When it’s finally lunchtime and everyone is rushing out of school to get some food in their bellies, they usually go out to eat at Essen, Shake Shack, McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Dollar Pizza, Trader Joe’s, or maybe they brought lunch from home. If you take a closer look at what exactly they’re eating, they’re most likely not eating peanut butter. 

Peanut butter should be more included in everyone’s day-to-day diet because of the benefits that it has like lots of nutrients, variety, and great taste! 

BENEFITS OF PB

Peanut butter holds a lot of nutrients that help our bodies. Research shows that it has lots of nutrients, such as vitamin E, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Copper, and Manganese. These vitamins and minerals are necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You don’t even need to eat a lot of it in order to consume all of its wonderful nutrients.

Peanut butter is popular with athletes too; its high-calorie profile makes it a perfect snack before and after games. “Peanut butter contains healthy fats, and is packed with protein for energy that lasts.”

As a student-athlete myself, I can agree that eating peanut butter before practice makes me feel so much more energized. It is like extra energy – maybe I’m just imagining it, but I feel more productive with peanut butter in my system. 

My coach, Katiria Sanchez, even says, “I think peanut butter is really good because it has a lot of protein and fats that can be used by the body while playing and training.” 

Furthermore, peanut butter goes well with everything. It can be used in most foods. It can go in cookies, on fruits, in meals, and even just by itself!

Freshman Mia Samofalova says, “I eat peanut butter at least 4 times a week.” Some of their favorite combos are peanut butter “with toast, fruits, and honey.”Even if you don’t like peanut butter straight out of the jar, there are many ways to incorporate it into your daily meals and snacks. 

Even though it is just one ingredient, peanut butter’s flavor profile is very simple so it is able to amplify the flavor and give any dish a savory taste. 

Additionally, peanut butter is loved by many animals like dogs, birds, and squirrels. If you have any animals at home, it’s good to treat them from time to time!

REASONS WHY SOME PEOPLE DISLIKE PEANUT BUTTER 

Although athletes would see its calorie density as a good thing, other people who are trying to lose weight may not reach for the peanut butter jar because the calories 2 tablespoons of peanut butter holds 188 calories.

But in reality, peanut butter makes you feel fuller than other foods. “Foods high in healthy fats, proteins, and fiber-like peanut butter — also take longer for our bodies to digest, which can keep us feel fuller for longer and reduce the risk of overeating.”, If anything, peanut butter can help maintain and lose weight by making people eat less because they’re full.

This doesn’t mean that eating a bunch of peanut butter is good for you. It is important to eat in moderation, as with every food. Eating too much of it has negative consequences, especially if it is heavily processed peanut butter with lots of sugar and trans fat. These can lead to many health problems such as heart disease.

Along with this, the texture is another reason why people don’t like peanut butter. Thankfully, there is a lot of variety when it comes to texture in peanut butter. From creamy to crunchy, the texture shouldn’t stop people from enjoying this delicious spread. Its texture can also easily be hidden away from other foods that overpower the peanut butter texture while leaving its flavors, such as ice cream or cookies.

One thing that can’t be avoided though is its stickiness. Many people complained about it sticking to the roof of their mouths. This only happens because of the ingredients put into peanut butter: “For starters, Peanut butter contains a lot of peanut oil which makes it incredibly difficult for your saliva to perform its normal task of helping in this first stage of processing food,” Says the popular youtube channel “Today I Found Out” Without the peanut oil, would peanut butter still be itself? I think not.

Another reason why peanut butter has a tendency to stick to the roof of your mouth is that it has a lot of protein, which soaks up the moisture in one’s mouth. There is no solution to get rid of peanut butter’s oiliness other than to learn to appreciate it or gulp down your drink of choice. I recommend milk. 

Some people just steer clear of it because they’re allergic.

A WORD FROM NON-PB EATERS 

About 3 million Americans are allergic to peanut butter, but this shouldn’t stop them from enjoying other types of peanut butter substitutes.

Freshman Esmerelda Cruz is allergic to peanuts and therefore cannot eat peanut butter. Despite this though, she has no problem with her allergy and has no desire to eat peanut butter. 

“It looks disgusting, it’s like a color you don’t often see in foods,” she says. 

I can agree that it is not a color that you don’t naturally see in foods, but her disinterest in consuming peanut butter is unfathomable to me. Usually, when something or someone tells you not to do something, you want to do it more. Esmerelda must have some huge self-restraint, or maybe her allergy reactions are really bad. 

I wouldn’t suggest you eat peanut butter if you’re allergic, but substitutes like sunflower seed butter and soy butter exist, so if you have never had peanut butter and can’t, I definitely recommend trying these! 

In the end, whether you hate it or really love it, peanut butter is very beneficial to everyone’s ( that isn’t allergic)  health. So if it doesn’t already have a spot in your pantry or fridge, go out and get some!