How Peanut Butter Can Be Good for Both Weight Loss and Weight Gain

Nuts are some of the healthiest things you can eat, providing proteins, healthy fats, and a range of vitamins and minerals. Peanut butter is high in protein, aiding weight loss, but it is rich in calories, so it can help you gain weight if you consume too much of it.

Nuts are some of the healthiest things you can eat, providing proteins, healthy fats, and a range of vitamins and minerals. As one example, peanuts (also called groundnuts) have several nutritional benefits and are a good source of proteins, unsaturated fats, and vitamins. Peanut butter is made by roasting and grinding these nuts. Since it is rich in calories and fats, the question is — does peanut butter make you gain weight?

There isn't one answer. Peanut butter can be good for both weight loss and weight gain, depending on how much of it you consume and the other components of your diet. Peanut butter was first prepared as a protein source for people with poor teeth and reduced chewing ability. It quickly became popular, though, and Americans eat, on average, about 6 pounds (2.72 kilograms) a year.

Peanut butter is a good source of several valuable nutrients. A 100-gram portion of peanut butter provides:

• Energy: 588 calories
• Protein: 21.9 grams
• Total fats: 49.5 grams
• Cholesterol: none
• Carbohydrates: 24 grams
• Dietary fiber: 5.7 grams
• Sugars: 6.5 grams

Peanut butter also contains minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium) and vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenate, pyridoxal, folate, choline, cobalamin, and vitamin E). 

Though the total fat content seems high, the saturated fat content is only 9.52 grams per 100 grams. Most of the fat content consists of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that benefit your health.

Nuts like peanuts (and peanut butter) benefit your health in many ways. They're known to reduce blood cholesterol levels, reduce heart disease risk, and allow you to add protein to a vegetarian or vegan diet. Peanut butter is also versatile. It can be added to snacks, sauces, desserts, spreads, and sports supplements.

Peanut butter is packed with energy, so eating a lot of it could easily cause weight gain. However, peanut butter is generally consumed as a spread on toast or bagels or as a flavoring in sauces. Though a hundred grams of it would provide nearly 600 calories, you're not likely to eat that much in a day. Spreading a tablespoon (about 15 grams) on toast or bread will add less than 100 calories.

Nuts are recommended as part of a healthy diet. They're part of the protein foods group, which also includes meats, eggs, dairy, seafood, beans, and lentils. Protein foods are considered one of the core elements of a healthy dietary pattern.

Consuming nuts can even reduce age-related weight gain. People who have more nuts in their diet commonly experience less weight gain and lower chances of becoming overweight or obese than others.

Weight gain and loss are ultimately down, though, to your energy balance. If you consume more energy than you're using up each day, weight gain is inevitable. Peanut butter usually doesn't play a big part in weight gain, but if you consume a lot of it as a part of a calorie-rich diet, you'll end up putting on weight. 

If you're a woman with a moderately active lifestyle, you likely need about 2,000 calories daily to maintain your weight. If you're a man, the figure is closer to 2,500 calories. The <100 calories you get from a tablespoonful of peanut butter isn't likely to push you toward obesity on its own. 

Peanut butter may actually aid weight loss. Adults and adolescents who consume peanut and peanut butter regularly gain less weight than others who don't consume these nuts. They're often less likely to be overweight or obese and have lower blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol. 

Peanut butter is rich in protein and can be a valuable part of your weight loss effort. Protein is essential for your body, needed for growth, building muscles, and making vital molecules such as antibodies, hormones, and enzymes. When you are trying to lose weight, protein in your food has the additional benefit of increasing satiety. Among the nutrients you eat in large quantities (macronutrients), protein is more satisfying than carbohydrates and fats.

Satiety is a crucial part of restricted calorie diets for weight loss. Using peanut butter as an ingredient in your meals and snacks makes them protein-rich. Eating protein keeps you from feeling hungry for longer periods. Consequently, you're more likely to stick to your diet plan and lose weight while maintaining lean body mass.

You can use peanut butter as a substitute for dairy products like butter. Butter made from cow's milk has only 0.85 grams of protein per 100 grams but 717 calories. Its total fat content is 81.1 grams per 100 grams, of which 50.5 grams are saturated fatty acids. Using peanut butter instead of dairy butter reduces your calorie intake, helping with weight loss. You also consume lower quantities of saturated fatty acids that are harmful to overall health.

When using peanut butter for weight loss, the same considerations apply. Your total energy intake should be less than your expenditure. Physical activity increases your energy expenditure, so exercise should be a part of your weight loss plan. Exercise helps you lose weight and strengthens your heart, muscles, and bones.

Successful weight loss also typically requires calorie restriction. You can only lose weight if your energy intake is less than your expenditure, after all. Peanut butter, with its high amounts of protein and other essential nutrients, is a good addition to your weight loss diet. Still, you must be careful to consume it in measured amounts to remain within your calorie intake goals. 

Your doctor or dietician will calculate your daily energy needs and then help you plan a diet to establish an energy deficit. If your daily need is 2,000 calories, for example, a 1,500-calorie diet plan will provide a 25% calorie deficit and dependable weight loss. 

Ultimately, peanut butter is a healthy addition to your daily diet. Eating peanuts or tree nuts daily reduces your risk of heart disease, cancers, and other ailments. Peanuts are also rich in bioactive compounds that benefit your long-term health. Eating peanuts or peanut butter not only prevents obesity and long-term diseases: It also increases your intake of crucial nutrients like vitamin E and magnesium.