Natural Peanut Butter Nutritional Facts

Peanut butter is a nutritious and affordable addition to your everyday diet. According to dietitians at UCLA, peanut butter is full of healthy, unsaturated fats, which promote heart health by lowering blood cholesterol and decreasing the risk of heart disease. Also, peanut butter is inexpensive and easy to serve, making it the perfect snack for athletes who want a quick dose of energy-producing calories.

Vitamins and Minerals

• The Peanut Institute, a nonprofit peanut-education group, has compiled a list of peanut-nutrition data that it gleaned from the U.S Department of Agriculture's nutrition database. The Peanut Institute says that peanuts are a good source for magnesium, copper, phosphorous, zinc and potassium. Elsewhere, registered dietitian Nancy Clark writes that peanut butter is an important source of vitamin E, magnesium, resveratol, folate and a small amount of zinc.

Natural vs. Commercial

• Clark discusses the differences between natural peanut butter and commercial peanut butter (such as Skippy or Jif). The healthy unsaturated fats in natural peanut butter tend to be liquid at room temperature. The process that commercial peanut butter manufacturers use to minimize the unsightly liquid converts some of the good fats (mono- and polyunsaturated) into bad ones (trans-fats). However, as Clark points out, commercial peanut butter is still fairly healthy. Only 3.5 of the 17 total grams of fat in a 2 tbsp. serving of commercial peanut butter are unhealthy fats.

Where to Find Exact Data

• The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, a resource where you can find exact data for your favorite type of peanut butter. Different types of peanut butter (smooth, chunky, fortified and salty) have different nutrition values. For example, according to the database, smooth, reduced-fat peanut butter has 5.76 g of saturated fatty acids per 100 g. Vitamin- and mineral-fortified chunky peanut butter has 7.972 g per 100 g. More nutrition data can be found on the USDA website (see Resources).

Benefits to Athletes

• Clark points out that the numerous calories found in peanut butter make it an affordable nutrition source for athletes, some of whom need to eat more than 3,000 calories a day. Clarks says that a 100-calorie serving of peanut butter (1 tbsp.) costs 7 cents. Other sources cost far more. For example, a 100-calorie serving of tuna costs 60 cents; deli turkey breast costs 75 cents. Also, peanut butter has protein, which the body will use to build and repair muscles. Clark notes that peanut butter is not as protein-dense as other foods, so she suggests drinking a tall glass of milk with your peanut butter to supplement your protein intake.

Benefits to Dieters

• Many dieters think they need to steer clear of peanut butter because of its high calorie count. But Clark points out that the little bit of fiber found in peanut butter (1 g per tablespoon) combined with its protein content can give dieters a feeling of satiety, or fullness. If you feel full, you will eat less, so a serving of peanut butter may actually help keep your overall caloric intake down. Clark cites a Purdue University study that said dieters who regularly eat peanuts do not overeat.