Natural Peanut Butter

Pouring the oil off of natural peanut butter-

Good idea or not? I’m not fat phobic, but the calories do add up. I figure pouring the oil off the PB probably cuts the calorie count of the entire jar in half. The oil is, I think, has a bad n6:n3 ratio.

So, (taste and bulking aside) is there any reason to keep the oil? Is the life extending compound, reservatrol, in the oil by any chance?

I admit to being a peanut butter lover. I would imagine that the peanut butter would be awful dry without the oil mixed in. Anyway, why eat peanut butter unless you’re looking to add the healthy monounsaturated fats to your diet. Mix in the oil but don’t eat the whole jar! Monitor your intake.

[quote]kenmen wrote:

I would imagine that the peanut butter would be awful dry without the oil mixed in.[/quote]

You guess right. I tried pouring off the oil once. Baaaaad mistake. Never again.

Well personally, I enjoy peanut butter and have found the oil to be unncessary for taste purposes.

The healthy fat in natural PB is the whole point of using it. I use it for bulking in my shakes. If your concerned about the extra calories, just cut back. Mix the oil in, and mix it well - otherwise it turns to cement. Besides, you pay enough for natural PB, so don’t waste it.

Doesnt it turn into a jar of cement if you pour the oil out?

jaystyles

The oil at the top is just peanut oil (1 tbsp = 120 calories, 14g Fat, 0g Carb, 0g Protein). The chunky stuff below the oil is all the fiber (2g/tbsp), protein (i think 6g/tbsp), and carbs (no added sugar, 2g/tbsp), and some fat (not sure how much). I doubt you can find nutrition facts for natural PB minus the oil on top.

The main reason I eat natural PB is because it’s a very tasty source of polyunsaturated fat, and a little protein to boot. I guess eating the PB without the oil would end up providing a more balanced fat:protein ratio, I might guess close to 1:1, and also cut a few calories. The only problem is if you were looking to cut calories I’d cut something else other than the good fat found in peanuts.

~Paul

Taste isn’t so much the problem as texture… the stuff is so dry and hard without the oil it’s difficult to work with.

But is the oil in peanut butter really that bad? Nuts have fat. Without it, what’s left?

I can’t help but have a mostly emotional reaction to the question though… It just reeks of the crazy irrational stuff low-fat diet freaks love to do. I think my mom used to do that when she was obsessed with unsuccessful low-fat dieting. Guess she was so happy to be able to pour off that Nasty, Evil Fat so easiy she failed to notice it wasn’t helping…

Just hard for me to believe that the oil in your PB will be a make-or-break issue for a sound diet.

Nick

Note: my last post i gave macronutrient data for 1 tbsp of PB, when I meant to say 2 tbsp. I was also guessing since I didn’t have a jar infront of me. I ended up being way off in my estimates, so this time I’ve got the jar so I’ll be correct.

Just to be a huge nerd I decided to figure out the macronutrient breakdown of 2 tbsp PB with the oil poured out of the jar.

I opened a new jar of Smuckers brand natural creamy PB and measured the oil on top (it ended up being 3 tbps). Assuming pure peanut oil being poured off, this only comes to 2.57g fat per 2 tbsp. You’d end up still getting about 13.4g fat per serving, and saving yourself about 23 Calories. My consensus is that if you like thicker PB, pour the oil off as it won’t make much of a difference.

~Paul

… and here I am trying to up my intake of good fats …

Poly fats aren’t really that big of a deal in PB. The fat’s in PB can make you gain weight pretty easily and throw off your 3:6 ratio eaisly They have a VERY low amount of omega 3 and Omega 3’s are the only poly’s one really needs to worry about. Omega 6’s come so easy, it’s not like you have to make sure you eat your alloted amount of PB to ensure you get enough Omega 6’s.
Also, try Almond Butter sometimes, it’s tastier and even healthier. It also cost a little more, but worth a try.

Check this out:

"Fats for animal feeds

One interesting way to study the role of fats and their affect on weight loss or gain is to look at the animal feed industry. If ever there was a group of people with economic interest in weight gain, it is the livestock industry.

Back in the days when fat was “in,” the fatter the pig you could raise the better. Lard was a basic staple for cooking in the days of our forefathers. It was found that feeding pigs polyunsaturated fats (primarily soybean and corn oil)read Omega 6 would put more fat on them. This is the reaction of the longer chain fatty acids found in vegetable oils, and is well documented in the scientific literature.

Today, however, we’ve come full circle with our new low-fat mantra, and the consumer demand is now for low-fat meats. So how does one produce a leaner pork?

Well according the Department of Animal Science of North Carolina State University, during the “finishing time” before slaughter, you stop feeding them polyunsaturated oils and start feeding them saturated fats.3 They used beef tallow in their experiment, which they found was a bit hard for the pigs to digest. So some farmers are now actually starting to use coconut oil, a plant-based saturated fat, instead.

So what are the fats found on the shelves of grocery stores today, that make up the majority of the U.S. diet? Polyunsaturated fats: mostly soybean oil, which commonly is referred to as vegetable oil.

These are the same fats that have been known to fatten livestock in the animal feed business. The saturated fats, which made up most of the fats in the diet of our forefathers, have been almost banned by modern nutrition advice. The result: Lean pigs and obese people."

By far the best I’ve ever tried is Power Butter. They were handing out samples at the Arnold Expo this year and I’ve been getting it ever since. It’s more expensive but it’s worth it. I wish Biotest had a similar product so I could buy it on T-Nation at a good price along with my Grow and get free shipping.

sounds like a T-Jack suggestion

how is that power butter? you use it all the time? so its worth it? how much do you get it for? from where?

it looks pretty cool and i use natural PB every day and if i can up the good stuff maybe its worth it. Ive looked around and its aroun $11 per jar. that seems alot though compared to $3 for reg PB.

Dps has it at $9.85 for a 1 pound jar or a 5 pound jug for $39.95. They also come in packets and a different version but Dps doesn’t carry those. The serving size is huge but I only use a little at a time. It’s hard to hold back because it tastes so good, but thinking about the price helps me to eat it only in moderation.