Can be challenging. There are a lot of different diets, each telling you what to eat best, what to avoid, and when to eat, and it feels like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Snacking, in particular, will be badly evaluated in terms of **. But some experts believe that snacking during your main meal is a great way to avoid binge drinking, and what better way to do that than with peanut butter? In fact, according to a 2014 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, peanut butter's high satiety is best eaten as a snack during the day.
More commonly used as a breakfast nut butter option, peanut butter is high in fiber, healthy fats, and protein that can help you feel fuller for longer. If you wake up early and have a long time between three meals a day, more than four hours, your blood sugar levels will drop and fatigue will take its place, which is when you may crave a pick-me-up. Reaching for that jar of peanut butter ensures that you're sticking to delicious and healthy foods instead of stuffing unhealthy stuff in your mouth. This is an effective way to stay on target.
Does this mean you should avoid starting your day with peanut butter?
Not necessarily. The answer depends on your specific goals and how hungry you are between meals. If a snack is important to you and you think it will ensure that you don't overeat at your next meal, perhaps you can choose to enjoy the day's peanut butter as a snack in the early afternoon and early evening.
There's even something to say about eating peanut butter before bed. While you have to be mindful of your intake (because peanut butter is a high-calorie food), the nutrients in peanut butter — niacin, magnesium, -3 and -6 fatty acids, and vitamins B6 and E — also include tryptophan, an amino acid linked to better sleep. In addition, although not specific to peanut butter, a 2015 study published in the journal Nutrition found that eating protein-rich foods before bed helped men with muscle protein synthesis at night and metabolism in the morning. A 2013 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in active college-age men had similar results.
But if you want to go the classic route of eating peanut butter for breakfast, it's also good for **. Again, this nut butter is very filling and will keep you full until lunchtime.
How to eat peanut butter as a snack.
First of all, the type of peanut butter you buy is important. Reading food labels will let you know why. When that's your goal (among other things), it's important to keep track of saturated fat content, added sugars, and sodium intake, which can be a concern for some brands of peanut butter. Choose the one with the fewest additives and the main peanut content.
As for snack ideas, it's important not to eat too much peanut butter. The recommended daily intake for this nut butter is two tablespoons. This may not seem like much in the course of the day, but when you find other healthy food pairings, things can go from bleak to brilliant in a matter of minutes. An apple with a tablespoon of this kind of thing is an example. Other ideas include a tablespoon of Greek yogurt, peanut butter with celery or carrot sticks, or spread on whole wheat rice crackers. Adding a scoop to a healthy shake is another way to enjoy the nutty and tangy flavor of this popular food.
The purpose of snacking is to keep you feeling full before your next meal, so it's important to remember to keep portion sizes under control. As for more ideas on how to combine it with peanut butter, there are more healthy options.
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