The Benefits of Peanut Butter

Young or old, who can resist peanut butter? When paired with jam and made into a sandwich, this creamy, nutty spread takes us back to our childhood. It has a place baked into cookies, stirred into oatmeal, and blended into smoothies. Not to mention eating it straight from the jar. One wonders how such a simple, delicious creation could be so complex. Really though, it’s not supposed to be. Peanut butter should simply be nuts pulverized into a delicious mash—that’s it! Some of the benefits of peanut butter come from the food's healthy fat content. Peanut butter contains unsaturated fats, nutrients that lower the levels of harmful cholesterol in your bloodstream, helping to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Two tablespoons of peanut butter are what you should consume if you want to stay on the healthy end of the peanut butter consumption scale. These 2 tablespoons pack in 7 grams of protein. This is why peanut butter on toast makes for a great breakfast or mid-morning meal choice.

As a protein-rich food, when you eat peanut butter you feel fuller for longer. Additionally the protein is also good for building and repairing muscles, which is especially important if you work out.

Your 2 tablespoon serving of peanut butter not only packs in lots of protein but also gives you 2 grams of fiber. Adequate consumption of fiber is important for the healthy functioning of your body and of course you can get more fiber from other meals but peanut butter can help supplement this.

Peanut butter provides a source of manganese, an essential mineral. Manganese helps activate enzymes involved in removing toxic ammonia from your body, breaking down nutrients from your diet and protecting your cells from physiological stress. Manganese also contributes to tissue growth, supporting healthy bone development and wound healing after injury.

Eating peanut butter also benefits your health due to the food's niacin, or vitamin B-3, content. Like manganese, vitamin B-3 supports your metabolism -- it helps carry out chemical reactions involved in the breakdown of nutrients into useable energy. Consuming foods rich in niacin also promotes healthy cell communication, regulating your cells' growth and development into mature tissue.