Peanut Butter for Weight Loss

Are you a peanut butter eater? If you're trying to lose weight, you might be in luck. Some experts and researchers recommend peanut butter for weight loss. But if you want your peanut butter diet to be successful, you need to follow a few smart rules.

Peanut Butter and Weight Loss

While peanut butter has health benefits, many dieters avoid eating the popular spread because of the calories and fat, as well as the sweeteners added to some brands.

This is why it is not included in various weight loss diets. Peanut butter typically has 190 calories in a 2-tablespoon serving, with 144 calories from fat.

However, research has shown that snacking on peanut butter can be an effective way to control hunger without weight gain. Why does it work? Because peanut butter provides a feeling of satiety or fullness. Further, a study found that women who included more nuts in their diet were found to be less likely to gain weight over an eight-year period.

When you're trying to lose weight, watching your fat intake is important. But treating yourself to peanut butter in your diet can actually curb your appetite and prevent overeating. And what happens when you stop overeating? You lose weight!

A Peanut Butter Diet

A Purdue University study showed that subjects who snacked on peanuts and peanut butter were able to adjust their diets so that they didn't gain weight when they consumed these higher calorie foods.

The study gives hope to dieters who love nuts and don't want to banish them from their diets.

Researchers found that peanuts and peanut butter produced more eating satisfaction and feelings of fullness for several hours after eating. By comparison, when the participants ate other snacks like rice cakes, hunger returned within a half hour.

The research also supports previous long and short-term studies that indicate that regular consumption of peanuts does not promote weight gain.

Healthy Fats for a Healthier Heart

The Purdue research and other studies also suggested you may benefit from positive changes in the type of fats you eat when you eat nuts and peanut butter in moderation. Study participants who ate peanut butter decreased their saturated fat intake and increased their intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats raise the "good" cholesterol levels without raising total blood cholesterol. This and other factors may be why nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome and heart disease.

How to Eat Peanuts and Peanut Butter in Your Diet

How can you increase peanut butter in your diet and still maintain the calorie deficit needed for weight loss? The key is to eat peanut butter in moderation. A single serving of peanut butter is just two tablespoons. You can eat the peanut butter on a single serving of whole grain bread or with fruit or vegetables. The Peanut Institute even suggests that you can sprinkle toasted peanuts on your salad instead of croutons.

Here are some other diet-friendly peanut ideas:

• Dip apple slices in peanut butter.
• Spread peanut butter onto a banana cut in half lengthwise.
• Have a serving of dry roasted, reduced-salt nuts as a snack.
• Spread peanut butter onto celery stalks.
• Make your own trail mix with dried fruit and roasted nuts.
• Have peanut butter on whole grain bread for lunch.
• Try peanut butter on toast or an English muffin at breakfast.
• Spread peanut butter on reduced-salt saltine crackers or whole wheat crackers.
• Try peanut butter spread on tortilla or tortilla chips.
• Spread peanut butter onto rice or popcorn cakes.
• Mix nuts in with air-popped or low-fat microwave popcorn.
• Use peanut butter powder (PBFit makes both regular and chocolate flavored varieties) to get the flavor and protein provided by peanuts without the calories.

Eliminating Added Fat and Sugar With Natural Peanut Butter

Another tactic is to eliminate added fats and sugars by buying or making unadulterated fresh ground peanut butter. Look in the bulk food section of your market for peanuts and a grinder available to make your own peanut butter right in the store. You can then adjust the flavor at home, adding a bit of salt or sweetener if desired. You'll find that natural peanut butter mixes better in smoothies and works well as a dip.

A Word From Verywell

There are countless ways to eat peanut butter for weight loss. Just remember to control your portion sizes so that you can enjoy peanuts and keep your diet on track.

Sources:

Bes-Rastrollo M, Wedick NM, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Li TY, Sampson L, Hu FB. Prospective study of nut consumption, long-term weight change, and obesity risk in women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009;89(6):1913-1919. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.27276.

Flores-Mateo G, Rojas-Rueda D, Basora J, Ros E, Salas-Salvado J. Nut intake and adiposity: meta-analysis of clinical trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013;97(6):1346-1355. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.031484.

Luo C, Zhang Y, Ding Y, et al. Nut consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014;100(1):256-269. doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.076109.

Mattes RD, Kris-Etherton PM, Foster GD. Impact of Peanuts and Tree Nuts on Body Weight and Healthy Weight Loss in Adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;138(9); 17415-17455.

Tan SY, Dhillon J, Mattes RD. A review of the effects of nuts on appetite, food intake, metabolism, and body weight. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014;100(Supplement_1). doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.071456.