Is Peanut Butter Good For You?

How bad is this hydrogenated peanut butter? The substitute oils & all? Cite me an official evaluation please.

-Arch Roy

Cocoa Substitute Hi Arch,

I'm glad you asked this question because I was also wondering about the hydrogenated fats (aka. trans fats) in peanut butter. The following articles made me very happy because I am a major peanut butter fan!!

Hope this helps,

Desi @ DVO

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=332

Peanut Butter: A Super Sports Food.

In this day and age of energy bars, protein powders and weight gain shakes, many athletes forget about "real" foods such as peanut butter. Peanut butter is perhaps the best sport food around.

If you've ever dropped in on the B.T.com forum then you know that Peanut Butter is a favorite food. Well, Nancy Clark, renowned nutritional guru and simply the best in the business when it comes to athletes, performance and nutrition writes why Peanut Butter is a gift from the sports gods.

By Nancy Clark, MS, RD

In this day and age of energy bars, protein powders and weight gain shakes, many athletes forget about "real" foods, such as peanut butter. Peanut butter, in my opinion, is one of the best sports foods around. It's tasty, inexpensive, satisfying, nourishing--and even good for our health. But all too often, I hear athletes say "I don't keep peanut butter in my house. It's too fatty, too fattening." or "I ration peanut butter to once per week--on my Sunday morning bagel." They try to stay away from peanut butter. That's nuts! Yes, peanut butter is calorie-dense. But it can beneficially fit into your sports diet. The following information explains why I vote peanut butter (and all nuts and nut butters, for that matter) to be a super sports food for athletes who want to eat well and invest in their health.

Peanut butter is satiating and satisfying ... perfect for dieters. Because you will never win the war against hunger, your best bet is to eat foods that keep you feeling fed. This means, foods with protein and fiber--like peanut butter (and nuts, in general). You'll feel fuller for longer if you have half a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, as compared to the same amount of calories of a plain white bagel. The protein and fiber in peanut butter "sticks to your ribs" and is not fattening-unless you overeat total calories that day. A Purdue University study reports subjects who ate peanuts every day did not overeat daily calories. (Kirkmeyer, Int'l J Obesity 24:1167, 2000) Peanut eaters tend to naturally eat less at other times of the day. (Alper, Int'l J Obesity 26:1129, 2002) Plus, if you enjoy what you are eating on your reducing diet, you'll stay with the food plan and be able to keep the weight off. This is far better than yo-yo dieting!

Peanut butter is a quick and easy way to reduce your risk of heart disease. Just slap together a peanut butter (and honey or jelly) sandwich on multi-grain bread, and you have the makings of a heart-healthy meal, if not a childhood memory. A quick and easy peanut butter sandwich is healthier, by far, than a fast food burger or fried chicken dinner and far better than, let's say, an equally easy "meal" of chips or ice cream. That's because peanut butter offers health-protective mono- and polyunsaturated oil. Trading burgers (saturated fat) for peanut butter sandwiches reduces your risk of developing heart disease. In fact, the more often you eat peanut butter (and nuts), the lower your risk of heart disease. (Hu, J Am College Nutr 20(1):5, 2001) Start spreading peanut butter (instead of butter) on toast. Enjoy PB & banana for a "decadent" snack in place of ice cream.

Peanut butter is an affordable source of calories. If you are a hungry athlete who needs 3,000 or more calories a day, you can spend a significant amount of money fueling yourself (especially if you routinely eat protein bars, weight gain shakes and other engineered sports foods). Peanut butter can fuel your body without breaking the bank. One hundred calories of peanut butter (about 1 tablespoon) costs about 7¢, far less than 100 calories of other protein sources, such as cottage cheese (55¢ per 100 calories), tuna (60¢) and deli turkey breast (75¢). The cost of 200 calories of peanut butter is about 15¢, far less than the $1.49 you'd spend on 200 calories of an energy bar... and generally, the peanut butter is far tastier!

Peanut butter is a source of protein, needed to build and repair muscles. But take note: peanut butter is not protein-dense. That is, two tablespoons of peanut butter, the amount in an average sandwich, provides about 7 grams of protein. In comparison, the calorie equivalent of turkey in a sandwich offers about 20 grams of protein. Athletes who weigh 140 pounds may need 70 to 100 grams protein per day; 200-pound athletes, 100 to 150 grams. For 100 grams of protein, you'd have to eat the whole jar of peanut butter! Unlikely! To boost the protein value of peanut butter, simply accompany it with a tall glass of milk: a PB &J sandwich + 16 ounces lowfat milk = 28 grams of protein, a good chunk of your daily requirement. Milk simultaneously enhances the value of the protein in the peanut butter sandwich. That is, peanuts are low in some of the essential amino acids muscles need for growth and repair. The amino acids in milk (as well as those in the sandwich bread) nicely complement the limiting amino acids in peanuts.

Peanut butter is a reasonable source of vitamins, minerals and other health-protective food compounds. For example, peanut butter contains folate, vitamin E, magnesium and resveratrol, all nutrients associated with reduced risk of heart disease. Magnesium is also associated with reduced risk of adult-onset diabetes. Peanut butter offers a small amount of zinc, a mineral important for healing and strengthening the immune system. As an athlete, you need all these nutrients to keep you off the bench and on the playing field.

Peanut butter contains fiber--not a lot (1 gram per tablespoon) but some. Fiber in food contributes to a feeling of fullness that can help dieters eat less without feeling hungry. Fiber also promotes regular bowel movements and helps reduce problems with constipation. By enjoying peanut butter on whole grain bread, you can contribute 6 to 8 grams of fiber towards the recommended target of 20 to 35 grams fiber per day.

Peanuts contain mostly health-protective mono- and polyunsaturated fats. When peanuts are made into commercial peanut butter (such as Skippy or Jif), some of the oil gets converted into a harder, saturated fat. This keeps the oil from separating to the top. The hardened oil, called trans-fat, is less healthful. But the good news is, commercial peanut butters contain only a tiny amount of trans fats and just a small amount of (naturally occurring) saturated fat. For example, only 3.5 of the 17 grams fat in two tablespoons of Skippy are "bad." To minimize your intake of even this small amount of unhealthful fat, you can buy all-natural peanut butter. If you dislike the way the oil in this type of peanut butter separates to the top of the jar, simply store the jar upside down. That way, the oil rises to what becomes the bottom of the jar when you turn it over to open it. And if you eat peanut butter daily, you won't have to refrigerate it, thereby making the all-natural peanut butter easier to spread.

Caution: Peanut butter is a poor source of the carbohydrates needed for muscle fuel. Don't try to subsist on peanut butter by the spoonful! Luckily, peanut butter combines nicely with banana, bread, apples, oatmeal, crackers, raisins, and even pasta (as in Thai noodle dishes). These combinations will balance your sports diet.

Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD offers nutrition consultations to casual and competitive athletes at her private practice in Healthworks (617-383-6100) in Chestnut Hill MA.

http://www.peanutbutterlovers.com/nutrition/transfats.html

What Are Trans Fats?

Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids formed when vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated. Hydrogenation makes the fats more solid or into a more stable liquid. Trans fats also occur naturally in low amounts in meat and dairy products.

Trans fats account for 2% - 4% of the total calories in the American diet - compared with 12% saturated fat and 34% from total fat. Naturally occurring trans fats in animal products accounts for approximately one-fifth of the trans fats consumed.

Are Trans Fats Listed on the Nutrition Facts Label?

There is currently no provision for the listing of trans fats on the nutrition facts label. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a proposed rule for including trans fat on the nutrition label.

Why Are Trans Fats Used? Hydrogenated oils are used as a replacement for fats higher in saturated fat and/or to improve the freshness and texture of foods. Hydrogenated oils resist rancidity longer than un-hydrogenated oils which increases the shelf life of products that contain them. They also allow for taste and texture improvements such as flakier pie crusts, crisper crackers and spreadable margarine.

Does Peanut Butter Have Partially Hydrogenated Oils?

Regular peanut butter does contain a tiny, tiny amount (far less than 1%) of partially hydrogenated oil. It keeps the oil from separating out of the peanut butter and rising to the top of the jar, makes the peanut butter creamier, and dramatically increases the shelf life of the peanut butter.

The resulting amount of trans fat in regular peanut butter is so small that, under the proposed FDA labeling guidelines for trans fats, the peanut butter labels will list 0 trans fats. The proposed FDA rule indicates that trans fat amounts of less than .5g cannot be accurately measured and will be listed on the label as 0.

However, natural peanut butters do not contain partially hydrogenated oils. There are a number of natural peanut butters on the market, so consumers who wish to completely avoid partially hydrogenated oils can still enjoy peanut butter. The peanut oil will rise to the top. Simply stir it back in before using.

Why the Concern Over Trans Fats? Recent research has suggested a link between increased LDL-cholesterol levels and trans fats. While there is still research to be done to prove a cause-effect relationship for trans fats, there is no question that saturated fats do raise LDL-cholesterol levels. Therefore, nutritionists generally do not recommend substituting foods higher in saturated fats for foods with trans fats.

Increased LDL-cholesterol levels are one risk factor in heart disease. Remember, though, that there are many other factors involved such as maintaining a healthy weight, leading a physically-active life, diabetes, high blood pressure, gender, age and heredity.

The best advice from nutritionists is still to lower the overall fat in your diet to no more than 30% of your daily calories and the saturated fat in your diet to no more than 10% of your daily calories. Reducing the overall fat in your diet will naturally lead to lower saturated and trans fat intake as well.

Peanut Butter Is Good For You. Peanut butter is nutritious as well as delicious! Peanut butter is a good source of protein, vitamin E, niacin, phosphorus and magnesium. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich provides 18% of the daily folic acid intake recommended to help reduce birth defects and heart disease.

Peanut butter, like most foods, contains some fat. Fortunately, 80% of the fat in peanut butter is unsaturated fat - "the good fat" - which may actually help lower LDL-cholesterol levels in your blood. In fact, because peanut butter is so versatile, good tasting and nutritious, it is included in many medically endorsed weight loss and diabetic diets.

Email your thoughts to us. Tell us about you and your family, and send us a picture. We'd love to hear from you...and who knows...perhaps you will be the star of the next newsletter!