PEANUT BUTTER NUTRITION
Remember when we recently gave you a rundown on how peanut butter is good for you? Well, get ready for part two of your peanut butter education: peanut butter nutrition. Today, we’re going to take an in depth look at what makes peanut butter nutritious as well as delicious.
ALL ABOUT THOSE HEALTHY FATS…
You know those healthy fats everyone is talking about? Avocado’s, olive oil and coconut oil? Well peanuts are also full of healthy fats, in fact the hi-oleic peanuts that we use have high levels (39%) of monounsaturated fats... that's the good stuff, like the type found in olive oil, which has been linked to reducing cardiovascular disease and lowering cholesterol.
Plenty of studies have shown that people who regularly include nuts or peanut butter in their diets are less likely to develop heart disease or type 2 diabetes than those who don’t. Unsaturated fats also keep us from feeling hungry, insulate the body, help to regulate blood sugar, and aid in the cellular repair of joints, organs, skin, and hair. It’s also been proven that this good fat is useful in maintaining mental clarity, memory, and hormone production. Peanut butter has a terrific potassium-to-sodium ratio, which counters the harmful cardiovascular effects of too much sodium in your diet, and at Fix & Fogg we only put a sprinkling of Marlborough sea salt to bring out that sweet, nutty flavour from our golden roasted peanuts.
PEANUT BUTTER PACKS A PUNCH OF PROTEIN
Now say that 10 times in a row, super fast (bet you can’t). Peanut butter has a great mix of carbohydrates, proteins and the fats we've already mentioned. Each serving of our delicious peanut butter provides you with 4.1 grams of protein, and it’s precisely this protein punch that helps keep your tissues strong and promotes immune function.
Yes, PB has protein but it also has carbs. No, carbs are not the devil. Carbs do break down into sugar, and sugar is on everybody’s hit list these days, but you need carbs to fuel your brain, liver, and muscle tissue, so let’s stop hating on them. Here’s why: carbs have a bad reputation because when we think about them, we all think of the baddies like white bread, donuts, bagels, sweet cereals which aren’t the best for our health. However, carbohydrates are our bodies' main source of energy and we need a certain amount to fuel all of our metabolic processes. From breathing and digesting, to running, working, and thinking, we literally need carbs for everything. Fat and protein have their work cut out for them, but when it comes to getting the energy to, well, live, carbs are key.
Okay there are like over 30 nutrients in Fix & Fogg peanut butter. We’re not going to take you through all of them, just the most important ones. Break it down:
VITAMIN E
Vitamin E controls inflammation in your body, aids in healthy cell-to-cell communication and helps prevent tissue damage through its role as an antioxidant. Consuming 2 tablespoons of peanut butter boosts your vitamin E intake by 2 milligrams, or 13 percent of the recommended daily intake.
FOLATE
Also known as vitamin B-9, folate helps the body to break down and convert the food that we eat into energy. Folate also works with vitamin B12 to make red blood cells, and plays a role in maintaining the health of the cardiovascular, nervous, and digestive systems.
THIAMIN
Also known as B1, thiamin helps the body generate energy from nutrients. It’s necessary for the growth, development, and function of cells.
RIBOFLAVIN
Vitamin B2, also called riboflavin, is essential for proper adrenal function and overall nerve health. It helps the body break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats to produce energy, and it allows oxygen to be used by the body. But wait there’s more. Riboflavin is also used for the development and function of the skin, lining of the digestive tract, blood cells and other vital organs.
IRON
Your body needs iron to perform, period. For instance, iron is the key component of haemoglobin that allows red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body, and it plays a key role in cell growth and differentiation. Iron is also involved in the conversion of blood sugar to energy. The production of enzymes (which play a vital role in the production of new cells, amino acids, hormones and neurotransmitters) also depends on iron.
PHOSPHORUS
After calcium, phosphorus is the most abundant mineral in your body. Together, they work to make sure your bones and teeth are strong and healthy.
VITAMIN B3
Niacin, or vitamin B3, in peanut butter helps your cells perform chemical reactions, such as the ones needed for energy production, and plays a vital role in cell development. It’s an essential nutrient that helps all of your organs function properly.
VITAMIN B6
Vitamin B6 helps support adrenal function, keeps you calm and your nervous system in check, and is necessary for key metabolic processes, such as fat and protein metabolism.
COPPER
Copper helps your body make red blood cells and keeps your nerve cells and immune system healthy. It also helps form collagen, a vital part of bones and connective tissue. Copper also acts as an antioxidant, reducing free radicals that damage cells and DNA.
ZINC
Zinc helps your immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses (gross). It benefits the body in many different ways from hormone production, growth and repairment to improving immunity and facilitating digestion.
POTASSIUM
Potassium is the third most abundant mineral in the human body. It is also an electrolyte, a substance that conducts electricity in the body. It’s vital to heart function and plays a key role in skeletal and smooth muscle contraction. It helps reduce blood pressure and water retention, protects against stroke and helps prevent osteoporosis and kidney stones.
MAGNESIUM
You need magnesium for energy production, structural development of bones and DNA. Magnesium also plays a role in the active transport of calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes, a process that is necessary to nerve impulse conduction, muscle contraction, and normal heart rhythm.
The Fix & Fogg range is vegan friendly, and palm oil free as certified by the Orangutan Alliance.
And there you have it. All the peanut buttery knowledge you need to go forth and eat your pb without guilt or worry. Our Peanut butter is an excellent health food. You heard it here first.
