Peanut Butter = Crack?

If you handed me a bunch of peanuts in the shell, I would not be excited. In fact, I'd probably just throw them right back at you. I don't love peanuts. But once they have been magically transformed into peanut butter, it's a different story. Gimme the whole jar and a spoon and I will go to town!

Don't ask me what the difference is. I can't explain it.

But I do know that peanut butter is addictive. And it is mostly fat. Yes, it is monounsaturated fat, which is a good fat, but a tablespoon of peanut butter contains almost a hundred calories! And a tablespoon is a pretty small serving! If you are chowing down on this stuff as a snack, it is quite likely you are loading up on way more calories than you need.

This was definitely me.

Last winter, I was gobbling down peanut butter like there might be a peanut famine in the near future. I had to buy a new jar every week! No exaggeration. What was I thinking?

The strange thing is: I thought I was doing a pretty good job with my diet. I was mostly concerned about sugar. I was cutting back on carbs and thinking I could scarf down the fatty foods. Why not? Isn't this the whole concept of the ketogenic diet? Go wild with the fats?

Um, not exactly.

Yes, keto means consuming mostly fat. But I wasn't even close to being in ketosis. I was watching my sugar intake, but my overall carb consumption wasn't ultra low, as it must be on a ketogenic diet. My protein was probably too high, as well. And my fat consumption was through the roof!

If you are trying to lose weight, keto could be the way to go. Many people have success with this method. But you need to stick to ALL the rules, not just binge on fatty foods and think this will equal weight loss! On a ketogenic diet, about 70% of your calories will come from fat. You can eat a small to moderate amount of protein and a very small number of carb calories. Your total calories per day will be fairly low, even though you are eating mostly fat!

If you are a peanut butter addict, like I used to be, I recommend using peanut butter as a flavoring, rather than a food group. A little of the stuff goes a long way. You might also investigate peanut butter powder--a de-fatted form of peanut butter which includes all the flavor but not all the calories. You can use the powder in shakes, baked goods, etc.

Bottom line: peanut butter is delicious but also dangerous! Unless you need to GAIN weight, watch your consumption of this treacherous product! (Insert smiley face here.)