Peanut Butter: Fitness Snack

Find out why peanut butter may be one of the best choices for weight loss and heart-health

Peanut butter is definitely a 'fitness-friendly' food. Despite its high fat content - most of which is the 'healthy' kind - recent studies show that both peanuts and peanut butter are good for your heart. And, when used probably as part of a healthy eating plan, they're also very effective weight loss tools.

Over 80% of the fat in peanuts is monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, both of which lower blood cholesterol levels. A Purdue University study showed that people who ate 500 calories worth of peanuts per day (about half a cup) for 8 weeks experienced a significant drop in triglyceride levels (a heart disease risk factor) while blood levels of folate, magnesium, and soluble fiber - all important for heart health - significantly increased!

Also, a 2003 study at the University of Georgia showed that, contrary to previous beliefs, processing of peanuts into peanut butter removes very little of the natural vitamin E content (less than 5%). They discovered that peanut butter's natural oil and the sealed containers used to store it protect the valuable antioxidant vitamin during processing and storage.

Small amounts of peanuts and peanut butter make good 'fitness snack' choices, especially if you're trying to control hunger on a reduced-calorie diet. Here's why:

• a small amount of peanut butter provides a lot of healthy fat and a good amount of energy (calories) for working out



• peanuts and peanut butter have a higher 'satiety value' than almost any other food - after eating them you want to eat less of other foods



• eating peanuts and peanut butter may raise your resting metabolic rate slightly (according to the Purdue study)



• 15-20% of peanuts' calories may not be absorbed in the body (according to other research)

Of course, it's very important not to go overboard with peanuts. Like all nuts, they are very 'nutrient-dense' - basically, they contain a lot of calories per ounce. A handful of peanuts or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter are appropriate portion sizes for most people.

Note: Although 'natural' peanut butter is the best choice because it contains no trans fats from added vegetable oils, 'normal' peanut butter (which usually contains small amounts of added sugar, salt, and oil) isn't a bad choice either. As always, it's best to choose an organic brand to minimize your intake of pesticides and other chemical toxins.