Ah, peanut butter—one of the most well-loved sources of protein. It pairs well with jelly for a quick sandwich on the go, or better yet, with chocolate for those with a stubborn sweet tooth. You might be cheating yourself by saying you’re keeping up with your protein because you’re eating peanut butter, but does it really have as many health benefits as you think? VALLEY is here to share some of the most common snacks to have with peanut butter that might not be as healthy as they’re perceived to be.
Apples With Peanut Butter
Photo by Dana Weltman
Everyone knows the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but is that true? Apples have several health benefits, some of which include being good for weight loss, good for the heart and good for bone health. They are extremely rich in antioxidants and dietary fiber, but are also filling enough to constitute as a meal for breakfast or lunch. Paired with peanut butter, apples might not do their job in providing such health benefits. The low fat content of apples would be increased by the high fat content of peanut butter when eaten together. With this in mind, the nutritious aspects of apples would be canceled out by the unhealthy aspect of peanut butter.
Pretzels With Peanut Butter
Photo by Dana Weltman
It is often believed that pretzels alone, are healthy enough to constitute as a decent snack. However, they’re essentially just refined carbohydrates that are sprinkled with an ample amount of salt. They might be the “healthier” of snack choices out there, but when paired with peanut butter, there definitely isn’t much nutritious value to them. You may think that pretzels with peanut butter is a filling, healthy snack, but in reality, it’s just filling; you’d feel bloated from the high intake of salt from the pretzels, coupled with the intake of fat from the peanut butter. If you want to go around the unhealthiness of this snack, try substituting the salted pretzels with unsalted pretzels. They may still be full of carbohydrates, but at least you can avoid bloating from the salt intake.
Celery With Peanut Butter
The token healthy snack, celery with peanut butter is, more often than not, served as an appetizer at any party, family or friend gathering, or packed in a lunch for the day. Celery itself is practically tasteless, but still full of antioxidants and beneficial enzymes. It also has vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C and potassium. When paired with peanut butter, the benefits of celery may be canceled out because of the high fat content. Since celery is mainly water, you would feel bloated and inflamed from eating it with peanut butter.
If you’re a peanut butter fiend and don’t know how to escape eating it with various snacks, try substituting it with an almond butter. Almond butters, and other healthier nut butters, have more benefits than peanut butter because they aren’t as processed.
