I’m sure most of us love to spread a lovely chunk of peanut butter onto our bread every morning. Well, this yummy breakfast spread has a lot of benefits as peanut butter is made from nothing but ground peanuts, which are rich in protein, “good fats” and fibre. They are an excellent source of magnesium, folate, vitamin E, copper and arginine.
Let’s look into some of the benefits:
1. Can help curb excessive appetite in order to promote weight loss:
After eating peanut butter, you feel a sense of fullness (with lesser calorie consumption) because of its protein content, thus curbing your appetite. Therefore you can eat lesser and maintain your weight or even shed a few kilograms.
2. Helpful for reducing the risk of heart diseases:
Peanuts contain “good fats” which can help lower the levels of cholesterol (a waxy substance found in all the cells of your body) and can stop small clots of blood from forming, in turn reducing one the risk of having a heart attack or even a stroke.
3. Can help reduce inflammation and aid digestion:
Peanuts are a good source of fibre (also known as roughage, is a part of plant based foods which the body cannot break down and remains undigested), which can help reduce inflammation throughout the body and also keep the digestive system clean, easing bowel movements, flushing out cholesterol and keeping harmful carcinogens (substances which can cause cancer) at bay. Add peanut butter to your breakfast smoothies or cereal bowls.
4. Can lower the risk of diabetes:
Peanuts are low-glycemic food. Glycemic index is a number which determines how fast your body converts carbohydrates in food, into glucose (simple sugar). So consumption of peanut butter will not let you have a spike in your blood sugar levels.
If you’re one of those people who like to read the nutrition facts about a product before purchasing it, read on to find out the nutrition facts about peanut butter:
Approximately 2 tbsp (32 grams) of smooth peanut butter with added salt contains:
- Calories: 190
- Fat: 16 grams
- Sodium: 140 milligram
- Carbohydrates: 8 grams
- Fibre: 2 grams
- Sugars: 3 grams
- Protein: 7 grams
* Please Note: The nutritional information of peanut butter is as per the USDA.
Here’s a DIY recipe to make peanut butter at home:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of peanuts
- ¼ tsp salt ( optional)
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup ( optional)
Method:
Step 1: On a pan on low heat, dry roast the peanuts until they start to become brownish in color and the skin starts to peel off. Then turn off the flame and peel off the skin when it starts to cool down (you can rub the peanuts between your palms and the skins will come off easily, once roasted).
Step 2: In a mixer grinder, grind the rest of the dry roasted peanuts into a fine paste, after which you can add in the honey and salt. You can increase or decrease the amount of honey as per your requirement. Keep grinding it until it turns into a fine smooth paste and only then turn off the mixer grinder.
Step 4: Pour the ground peanut mixture into a mixing bowl. You can add in the bits of roasted peanuts and gently mix for a crunchy peanut butter, until everything is combined well and store in an air tight container. It is now ready to consume.
Tip: If you find that you aren’t able to grind your peanuts into a very fine and smooth paste, you can add ½ to 1 tbsp of oil (gradually). READ MORE – CHIA WATER RECIPE and BENEFITS
Variations you can make:
(i) Almond peanut butter:
The ingredients and recipe to be followed will be the same as the above recipe, but the only exception will be in the quantity of nuts. Then the same procedure can be followed for the rest of the recipe.
(ii) Chocolate peanut butter:
The quantity of peanuts (2 cups) and salt (¼ tsp) will remain the same as the above recipe, but in addition to it you will need to add – 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ cup liquid jaggery or honey (to add some sweetener as the cocoa powder is unsweetened) and 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil. Then the same procedure can be followed for the rest of the recipe.
(iii) Chocolate almond peanut butter:
The ingredients and recipe to be followed will be same as recipe variation (ii) but the only exception will be in the quantity of nuts. The quantity of peanuts will have to be 1 cup and the quantity of almonds will have to be 1 cup. Then the same procedure can be followed for the rest of the recipe. READ MORE – 6 Best Weight loss Breakfast Recipes with Oats