We dispell peanut butter myths with the help of Mother Earth.
Peanut butter is a wholesome and delicious snack, yet there are many misconceptions about our favourite spread. Melbourne dietitian and nutritionist Joel Feren aka The Nutrition Guy sheds some light on seven of the top peanut butter myths.
1 Peanut butter is bad for you: NO WAY! It is jam-packed full of good stuff to help promote your health and wellbeing.
2 Eating peanuts will make you put on weight: False. Research shows that as part of a healthy balanced diet, peanuts have no bearing on weight gain.
3 Peanuts are bad for cholesterol: Not true. Peanuts do not contain cholesterol and research shows that regularly eating them may reduce heart disease causing LDL cholesterol. Eat peanuts to your heart‘s delight.
4 Peanuts are a good source of nutrition: Absolutely true! Peanut butter can also be a source of monounsaturated fats – the heart healthy ones. It’s also a source of fibre, folate, protein, vitamin E and potassium.
5 Peanuts are a legume: True. However, even though peanuts are theoretically a legume, nutritionally they’re very similar to other nuts.
6 Peanut butter can ONLY be added to sandwiches: False! Peanut butter is extremely versatile in the kitchen. Add it to smoothies, bliss balls, satay sauce, cakes and other treats, pancake batter – the list goes on. Of course, you can always just eat it straight from the jar!
7 Eating peanut butter can cause diabetes: False. Research shows that people who have a healthy balanced diet and regularly eat nuts may have a reduced incidence of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who don’t.
