Peanut butter as a source of protein
Peanut butter is NOT an effective source of protein.
Peanut butter is awesome. I love it as much as the next person.
BUT
It is not smart to use it as your main source of plant protein unless your goal is to gain weight.
One normal serve of peanut butter is a Tbsp, which when I weighed and measured it this morning was 17g using the wholegrain peanut butter (nuts only) I have in my cupboard.
A measured tablespoon of peanut butter is more or less 100kcal.
When it comes to protein - ideally you want to have at LEAST 20g protein per meal.
So to get more than 20g of protein from peanut butter, that means you have to eat 5 tablespoons, which will clock up over 500kcal before you add any other ingredients.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
When it comes to plant-based proteins, it's wiser to include multiple different of protein containing foods to avoid an excess carbs, fats and energy.
Peanut butter is great, just be wise when and where you use it and combine it with other sources to get enough plant based protein.
Gemma
Gemma Sampson APD
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