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From CopperWiki
Peanut butter (also known as peanut paste) is made primarily from roasted and peanuts. Considered by many the symbol of American snacks, peanut butter has been a staple of U.S. families for more than a century. One ounce of roasted peanuts provides 10% (41 micrograms) of the daily value of folate, the naturally occurring form of the vitamin B folic acid, recommended for the reduction of birth defects and lowered heart disease risk. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich provides 18% (73 micrograms).
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[edit] Why should I be aware of this?
- Research shows that folic acid/folate can prevent up to 70% of neural tube defects, which affect the brain and spinal cord when women get sufficient amounts during the earliest weeks of pregnancy. All women of child-bearing age should consume 400 micrograms of folic acid/folate every day because the neural tube is forming during the first month of pregnancy -- before many women even realize they are pregnant.
- Peanut butter is a very caloric, yet very healthy food. In general, raw peanut butter is better than refined, because it retains many of the beneficial nutrients found in the skin.
- There is growing evidence that suggests eating at least 400 micrograms of folic acid/folate per day reduces the risk of heart disease.
[edit] All about peanut butter
Peanuts are actually legumes, not nuts, and they originated from Brazil. Even the Incas appreciated the delicious taste of peanut butter many centuries before us.
Peanut butter contains about 8 percent of dietary fibre which again helps in regulating both blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Dietary fiber is also known to reduce the risk of colo-rectal cancer and atherosclerosis considerably.
It also contains high amount high amounts of protein along with important micronutrients such as Vitamin E, Vitamin B3 and large amounts of beneficial minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and calcium.
Vitamin E, one of the most powerful antioxidants, reduces the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases; Vitamin B3 aids in the recovery of cell DNA damage and improves sexual functions.
[edit] Unique Properties
Resveratrol, one of the most interesting and peculiar nutrients found in peanuts, is a natural antimicrobial agent which is believed to be the cause of the French paradox (French people having a lower risk of cardiovascular disease despite their diet rich in fats).
Academic research has shown a plethora of beneficial effects of resveratrol in mice, ranging from anti-cancer, antiviral, anti-aging, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory to life-prolonging (most of these tests have not been carried out on humans yet, but the premises are there). Peanut butter also contains p-coumaric acid, a polyphenol that helps combat oxidative stress (a syndrome believed to cause some neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases).
[edit] CopperBytes
- It takes 850 peanuts to make an 18oz jar of peanut butter
- The USA produce about 6% of the world's crop of peanuts. India and China, together, produce about 70%
- About 65% of those peanuts are used worldwide for the production of peanut oil; another 20% is used for the production of candy
- Peanut oil accounts for 8% of the worldwide edible oil production
- Two presidents of the USA, Jimmy Carter and Thomas Jefferson, were peanut farmers
- Peanuts are not actually nuts: they are legumes and grow underground
- Peanuts account for 2/3rds of the total snack "nuts" consumption in the USA
- The world's largest peanut is 20 feet tall, and it's currently kept in Turner County, Georgia
- One acre of peanut crop yields 2860 pounds of peanuts, enough to make 30000 peanut butter sandwiches
- Americans eat 700 million pounds every year (3lbs per person), which could theoretically cover the entire floor of the Grand Canyon
[edit] References
- All about Peanut Butter
- Health Benefits of Peanut Butter
