Peanut butter is full of health benefits and is a divinely delicious superfood. It is great with bananas or jam in a sandwich and goes very well with many fruits and vegetables. It is also surprisingly filled with health benefits. It is high in protein and healthy oil which can help with diabetes, weight loss, and Alzheimer’s disease.
No food is perfect, though; there are some cautions with peanuts. Hopefully, you are not one of the 1% that is highly allergic to peanuts.
November is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month. Interesting to note that 65 million pounds will be eaten by Americans during the month of November.
8 Health Benefits of Peanut Butter
1. Good for Your Heart
Studies found peanuts lowered the risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease.
2. Helps Reduce Hunger Making it Good For Weight Loss
Eating peanuts and peanut butter helps control hunger without leading to weight gain.
3. Lowers Colon Cancer
Eating peanuts may reduce colon cancer in women. “This study suggests that frequent intake of peanut and its products may reduce colorectal cancer risk 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
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 in two studies. 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.
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. (To read all about these molds and the best way to minimize the risk, click here.)
History
Peanut Butter Lovers Day started on November 4, 1990. It marks the anniversary of the first patent for peanut butter, applied for by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg on November 4, 1895. November is Peanut Butter Lovers Month! And now there is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day on March 1 every year.
Trivia
- In the early 1900’s, peanut butter was found in tea rooms as fancy food for rich people.
- The USA has had two Presidents elected who were peanut farmers: Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
- In one acre of land, there are enough peanuts to make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.
- Before graduating high school, the average child will have consumed 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
- Women and children like creamy peanut butter and men prefer crunchy.
Best Peanut Butter to Buy
To get all the health benefits of peanut butter it is important that it is not filled with unhealthy ingredients. Read the label. Natural, old-fashioned organic peanut butter with no hydrogenated fats and sugar is the best. Choose peanut butter that contains only peanuts and salt. This kind is full of peanut flavor and doesn’t contain additives and is better for the environment too. Refrigerate it and turn it upside down in the fridge so the peanut oils and solids can re-mix.
This is good peanut butter with no unhealthy additives and is organic too.
Smucker’s Organic Creamy Peanut Butter
I am a big fan of chunky peanut butter cause I like the crunch: Smucker’s Organic Natural Peanut Butter-chunky
Just so you know, Real Food for Life may collect compensation from the Amazon links on this page because I am an Amazon affiliate.
“Man cannot live by bread alone;
he must have peanut butter.”
– James A. Garfield
My Favorite Peanut Butter Recipes
You don’t need a recipe to spread peanut butter on bread or celery, but the following recipes go way beyond that!
Peanut Butter Bliss Balls – This is one of those recipes that originated in my hippy days in the Kootenays of British Columbia, Canada. We had a variety of flavours of ‘Bliss Balls’; this was a favorite. It did have lots of honey in it though which I reduced the quantity. You can replace it with rice syrup. Also, it had wheat germ in it which I replaced to make it gluten free.
Peanut Butter Sauce with Ginger – I love this peanut butter sauce, the ginger makes it extra delicious. This is one of those lifesaver recipes when you have a sudden, unexpectedly dinner guest. Steamed vegetables and rice is simple and fast but what do you jazz it up with?
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie – Start your day with a green smoothie with peanut butter and notice a difference! This is a very simple smoothie with fresh spinach, banana, peanut butter and coconut milk. It is full of vitamins, minerals and even protein!
Warming Vegetable Stew with Peanut Butter– This is a tasty vegetable stew with peanut butter and it is filled with superfood vegetables. The sweet potatoes add that sweetness to the stew making it extra tasty. It has good vegan protein from the peanut butter too. It is very good for cold winter days.
Delicious Peanut Butter Carob Banana Pudding – This carob banana pudding is so simple and fast to make. It is a delicious dessert filled with the health benefits of carob, banana and peanut butter.
For even more facts about this tasty peanut blend, check out the infographic below:
100+ Superfoods
Learn more about some of the healthiest vegetarian foods you will always want to have in your pantry or growing on your deck.
READ: Superfoods – Over 100 of the Healthiest Foods You Should Have in Your Diet and learn more about the variety of Superfoods we think you should have in your diet.
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Before i read this article, i refrain from eating peanuts because of negative myths about it. Now i relief knowing peanuts have a lot of benefits to our body.