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Groundnut. Monkey nut. Goober. Do those names ring a bell? No? How about peanut? You’re familiar. Good.
The peanut does have a few less-commonly-used, goofy names, but no matter what you call it, the peanut is what we must thank for that tasty, sticky goodness found in most of our favorite snacks: Peanut butter. [4]
Peanut butter has fueled some of the most arduous debates in the history of womankind. Creamy or crunchy? Should it be stored in the fridge or pantry? And, of course, is it good for you?
Related - Outright Bar: The All-Natural Protein Bar
It’s time to clear this up once and for all: Peanut butter IS good for you! (Sorry, you’re on your own with the other arguments.)
It’s good for you because it comes from the peanut. And the peanut is packed with nutrition. But before we crack that shell and dive into the nutritional components of the peanut and peanut butter, let’s look at where the peanut came from and how it became your not-so-guilty pleasure.
Paying homage through art is one of the greatest honors someone can bestow on another person or thing. I mean, look at all those fan tats of The Rock and The Austrian Oak out there. I’m sure Mr. Johnson and Mr. Schwarzenegger are honored—even if a little creeped out—to be represented as such.
But they got nothing on the peanut.
Around 3,500 years ago, natives of South America did the same thing with the peanut. They made pots in the shape of peanuts and decorated jars with them. The Incans took it to the next level and used peanuts as sacrificial offerings and placed them inside tombs to help the dead cross over into their spiritual life.
In the 1700s, the peanut traveled all the way from Africa to North America, but it took nearly a century before it was grown as a commercial crop. The peanut grew in popularity during the Civil War and reached star status in the late 1800s when PT Barnum roasted and sold them at the circus. This led to the peanut being a staple for merchants on the street and at baseball games.
The quality of peanuts didn’t improve until the 1900s when equipment was invented to deshell the kernels cleaner and faster. This was when demand grew for all different forms of the peanut including peanut butter. [1]
Technically peanuts aren’t nuts. They’re a part of the legume family like beans, peas, and lentils. And just like beans, peas, and lentils, they pack a mean macro punch.
Every 1-ounce serving of raw peanuts has 7.31 grams of protein, 4.57 grams of carbs, 2.4 grams of fiber and 13.96 grams of fat. But it’s the good fat: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Only 2 grams make up that bad fat: saturated. [2]
What makes monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats good? Ask the American Heart Association.
The AHA says if you’re going to eat fats stay away from saturated and trans fats; focus on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats because they’ll reduce bad cholesterol in your blood that can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Peanuts are a great source of resveratrol, an antioxidant phytochemical, that can help you maintain a healthy heart. [2] Peanuts also have a lot of Vitamin E, which is an antioxidant as well. [3]
The nutrients in these fats are beneficial too. They can help develop and maintain your body’s cells. [3]
OK. Enough about the monkey nut. We’re here to talk about peanut butter and its nutritional value, right?
Those creative and crafty Inca Indians were the first to make peanut butter. But it was the great Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes, that Kellogg) who created something similar to what the Incas did in 1895, opening the door for peanut butter to be used as a protein substitute for the elderly and the Armed Forces, to name a few. [1]
These days peanut butter is used in almost everything from candy to protein shakes to chicken recipes. When you’re at your local grocery store, looking for a healthy snack, what do you see? An endless amount of protein bars, all with at least one peanut butter option. There’s a good reason for that. And it’s not just for the taste; it’s for the nutritional value too.
But don’t just blindly grab any old bar with peanut butter in it. Some protein bars add sugar or unhealthy binders like glycerin or prebiotic fiber. These can really mess with your stomach and hinder your fitness goals.
That’s why it’s important to know about the ones that don’t have all that filler nonsense, so when you get a craving or need some extra energy before the gym, you grab the one that’s best for you. You grab an Outright Bar from MTS Nutrition.
Outright Bars contain only five ingredients:
Do you remember the last thing you ate that only had five ingredients? Could you pronounce those ingredients? If so, keep it up. If not, stock up on Outright Bars.
As history has shown, peanuts and peanut butter aren’t going anywhere. They’re here to stay. There are multiple aisles of the creamy, or crunchy, goodness in all forms for you to choose from at your local grocery store.
So the next time you get that peanut butter craving, remember two things. One: Don’t be a goober. Peanut butter is good for you. Eat up because your heart, cells and taste buds will thank you.
And two: Make sure you keep an Outright Bar from MTS Nutrition in your gym bag so at any time you can get 15 grams of protein, 26 grams of carbs and 12 grams of healthy, peanut-butter-sourced monounsaturated fats.
1) History of Peanuts & Peanut Butter. Retrieved from https://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/peanut-info/history-peanuts-peanut-butter.htm
2) Coila, Bridget. What is the Nutritional Value of Peanuts. Retrieved from https://www.livestrong.com/article/261059-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-peanuts/
3) Monounsaturated Fats. Retrieved from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/monounsaturated-fats
4) Peanut. In Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut