. This peanut product also contains riboflavin (vitamin B2), deficiency of which can make the skin dry and scaly. Vitamin B2 supplements are often used to get rid of skin problems like pustules, skin rash and rosacea. As peanut is a good source of both vitamin B12 and B12, its addition in the diet can certainly help to keep the skin healthy and glowing.

Promotes Healthy Hair
Is peanut butter good for your hair? As per peanut butter nutrition facts, the food product provides vitamin B2 in considerable amounts, it is definitely beneficial for proper hair growth. Peanut butter provides the much-needed nutrition to maintain healthy hair.

Contributes in Strengthening Bones
Is peanut butter good for your bones? Yes of course! Apart from notable vitamin content peanuts also contains essential minerals like calcium and magnesium. These nutrients are considered to be crucial role for proper development of bones. Thus, having a peanut butter sandwich can go a long way in maintaining bone health.

Prevent Birth Defects
Another important nutrient found in peanut butter is folic acid. Folic acid, especially during pregnancy is very important so as to deliver a healthy baby. This is because deficiency in folic acid in the early stages of pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects in the unborn baby. Therefore taking peanut butter during early pregnancy can decrease the chances of birth defects and promote healthy delivery.

Little Known Side Effects of Eating Peanut Butter

• It can give your diet a boost.But, it could make you gain weight too. ...
• It could help reduce the risk of heart attack. ...
• It gives you a surge of energy. ...
• It could reduce peanut allergies in your baby. ...
• It could keep you sharp. ...
• It could make you bloated. ...
• It's not all created equal.

Caution: Peanuts and Aflatoxin
Peanuts are susceptible to molds and fungus — some of which are highly toxic. A fungus called Aspergillus flavus produces a carcinogen that is twenty times more toxic than DDT, called aflatoxin. 

Does Peanut Butter Contain Saturated Fats?

Yes, this peanut product has saturated fats and this is the reason why many ask is peanut butter good for you. Some argue that saturated fats being one of the constituents of peanut butter, this peanut product is not good for health. Even the most healthiest oil used for cooking contains saturated fats. So, does that mean that the cooking oil is unhealthy? Absolutely not! The point is although saturated fats are present in all healthy foods including peanut butter, it is in small amounts. So, one really does not have to really worry about saturated fats in peanut butter, as long as it is eaten in moderation.

Hydrogenated oil has also been added in peanut butter. The process of hydrogenation infuses trans fats into the oil, thereby making it an unhealthy oil. However, the amount of hydrogenated oil added in peanut butter is negligible. So, the total trans fat content in peanut butter is also insignificant. In case, you are concerned about hydrogenated oil present in peanut butter, there are quite a few brands selling this peanut product devoid of trans fat. It is referred to as unrefined, natural or fat-free peanut butter and considered to be a better option healthwise.

Considering the health benefits of peanuts and peanut butter, go ahead and have peanut butter with bread during meals without fearing about those saturated or trans fats, provided it is consumed in moderation.

Peanut Butter Side Effects

Allergic reactions are the most common side effects of peanut butter. In addition, processed peanut butter might contain added trans-fatty acids (which have been shown to increase the risk of cardiocirculatory diseases; however there should be no worries when taken in moderation). A further risk is that when badly preserved, it can host the mold Aspergillus flavus, that produces aflatoxin (a very toxic and carcinogenic substance), so your best bet is to always go with natural peanut butter.