Is Peanut Butter Keto-Friendly? All You Need To Know!
Peanut butter is a delicious, creamy, convenient food mainly used as spreads and smoothies. They are often member of the dining in the breakfasts. They are the main ingredient of some of the delicious drinks and smoothies.
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Does Peanut Butter Fit Into The Keto Diet?
It is packed with the nutrient vitamin E which fights against the free radicals in your body. Peanut butter is also fully packed with proteins and fats and is low in sugar. But is it keto-friendly? Let us learn more about this topic through this article.
Keto diet and peanut butter
A keto diet otherwise known as Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) is a diet in which fat consumption is high and carn consumption is very low as the name denotes. Here the high fat that is consumed will burn the extra calories in your body. This process is called ketosis, where your body burns the fat deposited to make energy. Under the keto diet, you will really have to face much confusion regarding the food that could be eaten.
Like other nuts and nut butter, peanut butter is also a good option to choose for keto dieters as it is rich in fiber, fat, and protein and low in carbs. Also, it contains numerous vitamins and minerals such as vitamin E, vitamin B3, magnesium, copper, zinc, and manganese.
A two-tablespoon serving of peanut butter contains 191 calories, 7 grams of protein, 16 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, and a net of 5 grams of carbs.
Things to remember while including peanut butter in your diet
In fact, it is safe to have peanut butter for the keto diet. But you must consider some points while opting for peanut butter in your diet. Traditional peanut butter is considered keto-friendly and can be consumed while dieting in moderate amounts. They are ketogenic and support ketosis. So need not be removed from the keto diet when consumed in moderate amounts. As it contains high protein, it keeps your tummy fuller for a long time. Peanut butter also prevents your body from raising blood glucose levels and insulin levels, as its glycemic index score is 14.
However, in the peanut butter that is available in the market nowadays, companies add toxic ingredients such as high sugar (to improve the taste and add flavor to the butter) and hydrogenated oils as preservatives. But these toxic oils are deadly and cause inflammation, leading to serious issues including heart attacks, strokes, and even cancer. The extra added sugar in the peanut butter is a threat to ketosis and adversely affects the keto diet.
So, if you are planning to add peanut butter to your keto diet, try to choose the natural creamy peanut butter that is unsweetened and contains no added hydrogenated oils. It is also recommended to avoid reduced-fat peanut butter because in reduced-fat products extra sugar is added in order to taste better. As a result, reduced-fat peanut butter contains a net carb of 13 grams per serving while normal peanut butter has 4-5 grams of carb.
Peanut butter naturally contains sugar and there is no need to worry about natural sugar. But you are supposed to keep away from extra added sugar which affects your health adversely.
Health benefits of peanut butter
If you are consuming healthy peanut butter in moderate amounts, it has many health benefits too.
- Packed with essential nutrients
As we have already discussed, healthy peanut butter is packed with several vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, etc. but what makes it outstanding is that it contains vitamin E, potassium, niacin, and iron which are hard to find in other food supplies. So using peanut butter you can fill the lack of such nutrients. It also prevents Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and even cancer and fights against free radicles.
- Keeps you full
As peanut butter contains more proteins and fats, it reduces your appetite. It promotes your digestive tract with fullness and so it is the best snack to be advised for those who are planning to reduce weight. It is the best option to keep you going in between meals.
- Decreases the chances of heart attacks and strokes
As peanut butter contains a large amount of monounsaturated fat, it helps to decrease LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Thus preventing the fat from accumulating in arteries, in turn lowering the risk of heart attacks and strokes. So it is advised to include unsweetened peanut butter in your diet if have a family history of heart disease.
Conclusion
So, if you love peanut butter and you want to follow the keto diet, you don’t have to skip peanut butter from your menu. But you must just check for the presence of added sugar and hydrogenated oil which cause health issues.
You can spread it on slices of brown bread to make low-carb sandwiches. You can also top your icecreams and smoothies with it in moderate amounts as moderate consumption of peanut butter does not cause any harm but rather provides you health benefits.
