After discovering what are the health benefits of peanut butter for toddlers, now let’s move on to the health benefits of peanut butter for weight gain. Like what is mentioned before, peanut butter can also be used to gain weight and fat, in fact the fats are healthy because it is made using unsaturated fats.
And not only that, because in addition to above, peanut butters also supply a decent number of vitamins and protein for growth while efficiently managing blood sugar levels as well as cholesterol. And here it is, the complete health benefits of peanut butter for weight gain.
Nutrition Facts of Peanut Butter
- Serving Size – 100 g
- Water – 1.23 g
- Calories – 588 kcal
- Total Fat – 50 g (76% of DV)
- Saturated Fat – 10 g (50% of DV)
- Polyunsaturated Fat – 14 g
- Monounsaturated Fat – 24 g
- Trans Fat – 0 g (0% of DV)
- Cholesterol – 0 g (0% of DV)
- Sodium – 17 mg (0% of DV)
- Potassium – 649 mg (18% of DV)
- Total Carbohydrates – 20 g (6% of DV)
- Dietary Fibre – 6 g (24% of DV)
- Sugar – 9 g
- Health Benefits Whey Protein – 25 g (50% of DV)
- Vitamins and Minerals
- Vitamin A – 0 mg (0% of DV)
- Vitamin B6 – 0.44 mg (25% of DV)
- Vitamin B12 – 0 mg (0% of DV)
- Vitamin C – 0 mg (0% of DV)
- Vitamin D – 0 mg (0% of DV)
- Vitamin K – 0.3 mg (0% of DV)
- Calcium – 49 mg (4% of DV)
- Cobalamin – 0%
- Iron – 1.74 mg (10% of DV)
- Magnesium – 168 mg (38% of DV)
- Niacin – 13.11 mg (67% of DV)
- Phosphorus – 335 mg
- Riboflavin – 0.19 mg
- Thiamine – 0.15 mg
- Zinc – 2.51 mg
All the information above are in relation to a 2,000-calorie diet. The percentage of daily value (% of DV) may differ depending on personal calorie needs.
What are its Health Benefits?
1. Peanut Butters are Good Sources of Protein
Peanut butters are good sources of energy as well as protein. Proteins as we know it, also contribute to the building and maintenance of bodily tissues. Just a serving of 100 grams already contain health benefits of carbohydrates at 20%, protein by 25%, and the remaining 55-60% of fat.
Peanuts, in general are also major sources of protein like beans, peas and lentils. In comparison to animal-based protein, they have low methionine as well as cysteine. And being plant based, peanuts are also definitely safe for vegetarians.
2. Peanut Butters are Low in Carbohydrates
Next up, peanuts are low in carbohydrates, as low as 20 grams of total carbohydrates or equivalent to 6% of daily value according to the nutrition facts above. Low carb content causes an extremely slow rise in blood sugar, and thus making it safe for people with diabetes type II, those who would like to gain weight cleanly or those who are undergoing low fat diet.
3. Peanut Butters Contain Healthy Unsaturated Fats
Unsaturated fats or fatty acids are fats that have one double bond within the fatty acid chain, unlike benefits of saturated fat. The good news is that, peanut butters have these at a total of 38 grams, whereas for calories it has 588 kcal!
Despite being high in calories, consuming peanut butters doesn’t make weight gain an unhealthy thing. Half of the fat found inside peanut butters are made of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat found also in olive oils.
4. Peanut Butters Have Various Vitamins and Minerals
Peanut butters, apart from being rich in calories, are also equally rich when it comes to vitamins and minerals! In addition to the ones listed on the nutrition facts above, peanut butters also contain folate, copper, and manganese at 18%, 24%, and 73% of the RDA respectively.
5. Peanut Butters are Antioxidants
Peanut butters are also considerably plentiful in terms of antioxidants, such as p-coumaric acid. P-coumaric acid is regarded for healing arthritis after rat laboratory tests. Next, peanut butters also contain resveratrol, which are associated with the reduction of heart diseases.
How to Gain Weight Using Peanut Butter?
Of course, gaining healthy weight requires a balance in between exercising and a healthy diet. Consuming junk food may increase body weight; however sugar, fat, and junk food’s lack of nutritional content hinders the development of healthy weight. Therefore in addition to fat, healthy weight gain is also partially contributed by muscle gain as well as bone strengthening.
One spoon of peanut butter as a weight gain foods equals to 200 calories, and consuming 3 spoons of it everyday (resulting in a total of 600 calories) should be able to increase one’s body weight by a pound per week. Here are some ways to incorporate peanut butter into everyday meals for a healthy weight gain.
- Breakfast – Spread peanut butter over a toast, pancake or waffles. Moreover, one can also combine two spoons of peanut butter on a fruit and cereal bowl!
- Lunch or Dinner – Peanut butter sandwich is an easy yet filling lunch that also fulfills daily calorie needs rapidly. It can also be made into dipping sauce for use with any grilled meat, vegetables, salad, or other source of carbohydrates of choice!
- Snack – Make a peanut butter sandwich accompanied with fruits for a more nutritional intake. Also, one can opt to use it as a dipping for cookies, biscuits, crackers or even pastries.
Allergic Advices
Peanut butter, being sourced from nuts also pose risks to nut allergies. They may develop during childhood and last for life. The physical symptoms include;
- Itchiness
- Hives
- Swelling
- Eczema
- Sneezing
- Asthma
- Abdominal Pain
- Low Blood Pressure
- Diarrhea
- Cardiac Arrest
Unfortunately, there are currently no medication or treatment available for peanut allergies apart from strict resistance from nut products. In this case, diagnosis may be needed.