Peanut butter can be a healthy part of your diet

If you love peanut butter, you're not alone. Peanut butter is a good source of protein, unsaturated fats, folate, vitamin E, selenium, copper, zinc, and many more vitamins and minerals. More than 80 percent of the fat in peanuts is derived from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, both of which have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels. In a study at Purdue University, people who ate 500 calories of peanuts a day (slightly more than half a cup) for eight weeks had a significant drop in their triglyceride levels (a risk factor for heart disease) while their intake of heart-healthy nutrients (folate, magnesium, and fiber, for example) increased. Peanut butter, even our favorite commercial brands, is made up of 90 percent peanuts or more, and the fat and calorie content are pretty much the same whether you grind you own, or buy natural or commercially branded peanut butter.

A very small amount of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is added to regular peanut butter to keep the oil from separating out, to increase the shelf life, and to create a creamier peanut butter. To lower intake of these fats, you can purchase natural peanut butter and then simply pour the oil off the top prior to using. If you feel that the peanut butter gets too dry this way, try stirring in some macadamian or soybean oil instead.

Peanuts actually have less total fat than most other nuts, and peanut butter has about the same as many other lunch foods. Below is a comparison of how peanuts and peanut butter compare to other popular foods:

Peanuts - 1 ounce - has 2 grams saturated fat; 14 grams total fat

Peanut Butter - 2 tablespoons - 2.5 grams saturated fat; 14 grams total fat

Potato Chips - 1 ounce - 3 grams saturated fat; 10 grams total fat

Egg Salad - 3 ounces - 4 grams saturated fat; 19 grams total fat

American Cheese - 1 slice (1 ounce) - 5.9 grams saturated fat; 9 grams total fat

Hamburger patty - 3.5 ounces - 7 grams saturated fat; 17 grams total fat

The multitude of health benefits that can be gained from eating 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter or 1 ounce of nuts daily may make it worth modifying saturated fat intake somewhere else in the daily diet to allow for the additional 2.5 grams contained in a serving of peanut butter. Just keep in mind that the portion size is 2 Tablespoons, not the entire jar.

For more information on peanut butter, visit The American Peanut Council web site at http://www.peanutsusa.com.

Provided by Cooper Wellness Program nutrition director Kathy Duran-Thal, R.D. For information on attending a four-, six-, or 13-day program at The Cooper Aerobics Center, call 800-444-5192 or visit www.cooperaerobics.com/wellness

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