Lifestyle
6 Health Benefits of Peanut Butter
As long as you’re not allergic to it, there are high chances that you have peanut butter in your home. Whether it’s crunchy or smooth, it’s great for sandwiches, snacks, and even desserts. And how many of us really love eating it out of the jar with a spoon. Go on, you can be honest here!There are many thoughts about peanut butter and how it’s bad for us. We can’t lie that there are some downsides to it. Unfortunately, it does contain a larger amount of saturated fats than we would usually like. But unlike all the other saturated badness out there, peanut butter offers a range of other health benefits.
In fact, when you eat the peanut butter in moderate amounts, you can improve your health and boost your weight loss efforts.
Here is all you need to know about the health benefits of peanut butter and why you need to add it to your diet right away.
You Will Find Weight Loss Easier
Yes, peanut butter really can help you lose weight. It’s time to ignore all those diet plans that tell you it’s time to cut it out of your diet.
There are high chances that those diet plans are focusing too much on the calorie side of things. Yes, serving as around 200 calories, depending on the type of peanut butter you have. What the diets don’t look at is the fact that you have 8g of protein and 2g of fiber in each serving. Why is this so good? Well, these two both help you feel fuller for longer.
Let’s look at a slice of toast with jam or butter. You’ll end up eating far more than you would if you have peanut butter instead. That means fewer calories consumed overall, so you’ll find it easier to create that calorie deficit.
And let’s not forget how satisfying peanut butter is. There’s a mental benefit to eating it. You don’t just feel physically satisfied, but your mental state believes that you’ve had something bad for you—something that you’ve wanted for hours. You’ll end up fighting against those cravings you’ve been getting, so you eat less of the actual bad stuff.
Of course, peanut butter needs to be eaten as part of a balanced diet. It’s all about getting everything in moderation! You’ll also need to remember to get out and exercise to help burn off extra calories. Exercise is 20 percent of your weight loss efforts.
While helping you lose the fat, the peanut butter will help with the building and toning of muscle. We’ll get onto the reasons for that next because it’s all to do with the type of fat in the ingredient.
There is Plenty of Good Fat Involved
While there are some saturated fats, there are also plenty of monounsaturated fats in peanut butter. Why is this so important? Well, this is the type of fat that you really need.
Studies have shown that having more monounsaturated fats in your diet will mean that you have a lower risk of developing diabetes. Your body doesn’t become as resistant to insulin, and you don’t suffer from the same blood sugar spikes that you would without the fats. Your whole body is protected. This is even the case in adults who already have a resistance to insulin. You’ll find that your diabetes could be reduced.
This is great for your waistline, but also helps your whole health. By lowering the risk of diabetes, you lower the risk of developing some other health problems. Diabetes has been linked to the loss of limb, heart problems, and comas. Do you really want to put your life at risk like that when you can help improve it with a simple serving of delicious peanut butter a day?
Oh and there’s no point in opting for the reduced-fat option. The calories are just the same, but you get less of the monounsaturated goodness for your overall health. You’ll also end up spending more money because really it’s all a marketing ploy!
And that saturated fat content isn’t as bad as we once believed it was. It helps with the absorption of more vitamin D and testosterone. These help us build stronger muscles and bones, which aids with the whole weight loss goals above. Our bodies will be more toned, and we’ll find it easier to lose weight. With more muscle, the body is encouraged to take the extra energy from the fat cells and not the muscles.
We’re also at a lower risk of osteoporosis and other bone issues. The vitamin D will help us absorb far more calcium, and it beats having to opt for the sun’s rays that tend to be damaging to the skin.
Give the Immune System a Boost
Another of the great benefits of peanut butter is the amount of antioxidants and other vitamins that are in it. We tend to forget about the health benefits of peanuts because we become so focused on the word “butter” and the myth that fat is bad for us.
All those antioxidants and vitamins help to give the immune system a boost. We find it easier to fight off infections and keep other illnesses at bay. We’re less likely to suffer from colds and flu symptoms because our bodies are able to nip the ailments in the bud sooner rather than later.
Let’s also not forget about the big benefit of antioxidants: they help to reduce the risk of cancer, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. The antioxidants fight against free radicals, which are the main reason for cells to develop abnormally while repairing after damage. The abnormal cells open the doors for cancerous or dementia-riddled cells to develop.
Studies have found that by eating peanut butter, it’s possible to increase the amount of antioxidants in your system by 22 percent. There are more antioxidants than the likes of carrots, beets, and apples. In fact, peanut butter is at the same level of the likes of strawberries and blackberries that are highly known for their cancer-fighting properties.
Other studies have shown that cancer can fight off colon cancer specifically. This is the third most common type of cancer around the world, and there is still very little known and understood about it. Just men were 27 percent less likely to develop cancer by eating peanut butter. The study didn’t even look at women, but we can assume some similar results. There are suggestions that lung and stomach cancer risks can also be reduced.
As for Alzheimer’s, studies have shown that peanut butter can help. These studies compared peanut butter with vitamin E as a way to ward off the disease. Those who took vitamin E needed a large amount to see a reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s. When it came to the peanut butter, just a small amount was needed. A serving of peanuts has 20 percent of your recommended daily amount of vitamin E, which helps. It’s also due to the amount of antioxidants protecting the cells.
Great for the Heart Health
Another benefit to focus on is that to your heart health. Remember that healthy fat within the peanut butter? Well, this helps to reduce your bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol in your body. The good cholesterol is then able to protect the lining of your vessels so the blood can run through the body easily. Bad cholesterol causes friction and leads to too much clotting risk.
Your blood pressure is also reduced thanks to your lower cholesterol levels. So, your heart isn’t trying to do as much work as it would have needed to do. And remember, your heart is a muscle. It can overwork, and it can suffer because of that.
With peanut butter, you’re at a lower risk of developing heart disease and other cardiovascular problems. In fact, having peanut butter (or just peanuts) five times a week, you can reduce your risk of heart disease by half!
Handle Your Chronic Pain
It’s not all just because of the cholesterol levels, either. The peanuts help to reduce the inflammation in your body. Your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to get the blood flowing through constricted vessels because the body isn’t inflaming as much.
The lack of inflammation also helps in other areas of your lifestyle. Inflammation is the number one reason for conditions like chronic pain and IBS. What if you could get rid of both—or at least limit the issues? When you reduce the inflammation within the body, you get rid of many of the symptoms and side effects of it.
There is a lower need for having to take more painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills to help lessen the chronic pain. There’s no need to wonder why IBS and Crohn’s disease is affecting you on a daily basis. Just think about how that will help your mental health.
You’ll feel like you can do more. You’ll actually want to start doing more, and this then also helps to boost your mental health. Some people find that conditions like depression and anxiety become a thing of the past because they no longer feel the constant pain or lack of energy.
Reduce Your Risk of Gallstones
Who would have thought something like peanut butter could reduce the risk of developing gallstones? Well, it does. This is mostly due to the peanuts in the food. Peanuts have the right nutrients to help keep gallstones at bay. Studies show that the peanuts can reduce the risk of developing gallbladder issues by 25-30 percent.
That’s great, but what about the amount of fat within the peanut butter? Well, remember that the fat in peanut butter gets an unfair reputation. Fat is good for the body, as long as you get the right type. It’s the large amounts of saturated fats that lead to many of our gallbladder issues.
But isn’t there saturated fat within peanut butter? Well, yes, but there’s also plenty of good and healthy fats. And saturated fats consumed in a low amount really aren’t going to do you that much damage! It’s the other junk food that you’re eating that clogs up the arteries and makes it hard for the digestive system to work properly.
When you eat peanut butter as part of a healthy and balanced diet, you will find that those gallbladder issues are a thing of the past.
Can Other Nut Butters and Seed Butters Do the Same?
If you’re allergic to peanuts, you may want to find other ways to get all these great benefits above. There are questions over whether other nut butter or the seed butter out there can help you.
While there aren’t the exact same benefits, some of them do offer similar ones. Peanuts and other nuts aren’t made up in the same way. The peanut isn’t actually a nut: it’s a legume, like peas! This is why many people who are allergic to peanuts aren’t usually allergic to other types of nuts. Other nuts don’t quite offer the same nutritional benefits as peanuts, and there are still studies being conducted to find out the exact benefits.
When it comes to the healthy fats, you will get many of the same benefits. The butter are made similarly to peanut butter, meaning you get a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats. You’ll still get the fiber and much of the protein, so you can still find that they will help you with your weight loss, muscle toning, and mental health boosts.
Are you ready to try peanut butter in your diet? Are you ready to add it back in? While it gets a bad reputation, there are many health benefits to adding just a serving or two into your diet. Start off small and work your way up to five servings or so a week. You can have it on toast or in desserts. You will find that it’s easier to lose weight, while you boost your heart and brain health.
