Peanut butter is one of the best things out there. It's perfect to warm up and drizzle on ice cream, spread on toast in the morning, mix into a yummy batch of brownies, or even eat right out of the jar by the spoonful. However, peanut butter (the natural, pure kind, not the processed stuff) also has many health benefits that some of us (myself included) never even knew existed. Here are the six health benefits of peanut butter you didn't know about.
1. Helps you lose weight
You might think I'm totally crazy for this one, but let me tell you those fats are actually good, healthy fats. Crazy, I know. Even though your mom probably told you all those times that you shouldn't eat too much peanut butter because it is fatty and will make you feel sick, I say otherwise. Load on the peanuts!
It has been proven that the high levels of monounsaturated fats that is found in peanut butter, in conjunction with exercise, can really be effective in helping you lose weight. Also, it is scientifically proven that since peanut butter is rather tasty, you will stick to the diet because what you are eating is yummy and doesn't taste like typical diet food.
2. Excellent source of vitamin E
PB is PACKED with vitamin E. Vitamin E is essential for helping the body remove free radicals, which essentially stop cell destruction. Vitamin E can also help prevent cardiovascular disease, according to a study done by the The Linus Pauling Institute. Basically, vitamin E is good stuff.
3. PB has the good fat
Just like avocados, although peanut butter is fatty, it's not the "bad" kind of fat that you would find in ice cream or ranch dressing. It is the kind of fat that your body needs in order for you to survive. Long story short, keep eating the peanut butter.
4. Lower risk of disease
Eating peanut products, particularly ones that have raw, natural forms of peanuts, like peanut butter, just twice per week can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, like by 25 percent! Peanuts are filled with heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that will help prevent heart diseases.
If that doesn't make you want to go grab a tub of the butter then maybe this will—peanut butter also helps to lower your cholesterol (the nuts are the key factor here). So, basically what I am telling you is that I am going to be eating a peanut butter only diet for the next eternity!
5. Protects against Alzheimer's
Ok, so, although peanut butter itself cannot prevent Alzheimer's disease, it can help people detect whether or not someone has the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. This "peanut butter test" that was preformed by the Cleveland Clinic in October of 2015, asked people to smell peanut butter in different nostrils. If the peanut butter needed to be closer to the left nostril before it could be smelled by the patient, then it was apparent that they had the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
6. Prevents gallstone
Typically, people get gallstones when their bile has too much cholesterol in it, but they can also appear if your gallbladder isn't emptying properly. (Am I getting too sciencey for you?) The main function of your gallbladder is to digest the fats in your diet, i.e. peanut butter.
However, as mentioned before, peanut butter is an excellent source of vitamin E, which is a fat-soluble vitamin, along with vitamin A. Thus, it won't be stressing out your gallbladder and causing gallstones because it is rich in a fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin E. Long story short, peanut butter is still super healthy for you.
Peanut butter is not only a really versatile food, but it is also amazing for you. Whether you knew it before or not, you do now. So, never stop eating the PB!