[2cutekids]

Does anyone use peanut butter as there protein? I have read it to be used but I am afraid to use it for the fat and cals it has. I also read that there is a new one out that has more protien and less fat. Has anyone used it.
Tanya

[Meg]

Tanya -- I love PB and use the natural stuff in very controlled and measured quantities (otherwise I'd go through a jar a day) . But I think of it as a fat, not a protein, though it has a small amount of protein in it.

Per tablespoon, mine is:
8g fat
3.5g carbs
3.5g protein
100 calories

In order to equal the protein in 3 oz. of chicken breast (about 25g) you'd have to eat 7 tablespoonfuls of peanut butter, giving you 700 calories and 56g of fat (as compared to about 135 calories and 3g fat for the chicken breast).

Don't be afraid to eat PB if you can keep it under control because it's a good fat. But I definitely wouldn't recommend trying to eat enough to count it as a protein source.

I don't know anything about the one with protein added. There are reduced fat PBs but they generally add sugar to make up for the fat left out (as with most LF products). Can you post the nutrition label or a link to it?

[MrsJim]

PB is definitely considered a FAT. As are all nuts and nut butters (it always kills me to hear people say that they are eating nuts for the protein since they ARE mostly fat )

Like Meg sez, it's a healthy fat, if you can moderate your intake of it. (Unfortunately I am NOT one of those people...anytime I buy a jar, I seem to be in it with a spoon until the jar is completely empty...)

You must be referring to the PowerButter I've seen mentioned on the Web. The ingredients (according to their website) are: Peanut Butter; Flaxseed; Flax Oil; Eggwhites; Omega-3 and Omega-6. A 16-oz jar retails for $13.00 - my goodness, that seems pretty pricey to me personally...seems to me that it would be cheaper to make your own by mixing peanut butter, eggwhite protein powder and a bit of flax oil together - but that's just me...

[tikanique]

I use a teaspoon in my protein shakes as flavoring or a little on a pretzel to kill a craving for worse stuff. Otherwise I hide it from myself in the fridge. I also have the natural kind but the large fat content does not balance out the relatively low protein amount.

Tiki

[jiffypop]

my dad used to make yogurt cheese [you drain the yogurt overnight in a strainer lined with a coffee filter, and placed on something to catch the liquid] and mix it 50-50 with the peanut butter... tasted GREAT!!! less fat and more protein.

[Airegrrrl]

One of my absolute favorite mini-meals is two stalks of celery filled with 1 tablespoon of PB. (That's 1/2 T per stalk.) I find that it's crunchy, tasty and filling. Depending on how the rest of the day is going, sometimes I have it with a piece of chicken at lunchtime, or maybe in the afternoon with a PP shake. Like Karen, I treat it as a healthy fat. On other occasions, I will use a T of PB on a piece of multigrain toast or in a bowl of oatmeal. Finally, sometimes I'll add a T of PB in a protein shake. In all cases, it's satisfying and filling. And, blessedly, it's not one of my red light foods (although I have to be very careful if I'm going to PB-and-toast option. That can be a trigger in some circumstances.)

Hope this helps.

[2cutekids]

Thanks everyone. I will continue to use it like I have not much.
Tanya