Is peanut butter healthy?
Once you start diving into the details of peanut butter, the question arises, Is peanut butter health? Have you ever had apples with peanut butter, celery with peanut butter or bacon with peanut butter? Peanut butter can be a delicious treat, but is it healthy? The answer is…it depends on the person and on the peanut.
The Person
We have all heard of the health benefits of fish oil. Why are they beneficial? Mostly it is because of fatty acids called omega-3s. Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory in nature and help the body to balance inflammation.
Well, peanuts are high in Omega-6s, not in Omega-3s. Omega-6s in moderation can balance out with omega-3s, but in the standard American diet we consume almost all omega-6s and very few omega-3s. When you have way more omega-6s than omega-3s then you get a lot of inflammation in your body.
This makes peanuts a highly inflammatory food for most people not consuming high amounts of omega-3s. High inflammation means aches, pains and if prolonged eventually inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.
The Peanut
Most peanuts are grown on the ground and seem to be prone to developing mold. Mold releases mycotoxins that are detrimental to your health. These toxins can affect your immune, digestive nervous system. So a daily dose of moldy peanut butter could drive anything from seasonal allergies to anxiety.
So Can I Eat Peanut Butter?
If you choose to eat peanut butter, first make sure you are consuming health quantities of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Some good sources of omega-3s are flax seed, fresh water fish and grass-fed beef.
Also, make sure you look for a good quality peanut butter. Buying organic peanut butter is a good idea although you can have moldy organic peanut butter too. Most peanut butters are hydrogenated with vegetable oils, laden with mold and have sugar added, so be careful.
Skippy doesn’t make healthy peanut butter even if it says all natural, just like McDonalds doesn’t make health food even if it’s a salad.
So go eat your high quality peanut butter but do so in moderation in in combination with an anti-inflammatory diet with omega-3s.