Utterly Butterly Peanut Butter can slim you down too!

The very word ‘butter’ may repel a dedicated weight watcher and make him or her reject peanut butter for weight loss outright. But recent findings reveal that consuming peanut butter can actually make you shed your extra pounds quite contrary to the common belief that peanut butter makes you fat. Research tells that mono-saturated fats present in peanuts can help you lose weight in a healthy way.

What is Peanut Butter?

Best healthy peanut butter is a nut butter that can be obtained from ‘peanuts’ popularly referred to as ‘mungifali’ in India. Peanut butter varies in texture from chunky to smooth creamy. Best peanut butter is the one that you can prepare at home from roasted, dry peanuts. Homemade peanut butter will generally be free from unwanted additives such as salt, sweeteners or emulsifiers. Peanut butter is rich in proteins and healthy fats and is considered as a healthy alternative to conventional dairy butter. Peanut butter is widely used as a healthy, non-fattening spread by the weight watchers worldwide.

History of Peanut Butter

Marcellus Gilmore Edson; a Canadian is the man behind the concept of peanut butter. Edson prepared ‘peanut paste’ in the year 1884. He did so by milling the roasted, dry peanuts by placing them in between two heated plates. Later, in 1895 the process was patented by John Harvey Kellogg in U.S and that is how peanut butter has become a nutritious, tasty staple in almost all American households. In the recent times, peanut butter is also a staple in many Indian households. These days, many fitness-conscious Indians make sure to consume peanut butter regularly in order to stay healthy & shed their pounds.

Homemade Peanut butter recipe for weight loss is one of the easiest as well as cheap nut butter recipes when compared to the store bought ones.

Steps for preparing peanut butter at home:

1.     Purchase shelled peanuts

2.     Remove shells and dry roast the peanuts

3.     Put roasted peanuts in food processor and run the food processor

4.     Make sure to scrape the sides of the processor frequently to get a smooth, creamy consistency of peanut butter.

5.     You can add salt or honey as sweetener to your peanut butter. When you are preparing peanut butter at home the best part of it is that you can adjust the saltiness or sweetness of the peanut butter as per your taste and preferences.

6.     Also, while running the food processor you need to add oil to the butter occasionally. Adding oil to peanut butter will make it luxuriously smooth and creamy.

How does peanut butter help in weight loss?

Peanut butter benefits weight loss are many. Peanut butter can aid your weight loss journey in the following ways:

1.     Peanut butter contains healthy, mono-saturated fats. Monosaturated fat is different from trans-fat or saturated fat. Trans fat and saturated fat are unhealthy, fattening and heart damaging. Mono-saturated fat, on the other hand, can help in boosting brain health, in boosting overall functioning of body and in absorption of vital fat-soluble vitamins. Thus, peanut butter has an important role to play in supporting your weight loss endeavors.

2.     Peanut butter is delicious and filling. Peanut butter can prevent cravings and rage for fattening junk foods. That peanut butter can promote slimming the healthy way.

3.     According to research Peanut butter can check sudden sugar crashes or spikes thereby stopping you from binge eating. That aids you in keeping your calorie intake in control.

4.     Peanut butter, being rich in proteins and fiber can satiate your hunger and make you consume fewer calories. In other words, if you consume 1 tsp of peanut butter daily you’ll not feel much hungry and will not overeat.

5.     Peanut butter is nutrient dense. The nutrients in peanut butter can give you the much needed nutritional backup for healthy weight loss.

Choosing Peanut Butter for Weight Loss: Some Helpful Tips

1.     Opt for pre-portioned peanut butter packages. Pre-portioned squeeze-out packs can stop you from over consuming the calorie rich peanut butter. These are portion controlled packs that allow you to consume peanut butter in moderation.

2.     Consuming peanut butter for weight loss is a tricky enough thing. You need to consume peanut butter in a way that keeps your weight in check. If you want to lose weight by consuming peanut butter and managing the future calories in a better way, you need to consume peanut butter wisely.

3.     If you are opting for store-bought peanut butter, go for the ones that are labeled as ‘all-natural’. ‘Natural’ peanut butter is rich in monosaturated fats and is free from hydrogenated oils and added syrups. However, when you are using homemade peanut butter, you need not remove the extra oil settled atop the butter. That oil is actually the monosaturated fat present naturally in peanut butter and is a healthy alternative to harmful fats.

4.     Before consuming peanut butter you need to give the jar a vigorous stir so as to get the maximum benefits out of it.

Peanut Butter Recipes for weight loss

Here are some healthy peanut butter based recipes for weight loss…Read on:

Green Apple Salad with peanut butter

Sliced green apple wedges smeared with peanut butter and topped with roasted crunchy oats can make a wonderful snack that’s both healthy and filling.

Oats-Peanut Butter Cookies

These healthy cookies are made from crunchy, fiber loaded oats flour, unrefined wheat flour, Jaggery and peanut butter. The cookies are flavored with a pinch of cardamom. You could also use flavoring agents like Vanilla essence to add to the taste and flavor of the cookies. When hunger pangs strike, the oats-peanut butter cookies can be an effective hunger satiating snack.

Greek Yoghurt- Peanut Butter Smoothie

Greek Yoghurt-Peanut Butter Smoothie is made from the combination of Greek Yoghurt and Peanut Butter. You may also add almond milk to the smoothie to enhance its taste and richness. A pinch of cardamom powder, jaggery and few strands of saffron may be used in the smoothie to make it a perfect meal replacement shake.