Introduction
There's no doubt that America's fascination for peanut butter as a sandwich spread is well-documented, apart from being a popular choice in the Netherlands as well. And if this isn't enough, you'll agree with me when I say that January 24 every year is celebrated as the National Peanut Butter Day. Obviously, the United States (along with China – surprise surprise!!!) are the largest exporters of peanut butter.
And for those of you who are positively hooked, you have the 'cereal man', John H. Kellogg to thank, for his patent 'Process of preparing Nutmeal' which details the method he invented for preparing 'nut-butter'.
However, one might wonder if there is more to what makes peanut butter so appealing other than the taste itself?
Peanut Butter – Nutritional Value & Benefits
Peanut butter comes in two forms such as the regular and natural of which the former is prepared with hydrogenated vegetable oil, salt and sweeteners to enhance the flavor which is either of the smooth or crunchy variety, while the latter is made of peanuts and oil.
But apart from its convenience of helping most people to grab a quick bite, it is nutritious and thus beneficial to our health as well.
Peanut Butter contains protein, monounsaturated fats, resveratrol, dietary fiber, arginine, vitamins B3 and E, the antioxidant p-coumaric acid, folate, potassium, copper, iron, phosphorous, calcium and magnesium. Interestingly, there is no alcohol, sodium or caffeine which makes it healthier as compared to most other processed foods.
Even though peanut butter is high in calories, the common misconception is that one will gain weight, however, this is false as the fats present in peanut butter are monounsaturated in nature.
Protection from cardiovascular disease and cancers (colo-rectal cancer, to be precise), regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels, reduces the risk of hypertension, muscle spasms while intriguingly enabling the proper secretion of sexual hormones.
And despite commercial peanut butter being healthy enough, the natural version has also caught on as well, and there are very few differences between the two.
Natural Vs. Regular Peanut Butter
Right off the bat, the difference between the two is minimal except for the fact that in the natural version, the contents are only made of salt and peanuts, and in some cases of natural peanut butter, even the salt is taken away. One thing to remember here is that natural peanut butter has to be refrigerated as there are no preservatives added.
Truth be told, the health benefits are almost the same with the exception of the healthy fat (which is in liquid form during room temperature in natural peanut butter) is converted to its unhealthy form when produced commercially.
One very big reason why people prefer homemade to natural peanut butter is due to the salmonella outbreak that occurred in 2007 and off late in 2009 when peanut butter-based products such as crackers, cookies and dog treats when these products were recalled.
In Closing
There's no doubt that peanut butter is a nutritious food that has several benefits right from athletes to dieters as well as the common man. And the best part of it all is that all you need is two tablespoons of it… and you're satisfied!
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