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Sticking to a diet is hard — and the joy of eating is often the first casualty. Now there is some good news for the calorie-conscious: peanut butter, long dismissed as a fattening food, is gaining attention as a diet-friendly option.
On May 26, the American nutrition outlet EatingWell cited nutrition experts in recommending whole-grain toast topped with peanut butter and banana as a meal that can help people with obesity manage their weight and blood pressure.
Peanut butter is, as widely known, calorie-dense. A single tablespoon (about 15 grams) contains roughly 90 to 100 kilocalories depending on the product, with fat making up around 50 to 55 percent of its composition.
Much of that fat, however, is unsaturated. When consumed alongside dietary fiber and protein, unsaturated fat can help slow the rate of digestion and absorption.
Research also points to benefits for blood sugar management. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who ate peanut butter five or more times a week had about a 21 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The study attributed the effect to monounsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber, which appear to improve insulin resistance. Replacing red meat and refined grains with nuts or peanut butter may particularly help prevent diabetes, the researchers suggested.
Peanut butter drew fresh attention in South Korea last month when broadcaster Choi Hwa-jung introduced a peanut butter-based "kongguksu" — cold soybean noodle soup — on her YouTube channel.
"Follow this and you'll lose 2 kilograms," Choi said, enthusiastically endorsing the dish. "It has nuts, peanut butter and soy milk, so it is a protein powerhouse. Eat it for just one week straight and you will notice a difference in your body."
Her recipe calls for blending three pouches of unsweetened soy milk, half a block of tofu, a packet of mixed nuts and unsweetened peanut butter to make the broth. The sauce is then poured over soy milk noodles and finished with toppings such as cucumber and tomato.
One caution: choose 100 percent natural peanut butter with no added sugar, salt or hydrogenated vegetable oil. And because peanut butter is undeniably high in calories, overconsumption can undermine any diet.
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