Is peanut butter bad?

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I had heard it was good, and this confused me-
http://www.gainingweight.info/weight-gaining-foods/

(I want to gain weight)

It also listed pistachios as bad, I don't understand why. Clarification would be appreciated. Note I am not a paleo eater and that is not a paleo site.

Peanut butter does have a lot of fat. There are definitely a lot of better sources of protein and fat, but overall if you choose the right kind, don't eat too much of it, or fat in a 24hr period it is a clean food.

Regular peanut butter you find in most stores usually has hydrogenated oils, which converts to trans fat in the body. Trans fats are a unhealthy fat which negatively effects the body. I believe in some countries it is even illegal to sell foods like that. To avoid them, get natural organic peanut butter, without hydrogenated oils, and don't go for the non stir kinds either, which usually have some form of oil/fat that converts into trans fats... Good healthy peanut butter requires you to stir the oils to get it all ready to be spread. The ingredients should say 100% Organic peanut butter and that's it.

It looks like the site was talking about peanuts more in reference to their protein content than their fat. (since it's in the no-no category under protein). Though it also says to avoid hydrogenated oils. Perhaps you should look up the protein content of peanuts to get a better understanding.

Here's something to think on:

When used to feed starving children in third world countries, peanut butter has a 90% success rate (of keeping the child alive) versus other stuff they feed them. I'm taking dangerously, close to death starvation, peanut butter is that packed with fat and protein. I use to love peanut butter and its assorted candies as a kid (yum peanut brittle, peanut butter cups!) but that stuff is loaded with SO much fat, purely avoid it.

This also doesn't take into account all the garbage, like transfat etc you get in the regular stuff (peter pan, jiffy etc). The organic peanut butter is a bit better but its STILL very fattening. If you're someone trying to lose weight I would stay the hell away from it.

We all need "good" fat, it even helps us lose weight and stay healthy, but I think its much easier to just get that from raw nuts instead of bothering with any form of peanut butter.

OP, there is a perception that pistachios have lots of salt. Apparently it's not as high as salted peanuts though.
That said, why would one want to salt peanuts?

While i cant answere you there, heres one that confuses me.. Vegemite is banned in the states because of its main ingredient which is perfectly healthy -_- go figure -_-

Peanut butter is a very nutritious and healthy food. Even the really cheap and nasty kinds which have added hyrdogenated oils are ok, because the amount is TINY.

But good quality peanut butter is one of the most healthy foods you could find. Peanuts are linked to a reduction in diabetes amongst other things.

It might be that they are trying to steer you away from omega 6 fats. Omega 6 fats are indeed essential, but they are greatly overrepresented in the modern diet and are supposed to be in equal proportion to the omega 3 fats which are greatly underrepresented in the modern diet. Steering people away from omega 6 fats and towards omega 3 fats is an attempt to get the balance back to the 1:1 (or even 1:2 or 1:3) ratio that is healthier.

Omega 6 fats and omega 3 fats participate in different parts of the immune system's inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cascades. A diet too high in omega 6 fats leads to problems with too much inflammation. This is common with a modern diet and they are trying to steer you away from it. A diet too high in omega 3 fats leads to thinner blood and clotting problems but that's pretty difficult to achieve with a modern diet. It generally just happens to people who go far beyond manufacturers' recommendations on the fish oil supplements and eat them by the fistful figuring that more is better.

Here is a chart that may be the chart those article authors used:

http://180degreehealth.com/2010/02/omeg ... mmon-foods


note that peanut butter and pistachios are both in the "very high sources of omega 6 fats" category.


I am just guessing because the article doesn't give any rationales for why each food was placed in its' "superior" or "no-no's" category. They expect you to just take their word for it. I suppose they want the article to remain a couple of paragraphs rather than 30 pages but I, like you, always go looking for the reasons.

Other posters have noted the trans fats and added sugar of commercial peanut butters which make them a poor choice. But the article doesn't say that peanut butter that is purely ground peanuts with no additives would be fine. So that leads me to think they are concerned with its high omega 6 content- that and the fact that they included pistachios which tend to not be processed at all beyond roasting and salting. If you are mindful of your omega 6 versus omega 3 intake (using the chart I linked, perhaps ) then it shouldn't be a problem to have peanut butter now and again. But it should be the peanut butter that is just ground peanuts which you have to re-stir since the oil separates out. Omega 6 or not, peanuts are pretty nutritious, as other posters noted. But do be mindful of also eating omega 3 fgoods to keep a balance.

I have organic, all natural peanutbutter as a part of my diet. A very small part, but a spoon here and there is good for you. If you're looking to gain weight, look into Chankonabe.

I wouldn't eat a lot of peanut butter in one sitting. Too fatty. And most store brands are full of hydrogenated fats.

How could anything so delicious be bad?






Please don't tell me, I don't want to know.

Peanut butter can have those pesky trans fats and those are supposed to be bad for your heart. You have to read the label and look for ones that say no trans fats but be careful because if the ingredients list partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils, it has trans fats regardless of what the label says. Peanut butter is also very fattening and the American Heart Associations recommends a diet low in fats.

Pistachios and nuts in general, including peanuts are darn tasty, plant based foods but they have so much fat in them! That is why some nutritionists say they are not a good food choice. They are like avocados and whole milk in a lot of ways. Nuts have supporters and detractors.

Too much is definitely bad for the skin. You'll get breakouts.

The US Food and Drug Administration later stated that there were no plans to subject Vegemite to an import ban, or withdraw it from supermarket shelves. The United States Customs and Border Protection state on its website that "there is no known prohibition on the importation of Vegemite" and "there is no official policy within CBP targeting Vegemite for interception". While Vegemite has never been popular in the US, it can still be purchased at supermarkets that stock imported food items.

Denmark's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries stated that neither spread had been banned but that the respective companies had not applied for licences to market their products in Denmark. In 2004 Denmark had passed legislation prohibiting the sale of food products fortified with vitamins as a danger to health.

Here the answer to your question its an urban myth that it was banned.

Oh, IF ONLY that was how it worked....


~fantasizes~