By: Jada Linton, RDN, LD
When checking out the peanut nutrition label, it tells us there are 140 calories and 16 grams of fat in 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. To the untrained eye, this can be alarming! But did you know most of the fat in peanut butter is good fat?
Learn why not to be afraid of fat here.
There’s this misconception that eating any type of fat is terrible for you. It’s very important to know there is good and bad fat. In fact, it is encouraged to eat good fats (unsaturated fats).1 Peanut butter actually has mostly unsaturated fats.
Learn more about peanut nutrition here.
Research proves that unsaturated fat is good fat and comes mostly from plant sources.1 Peanuts are a great plant-forward addition to your meals!
The unsaturated fat make-up of peanuts helps link them to a reduced risk of heart disease. One serving of dry-roasted peanuts (30 grams) contains 12 grams of unsaturated fat, only two grams of saturated fat, and no trans-fat.
Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, including peanuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Did you know we have moved away from focusing on single nutrients such as fat by themselves? Instead, we focus on the dietary guidelines, which you can learn more about here!
Adding more plant-forward food options is very important to your body. Peanuts are a great plant-forward addition to meals. Peanuts provide you with 7 g of protein per 1.0 ounce serving, and that is 7 grams of satisfaction!
References:
- The Skinny on Fat. (2019, May 09). Retrieved from https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/03/skinny-fat