Once a lunch box staple, peanut butter it’s gotten a pretty bad reputation in recent years, leading to the glorification of many other nut butter options. And while we love cashew butter for its super velvety texture and almond butter for the extra nutty flavor, we wonder if we can still make room for the once-loved (ahem, still-loved) anointing in our pantry. Or, is there any fact to the idea that peanut butter no longer has a place on our sandwiches? So, we asked the experts: Is peanut butter healthy?
Integer30 and Paleo diets lump peanuts in the legume family along with peas, beans, and lentils, because peanuts are botanically a legume and not a tree nut. These diets recommend eliminating legumes, but allow you to enjoy nuts during meals and snacks. Because of this popular diet framework, shoppers may leave peanut butter behind for butter made from tree nuts like almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts.
“Those diets are fads, plain and simple,” he says. Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDNfounder of Nutrition Starring YOU and author of The Easy Everything Cookbook for Prediabetes. “To me, any diet that eliminates entire food groups is a fad.” She notes, for want of a peanut allergy or intolerance, there is no real reason to eliminate entire food groups like legumes from your diet. Any controversy over peanut butter is likely due to a lot of misinformation about the classic spread, she adds. Wesley Delbridge, RDNregistered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Peanut Butter Nutrition Facts
According to the USDATwo tablespoons of smooth salted peanut butter contains approximately:
- Calories: 204
- Total fat: 16g
- Sodium: 137mg
- Total carbohydrates: 7g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 3g
- Protein: 7g
Compared to other varieties of nut butter, peanut butter has a slightly different micronutrient profile, but generally has similar nutritional value, says Jessica Zinn, MS, RD, CDN Depending on the specific brand you choose, peanut butter may be a bit more nutritious compared to other nut varieties with slightly more protein, vitamins and minerals, adds Harris-Pincus.
Be sure to check the ingredient list on the container you’re buying, says Delbridge. If you’re looking to control your sugar or sodium intake, you may want to consider purchasing a natural peanut butter made from just roasted peanuts. This will usually appear with a layer of oil on top that you need to mix in because natural options don’t include an emulsifier to hold everything together.
He suggests using half plain and half your favorite sweetened peanut butter at first to help your palate acclimate to the less sweet taste of plain peanut butter. And if you really prefer the sweetness of classic peanut butter, he says that’s fine, as long as you factor sugar and calories into your overall daily goals.
Health benefits of peanut butter
Peanut butter has a lot of benefits to brag about. It’s healthy, has good fats, contains fiber, doesn’t stay on the shelf, can be easily transported, is high in protein, versatile in recipes, has a long expiration date, and kids love it, says Delbridge.
And if you’re worried about the high fat content, Zinn says it really works in your favor. “The high fat content promotes satiety and meal satisfaction,” she says. This also makes them great for someone trying to lose weight, because the fat and protein content allows you to feel full after a meal, adds Zinn.
Peanut butter is also helpful because it can fit into many different diets. Zinn says that those who watch their blood sugar can benefit from peanut butter because it is low in carbohydrates and has a low glycemic index, so it has very little effect on blood sugar. “This can be a great addition to a snack or meal that will promote blood sugar balance,” she notes.
Also, peanut butter is much cheaper than its competitors. “People have this halo around almond butter versus peanut butter, but it’s so much more expensive and we get elitist about our food,” says Harris-Pincus. But of course there are benefits to a wide variety of foods in your diet. If your taste preferences and budget allow, feel free to mix and match all the different types of nut butter, he notes.
If that’s not enough, peanuts are also much more sustainable than many other nuts, says Harris-Pincus. They grow with much less water (just under five gallons of water per ounce for peanuts compared to 80 gallons of water per ounce for almonds) and have the smallest carbon footprint by comparison, he adds.
The potential risk of peanut butter
The main reason peanuts and other legumes are eliminated from many popular diets is that legumes contain lectins, proteins that bind carbohydrates and are present in most plants, explains Delbridge. Popular media and fad diets have associated lectins with obesity, chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases, according to Harvard School of Public Health.
These lectins are designed to protect the legume and have earned a reputation as “antinutrients” because they prevent some vitamins from being absorbed and occasionally cause stomach upset, he says. Additionally, peanuts can contain phytates, which can bind to some minerals like zinc and iron and can affect absorption, adds Zinn.
But Delbridge says that’s not necessarily something to worry about. This really only applies when someone is consuming very large amounts of legumes, far exceeding the recommended serving size (two tablespoons of peanut butter).
“The recommended serving size of peanut butter is so small that it won’t significantly affect your digestion or nutrient absorption,” says Delbridge. But of course, if you find that legumes upset your stomach, you can make a personal decision to avoid them, she says.
How Much Peanut Butter Should You Eat?
“Because peanut butter is high in calories and fat, even though they are heart-healthy fats, consuming too much of it can lead to weight gain,” Zinn warns.
Again, the recommended serving size for a meal or snack of peanut butter is about two tablespoons, and this can be overstated very easily. Zinn suggests using a measuring spoon or food scale to make sure you get the right amount.
“I’m a firm believer that there is no such thing as a bad food in a healthy diet, there are just unhealthy portions,” says Delbridge. He adds that as long as you consider the foods you eat throughout the day for balance, peanut butter is totally healthy to consume every day. Try some of our expert-approved peanut butter options.
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