If you allergy to peanuts, the definitely peanut butter isn’t good for you. But what you don’t have peanut allergy, is eating peanut butter healthy or not? Read on to find out.
Peanut butter is a popular spread and an ingredient in some snack ideas. It is thought of as a bad food since it can change the focus of your metabolism resulting to:
ü Weight gain
ü Fatigue
ü Thyroid dysfunction
ü Hormonal imbalance
However, peanut butter has good benefits to our health as well.
Health Benefits of Eating Peanut Butter
#1: Vitamins and Minerals
A particular reason why peanut butter is a favorite is because it contains lots of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, B3, and B6. It also has folate, copper, manganese, magnesium, and iron.
#2: Antioxidants
Because peanut butter comes from peanuts that have high amounts of antioxidants, peanut butter also has them, including p-coumaric acid. This antioxidant can decrease the risk of developing stomach cancer.
#3: Source of Energy
Peanut butter contains carbs, protein, and fat – all in good balance. This makes this spread a great way to boost your energy.
#4: Resveratrol
Also found in red wine, peanut butter has resveratrol, which can help lower cardiovascular disease risk.
What’s So Bad About Peanut Butter?
Peanut butter can become unhealthy depending on how much you eat as well as the peanut variety it uses. Among the reasons why you should avoid peanut butter are:
#1: Mold
Peanuts may contain mold or mycotoxins, which can also be present in peanut butter. Mold is toxic and can cause depression, along with other health problems, including allergies.
#2: Omega-6
This isn’t bad on its own, but peanut butter has an imbalanced ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (20:1). The healthy ratio is 2:1. Too much omega-6 causes inflammatory-related diseases, including asthma, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.
#3: Aflatoxins
Some molds produce aflatoxins, which may be in peanut butter. Aflatoxins are not only toxic, but are also carcinogens. Although aflatoxins in low dose may not have a negative effect on humans, there are some studies linking the chemicals to liver cancer, mental retardation, and stunted growth.
Although there are downsides to consuming peanut butter, you can choose the one that’s right for you. Buy organic peanut butter and ideally made from Jungle or Valencia peanuts since these two varieties don’t grow on the ground.