Whether you like your peanut butter creamy and crunchy, indulging in peanut butter can superbly come in handy when you are looking to lose weight.
Let’s be true for once…we love our peanut butter. If you happen to have a family feud on the best spread, chances are high that it will emerge as the top contender.
This calorically intense spread have for long earned a bad rap as being a diet buster. However, lately, it has made a comeback thanks to the satiating attributes that inhibit weight gain.
Even more surprising, dietitians have even paged some of the best peanut butter diets that would have previously earned you a spot on the wrong side of history.
Of course, too much of anything is poison. So you have to moderately consume peanut butter and you will greatly reap the benefits. With the help of your dietician, you can devise an appropriate weight-loss plan that incorporates peanut butter.
Peanut Butter and Weight Loss
The biggest reason why most dieters stay clear of peanut butter is the fact that many popular spreads have sweeteners, calories, and fats. Typically there are approximately 190 calories in a two-tablespoon serving with a large percentage of those calories being fats.
Although peanut butter is always categorized as a calorie-dense food—when taken in moderation the ripple effect can be weight loss.
It’s a loadstone of belly-slimming monounsaturated fats, metabolism-boosting protein, and tummy-filling fiber. But probably the biggest “rifle” for weight-loss is Genistein. This compound acts directly on the obesity genes, by greatly suppressing them reducing the body’s ability to store the “bad fats”.
The good news about peanut butter does not stop there, research has indicated that taking it as a snack can effectively control hunger without starving yourself. How is that possible you may ask? It provides the satiety feeling without having a prickly stomach.
When you’re trying to cut down your weight, watching the amount of fat intake is important. However, treating yourself to a dose of peanut butter can actually curb your appetite and prevent your body overheating. And what happens when you stop overeating? You lose weight!
A Peanut Butter Diet
One particular research that elevated the peanut butter stakes is the one that was conducted by Purdue University which indicated that participants who ate peanuts as snacks seamlessly adjusted their diets consequently losing weight even after high-calorie foods.
It gave hope to those on a strict diet and don’t want to completely wipe nuts from their regimen. The research further went ahead and showed that this magical spread gave more eating satisfaction compared to other snacks.
Healthy Fats for a Healthier Heart
As a precursor to the Purdue research, you may as well benefit from the healthy fats that emanate from peanut butter but in moderation.
Participants who consumed peanut butter saw a significant decrease in the amount of saturated fat intake and polyunsaturated fats.
So what are monounsaturated fats? These are the culprits behind raising the “good” cholesterol levels without necessarily raising overall blood cholesterol. This and many other factors are the reasons why peanut butter consumption is linked to lower risk of metabolic syndrome and CVD.
Selecting Peanut Butter
The line between healthy peanut butter can be quite thin a blurred hence bit confusing. But the rule of the thumb is that you should always stay clear of the brands that incorporate hydrogenated oils and added sugars. Only settle for the brands that clearly lists all the ingredients. Additionally, to reduce the sodium intake, you can also try to avoid the salty brand.
If you are walking on a tight string of losing weight, settle for the real peanut butter as opposed to reduced-fat brands as they tend to be inferior in taste.
Last but not least, if you don’t want to end up spending even more by detoxifying, settle for the organic peanut butter since they are less contaminated.
In conclusion
As you can see, peanut butter is a better bet that precedes all the rumors hanging over this important spread. If you are looking to lose weight, you can incorporate it into your diets and you will have the last laugh.
About the Author:
Jane Grates – Writing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Jane is an entrepreneur, and a full-time housewife. She spends most of her time on doing kitchen stuff reviews and owns several health and home sites such as Jane’s Kitchen, Runnerclick, Nicershoes, Thatsweetgift and Car Seat Experts.
