Is Peanut Butter Good For You, or Bad?

Real peanut butter is a relatively unprocessed food. It’s pretty much just roasted peanuts that are ground until they turn into peanut butter.

Many commercial brands of peanut butter have loads of vegetable oil, sugar and other ingredients added. These are definitely not good for you.

In this video I'm referring to real peanut butter, which is basically only peanuts, perhaps mixed in with a bit of salt. So it basically has all the properties of eating whole peanuts.

Now about 72% of the calories in peanut butter come from fat, with 15% from protein, and 13% from carbohydrate.

This classifies it as a very high calorie food, but also a great vegetarian source of protein.

It's also a pretty good source of important vitamins and minerals and fiber, but not nearly as nutritious as fruit and vegetables when comparing calorie for calorie.

Even though peanut butter is quite nutritious, there have been some concerns over a potentially harmful substance in peanuts called aflotoxins.

Some studies in humans have linked aflatoxin exposure to liver and kidney cancer.

But there is good news… according to one source, the processing of peanuts into peanut butter reduces the aflatoxins by 89%.

Additionally, the USDA monitors the amounts of aflatoxins in foods and makes sure that they don’t go over recommended limits.

The other potential issue is that about 30% of the fats in peanut butter are omega-6 fatty acids. Excessive Omega-6s in the diet are associated with inflammation and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Most people are already eating too many Omega-6s, and too few Omega-3s, which are thought to be protective. Commercial peanut butter contains vegetable oil which adds even more Omega-6.

Overall peanut butter is fairly rich in nutrients and fiber, and a decent source of protein.

But it is a large source of omega-6 fats, a potential source of aflatoxins, and perhaps most importantly very calorie-dense.
If you eat only small amounts at a time, then it's quite neutral for health. But if you eat a lot, and you want to lose weight, then it's a habit you ought to change.

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Studies mentioned:

[mirelacertan]

I lost almost 30 pounds by eating only oatmeal with peanut butter and natural honey. Never got tired of it 😂

[blanse]

impossible to eat only one serving of peanut butter or peanuts in general, at least for me.

[jessiejohnson]

I use peanut butter to satisfy my sweet craving and to keep my sugar down. It works. I crave sweets so bad sometimes. I got the info from my doctor. I take a spoon and just dip it into the jar. No, I don't just keep eating, because one teaspoon does the trick.

[AlteroCoach]

If I got a peanut butter jar and a loaf of bread in my house then... I'm doomed! Haha! But I'm not complaining. For me it's the most enjoyable and satisfying food ever! It's ok to treat yourself like this time after time.

[arturlevericks]

when he said liver and kidney cancer, my heart when like tesla roadster from 0 to 60 in 1.9 seconds, I honestly didn't know that you can get cancer from peanut butter....

[wmp]

Most people eat Skippy or Jiff. Do a video on those. What about almond butter? Whole Foods has delicious AB and it is reasonably priced. Love it on a banana.

[dragonloverxxl]

I go through a jar of peanut butter a week ... I have issues

[carolbradstreet]

I use natural peanut butter more as a condiment than a focal food. About a tablespoon gives a rich, creamy taste to oatmeal, and of course, anyone who has had peanut sauce in Thai cooking, well, that speaks for itself.

[doxenking]

Short simple at to the point. Love it.

[Arpita]

Hi, I use about one tablespoon of peanut butter on a slice of bread toast every morning for breakfast.. is that healthy consumption of peanut butter ?

[caitlincaitlin]

i switched to organic, old fashioned peanut butter and my blood sugars dropped quite a bit. i also cut out high fat dairy almost entirely and that helped my blood sugars also. Buy the peanut butter with peanuts listed as the only ingredient. Don't buy the ones with hydrogenated oils in it.

[pamelacunningham]

Always interesting information thanks for sharing .

[OfMiceAndMegabytes]

I live and die by peanuts and peanut butter. Don't know why I can't get enough of either.

[razenhell]

I eat Skippy and I'm thin. Skippy has 16 grams of fat per tbsp. It's also a good source of vitamin E. How do I know.... It says it on the front of the label. Peanut butter is good for you as long as your not scraping the sides down after eat 60 tbsp

[arth]

Processing reducing aflatoxins but increasing oxidation of PUFA fatty acids which are about 50% of mass in peanuts... mostly omega 6 LA.

[Luca-mvvd]

Simple solution: do your peanut butter at home. You only need roasted peanuts, liquid butter and something to crush and mix them. 0 industrial addictions this way.

[OnemoreJesusfreak]

It's seems to me many of Authority Nutrition's videos are missing pertinent information in the presentation made on the subject, however I believe this one is close to spot on. The only thing I could see was that was omitted is the fact that peanuts used for butter are roasted, and not just the raw peanut. Therefore some of the nutrition is destroyed in the process, and that raw nuts are a better choice.

[whitefoxnb]

Carbs per 100g of peanut butter are only 15 chill a bit guys.

[AmolLusk]

How good is hazelnut butter with cocoa?

[USSHammerology]

So eat a peanut butter and salmon sandwich's to neutralize the omega6 with omega3. HAHAH