Peanut butter - benefits and harms

Peanut butter is a delicious and nutritious dessert that you want to eat without stopping. Therefore, the question is quite justified - what is the benefit and harm of peanut paste for the body of an ordinary person, for an athlete or for those who are going to lose weight.

Peanut butter: chemical composition and calorie content

Peanuts, or peanuts, have been consumed by South American civilizations for centuries due to their nutritional value and affordability. Peanut paste is a creamy brown-coffee colored product made from mashed roasted nuts with a wonderful taste and aroma.

In 100 grams of the finished product, there are approximately 570 - 600 calories, as in high-quality dark chocolate. One teaspoon holds about 12 grams of pasta, which corresponds to 70 - 72 calories. A tablespoon will include 35 grams of product (approximately 200 - 220 calories).

Structure:

• fats - approximately 70-73%, of which more than 36% are beneficial unsaturated fatty acids;
• carbohydrates - 8 - 9%;
• vegetable protein - 18 - 21%.

The benefits of the product for the human body

Real, without artificial additives, peanut butter is a “living” natural product. Moreover, heat treatment - roasting a nut - only enhances its beneficial properties.

Among the valuable substances contained in a paste made from peanuts, there are:

1. Vitamins E, A, Group B, including folic and nicotinic acids (vitamins B9 and B3, respectively), a lot of iron and potassium, choline (B4), selenium, calcium, zinc, cobalt.
2. Plant fibers - fiber, so necessary for the normal functioning of the intestine and the removal of poisons and allergens from the body.
3. Useful for the body vegetable fats, which are classified as poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids, in high concentration.

Due to the content of essential omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, peanut paste with regular use against a healthy diet has the following effects:

• reduces the risk of heart and vascular diseases (according to the study, by 15 - 20%);
• lowers the concentration of bad cholesterol;
• improves blood properties, preventing thrombosis;
• regulates the level of serotonin in the brain, providing an antidepressant effect;
• prevents the development of type 2 diabetes, increasing the sensitivity of receptors to insulin;
• regulates the tone of capillaries, normalizing blood pressure;
• normalizes hormone levels, improving the course of menopause and premenstrual syndrome.

How peanut butter is good for athletes

Pasta is a valuable natural product that is in demand by actively trained athletes and athletes in bodybuilding.

In addition to the abundance of vitamins and minerals, the undoubted benefit for athletes is due to other important properties of peanuts processed into pasta.

Among them:

1. High energy value, which provides an energy release with a small amount of food eaten and does not lead to an increase in fat mass and stomach volume.
2. A large amount of protein (about 4 g per 100 grams) is needed to build muscle fiber.
3. The ability of peanuts to activate the production of their own natural testosterone. The hormone intensifies the process of splitting fats and is involved in processes leading to an increase in muscle tissue density. This is important for the discharge of excess fat mass, and for the formation of a muscular relief. The experimental data clearly indicate the fact that the level of muscle density depends on the amount of testosterone in the blood. In addition, testosterone affects the development of the athlete’s skeleton, regulates the functioning of the bone marrow, sebaceous glands, and relieves depression.
4. The high content of choline (B4), which plays a huge role in the life of any athlete - both amateur and professional. Choline restores the normal functioning of the central nervous system in stressful conditions. It also supports the work of the liver, which is experiencing excessive stress due to periodic or continuous use of fat burners, proteins and protein products. Not for nothing that many athletes resort to taking high doses of choline in cases of extreme overload.

It is interesting:peanut paste

Useful properties of paste for losing weight

The high nutritional value of peanut butter does not at all preclude its use as a dietary product for losing weight. The main thing is not to get carried away and keep the dose in order to achieve weight loss.

What are the valuable properties of peanut goodies for those who want to lose weight?

1. Firstly, due to the abundance of vegetable proteins and fiber, a small portion of nut paste gives a long-lasting feeling of satiety. Studies show that those who regularly eat this delicacy for breakfast want to eat much less during the day. In addition, the plant fibers contained in it help to establish the process of abnormally slow release of the intestine, which also affects the process of losing weight by cleansing the body of unnecessary substances and toxins.
2. Secondly, two more important factors influence weight loss. A large amount of choline, which normalizes metabolic processes, and the ability of peanuts to stimulate the secretion of their own testosterone activate the burning of fat accumulations and the loss of excess weight.
3. Thirdly, natural testosterone, which is more intensively produced when peanuts are consumed, is also beneficial for women. The selected dose of paste against the background of physical activity and a low-calorie diet will provide elasticity, muscle density and accelerate metabolism, which will not allow to plump even during premenopause and menopause.

In order for the product to really work as a dietary one and benefit the figure, it is recommended to limit the amount of the daily portion of peanut butter for those losing weight to 4 teaspoons. It is considered appropriate to use it in the morning and best of all - at breakfast.

Read also:how does peanuts grow

For reference: there are also dietary options for pasta made from peanuts, for example, from Walden Farms.

Harm from eating pasta

Any valuable product, like medicine, can become a poison, the difference is only in dosage.

Peanut product can cause significant harm to people who are allergic to it or any other nuts.

For them, pasta is a forbidden treat.

This ban should be taken very seriously, since with a high sensitivity of the body to peanuts, a tiny dose of paste may be enough to develop an acute reaction.

This is manifested in the following:

• sore throat;
• itching of the skin on the lips, neck;
• swelling of the lips, tongue, a feeling of fullness in them;
• the appearance of shortness of breath, coughing, indicating a spasm in the bronchi and the development of an asthma attack;
• swelling of the pharynx and larynx, which can lead to airway obstruction;
• acute anaphylactic reaction, including a sharp drop in pressure and the above signs in a severe form, can cause a coma and death in minutes.

Gastric pathologies in the acute phase (ulcerative processes, gastritis, duodenitis) are also a contraindication to the use of peanut paste. In the chronic type of the disease, it is allowed to use the product, but not more than a tablespoon in the morning.

What to eat peanut butter with

How to eat pasta so that it brings the greatest benefit?

On this occasion, nutritionists argue that the discussed delicacy is best consumed not separately, but with other useful products.

This option will give the optimal result of the assimilation of valuable substances, maintaining a normal weight and minimizing the development of adverse reactions in people with gastric problems.

• You can make delicious and nutritious toast by spreading the paste on whole grain bread or dry cracker.
• Amino acids contained in dairy products perfectly complement the valuable elements of peanuts. Therefore, nutritionists are advised to drink nut pasta with non-fat milk, chicory or coffee in milk, add it as a topping to cheesecakes and cottage cheese casserole.
• For those who are losing weight, peanut butter is recommended to eat along with low-calorie fruits or with dietary porridge from buckwheat, oatmeal.
• Well, for those who are not afraid of gaining weight, ice cream with peanut butter or the famous French pancakes that are prepared on Parisian boulevards will be an excellent dessert. A hot pancake is densely spread with peanut butter, and then a banana cut into circles is wrapped in it.

How to make pasta at home

Many people think that it is better to cook a delicacy of peanuts themselves, because in this case you can carefully monitor the composition of the product and the cooking technology.

Basic recipe:

• roasted peanuts - 200 grams;
• peanut or refined vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons;
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of honey (to taste), which should be replaced with powdered sugar in case of allergies;
• salt (pinch).

Cooking:

1. Peanuts are immediately bought roasted or peeled and kept in the oven for about 7 - 10 minutes (at 180 - 200ºC), laid in one layer on a baking sheet.
2. After cooling the grains, they are ground in a blender to a powder state.
3. Oil, honey (powdered sugar) and salt are added to the nut powder.
4. Scroll the mixture again in a blender until the product is pasted.

To make its taste and smell even more attractive, many add candied fruits, finely chopped dried fruits, coconut flakes or their favorite spices - cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, vanilla to the mixture.

If the paste is too thick, a little warm water is added to it and whipped again in a blender. The finished product is stored for no longer than 60 days in the refrigerator.