PEANUT BUTTER DIET
The Peanut Butter Diet sounds like it may have been invented by a grade-schooler, but it was actually developed by Holly McCord, the senior editor at Prevention Magazine. The diet is reduced-calorie, but calls for a scoop of peanut butter with each meal. Barring any peanut allergies, the diet revolves around the intake of the peanut butter to complete a meal with satisfaction.
Foods Emphasized: Peanut butter, chicken, fruits, oatmeal, and vegetables
Foods Restricted: Cheese, bread, mayonnaise, butter, and candy
Premise and Guidelines: Oddly enough, this diet is reduced-calorie, yet calls for a spoonful of peanut butter after or with each meal. Peanut butter is known to be a calorie-dense food, which would seem to offset the restrictive calorie efforts at mealtime. Dieters may have up to six tablespoons of peanut butter each day. The reasoning behind this peanut butter avocation is that research shows that snacking on peanut butter can be an effective way of controlling hunger feeling satisfied after and between meals. This satisfaction allows dieters to stick to their weight-loss plans longer. Peanut butter is high in fat; however, it is a heart-healthy kind called monounsaturated fat (MUFA). Studies on the positive effects of monounsaturated fats on the cardiovascular system demonstrated that low-fat diets are not always healthy for the heart, and products such as olive oil, peanut butter, and other oils are beneficial.
Previous to the Peanut Butter Diet, olive oil was touted as the heart-healthiest supplement that could be added to a diet. Pennsylvania State University researched this topic on subjects eating high MUFA regimens and found those consuming the "peanut butter diet" attained almost identical health benefits as those consuming the "olive oil diet". And, even though there are biochemical similarities between olive and peanut oils, there may be additional benefits expressed by peanuts’ high protein content (25-30 %). Technically, peanuts are legumes, and not true nuts. They may be the only plant to contain the heart-healthiest of the saturated fatty acids.
However, the Peanut Butter Diet does not seem to have moderation on its side and experts wonder about the effects of eating so much of one food source constantly each day. Additionally, peanut butter is one of the few ‘commodity’ foods that is at high risk for containing molds and aflatoxins. Eating peanut butter every so often may not be harmful, but there isn’t any study to show what the effects may be when it is eaten several times a day, for lengthy periods. Aflatoxins are a carcinogenic byproduct of the breakdown of mold, and while the USDA attempts to identify batches of peanuts headed to their peanut butter destinies, they admit that contamination is possible and once opened, your jar of nutty delight should remain in the refrigerator. The best way to eat peanut butter safely is to try and buy it from a company that uses best-practice manufacturing and/or to grind your butter fresh at the market.