1 tablespoon of peanut butter?

I was running very short on calories today. Was very busy and only had time for meals, no snacks. So I decided I would try the apples and peanut butter. So I faithfully measure out 15g of PB and by the time I licked the spoon it was gone!

Who made up these serving sizes anyway? Some things just weren't meant to be served in small portions

Technically a serving of peanut butter (in the US at least) is 2 Tablespoons according to the labels on most jars that I've seen. Of course, that is 210 calories, but that's a serving according to the label.

Myself, I find 1 T of peanut butter very satisfying. It's enough for a sandwich for me and it's plenty to eat with an apple sliced. I guess it's all just what you're used to?

If I were going to have only 1T of peanut butter, I wouldn't try to combine it with anything. Not quite enough. No, for that quantity I would just eat it out of the spoon. yum

My nightly snack tends to always be 1 tbsp peanut butter and then I spread it over a whole grain english muffin. If I have more calories left I'll put a banana on top. It's the best snack EVER.

1 T of pb is more than enough to spread on a banana or on a 1/2 an apple, or on a 1/2 an English muffin.

This is one of those areas where I think our perceptions of what is a "real" serving have been badly skewed by popular culture. I know when I first started eating proper servings, I thought that 1T or 2T of pb was a ridculously small amount. Now, I think it's just right.

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I mix 1 T with oatmeal, 1 T on a slice of sprouted grain bread, 1 T with apple slices... I can make that sucker stretch

Thanks everyone. I do know that our perceptions of serving sizes is skewed, that was kind of my point. I really thought I use to eat pretty well, I know I never ate enough, But now that I measure weight and count everything I can see how wrong I was on my servings.

I love the english muffin with pb and banana idea. I always have ww muffins and bananas, and i had plenty of calories last night that would have been perfect.

I have read many others talk about pb in their oatmeal. At first I thought Yuck! but now i am curious so will definitely try that soon.

I love PB but i thought because the calories were so high for such a small amount and the fat content was so high that maybe I shouldnt be eating it. but constantly reading this website I have found that i "need" the fat thats in PB. I love this site. Just when I think I'm doing something right theres always someone there to correct me. And I mean that in the nicest of possible ways. If it werent for this site I would still be eating a lot of the wrong things and still thinking I was doing everything right. Thanks chickies.

I rarely stick with 1T of PB unless you eat in on the spoon - I can do 1 1/2 T on an apple but 2T seems to be the perfect serving size.

Peanut butter for me is like wine for a Wino , a little is not enough. I don't keep it in the house.

Am I the only one that thinks 210 calories for 2 tablespoons is INSANE!? It seems like such a waste of calories, I don't even eat peanut butter anymore & I love it!

I like PB in oatmeal - it's very good. I think 1 tbsp is pretty small, though - they might call that a serving size, but it's barely enough to coat a piece of bread.

That's why I like the PB2 - you get much more for your buck.

I had just the opposite thought! I was thinking... 'man I've never used more than a tbsp!' But for the most part I just eat it with an english muffin, which is smaller than a slice of bread.

You're focusing on the calories only and not on anything else, which is, I think a big part of your problem in accepting that you need to eat more.

First of all, 2 T is a LOT of peanut butter. It's enough for a whole sandwich. It's enough to cover a whole English muffin. It's enough to spread over 2 full stalks of celery with some left over. It's enough to spread over an entire banana. It's enough to completely cover 2 wasa crackers.

But more importantly, the calories in peanut butter are chock full of good things for your body. So no, I don't think 210 calories is "insane" for a serving of food that is
(a) filling
(b) high in protein (10g per serving)
(c) full of good healthy fats
(d) high in fiber (4g per serving)
(e) gives you nearly 50% of your RDA of folate

Eating HEALTHY calories is NOT A WASTE.

Aside from that, maybe look around for a more natural peanut butter that doesn't have as much sugar in it and you can reduce the calories some. I actually use Naturally More pb, which is sweetened with honey and has flax seed added. It's 169 calories for 2T.

I eat peanut butter at least once a day and sometimes twice, on really strenuous days when I don't mind going over my cals a little bit.

Ok, let's talk about value of calories for a minute.

This is something my Dad pulled on me when I was little and I think it's very appropriate here.

Open your wallet and look at the change you have. Take out a nickle and a dime and set them side by side. Ask yourself which would you rather have, the nickle or the dime?

You picked the dime, right? Cause it's worth TEN CENTS.
But when I was a kid I picked the nickel - because it's BIGGER.

That's what you're doing when you look at a Tbsp of peanut butter and say "it's such a waste of calories". You're taking the nickle over the dime.

Yes, 2T of pb might not look like much when you're used to eating larger volumes or when you're scared of calories (which, you, Extasee, are! ).

But 2T of pb on a slice of whole grain bread is an amazingly healthy thing to eat. Serve that 1/2 sandwich with a sliced apple and you have a lunch that will keep you feeling satisfied and full AND gives you lots of protein, fiber, and nutrients. It's a dime's worth of food ... or more.

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I agree with caring about the value of calories. I hate to 'waste' calories. I love peanut butter because it is filling and high in protein. I always struggle with getting enough protein in my diet. It is also a great portable lunch for me. (One of the few).

If I am working out or just had a low calories day, I have for whatever reason, I have a few favorite foods that are healthy and help boost my calories. Peanut butter is one, sweet pototoes are the other. They both satisfy something basic for me, especially when I have been working out hard.

In addition to calories I constantly check what else I am getting in my food. Is it helping fill my dalorie fiber intake? Am I getting tons of calcium etc. etc. I will say, for me, this includes satisfying my sweet tooth also. If it's TOM and I am craving, I HAVE to do something about the cravings. If I ignore them, I binge. I've proved that over and over to myself. But I try and mix sweet tooth with healthy, such as fruit or chocolate soy milk.