National Peanut Board - With Peanuts & Peanut Butter

There’s good reason why USA peanuts and peanut butter have survived in an era of fad diets and confusing, ever-changing food trends. We love their flavor, crunch and versatility. Best of all, they taste great and we can eat them knowing we’re doing something healthful for ourselves and for our loved ones.

The National Peanut Boad (NPB) is committed to helping individuals eat healthier. We have several educational programs and activities that help educate and reinforce the major recommendations of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Peanuts and peanut butter meet many of the major guidelines set forth in the Guidelines, including: choosing a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages within and among the basic food groups; limit saturated and trans fats, cholesterol and added sugars.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) an ounce of peanuts provides more than 10% of the Daily Reference Value (DV) for protein and Niacin, while peanut butter is an excellent source of Niacin, containg 20% DV. Additionally, peanuts and peanut butter contain more than 10% and are a good source of magnesium and phosphorus. Peanut butter is a good source of vitamin E. The phytonutrients that have been isolated in peanuts include plant sterols, such as beta-sistosterol. Researchers found that peanuts contain about 65 mg betasitosterol/100gram and peanut butter contains 135 mg/100gram serving.¹

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 20 to 35 percent of calories from fat, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids while keeping saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol in check. The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations also recommend limiting saturated fat to no more than seven percent of daily calories and trans fats to up to 1% of calories and no more than 300 mg cholesterol per day.² Peanuts and peanut butter can help consumers meet these heart-health guidelines for limiting the unhealthy saturated and trans fats, and cholesterol.

Food Safety Statement: As with many raw agricultural food products, it is recommended that raw peanuts be cooked before consumption.

¹ Awad AB, Chan KC, Downie AC, Fink CS. Peanuts as a source of beta-sitosterol, a sterol with anticancer properties. Nutr Cancer. 2000;36(2);238-41
² Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Brands M, et al. Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations Revision 2006: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Circulation. 2006; 114:82-96.