How to Have Your Peanut Butter and Eat it Too!

Tiny Tummy Tips, Issue #001 -- Can I Eat Peanut Butter After Bariatric Surgery?

In This Issue

2) A MUST HAVE Label Reading Rule

Can I Eat Peanut Butter After Bariatric Surgery?

So here’s the lowdown on pb after WLS.

If you're thinking about eating peanut butter after weight loss surgery, it's likely because you've heard “it’s a good source of protein.”

You've probably also heard it has fat too, "but it's good fat."

Both statements are true.

However, even though peanut butter DOES have protein, it has MORE FAT than protein. And even though it’s “good fat,” high fat = high calories.   You can see from the peanut butter label below, 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter has 8 grams of protein, but twice as much fat (16 grams) and therefore 190 calories.

Conclusion: Peanut butter is a high calorie source of protein.

It’s still possible to over consume calories with a small stomach if you’re not careful of your choices!   Read labels for calories the same way you look at a price tag before you make a purchase. Be cheap. Don't spend TOO many calories to get the protein. Here's a good rule of thumb:

10:1 Label Reading Rule: How to Make "Lean" Protein Choices

If a food has 6 grams of protein, calories shouldn’t be more than 60 (10 x 6).

If a food has 30 grams of protein, calories shouldn’t be higher than 300 (10 x 30).

Get it?

The peanut butter has 8 grams of protein. So it shouldn’t have more than 80 calories (10 x 8) to call it a “lean” (or “cheap”) protein choice. But it has 190 calories! This should raise an eyebrow!

Conclusion: How to Have Your Peanut Butter and Eat it Too

OR BETTER YET...

Enter Powdered Peanut Butter.

Powdered peanut butter is simply defatted, dehydrated peanuts. It delivers the same pb flavor without all the calories.

PB2 was the original brand of powdered peanut butter, but a simple google search of the term “powdered peanut butter” will reveal many other competing brands.

You can see from the powdered peanut butter label below: 2 tablespoons has 6 grams of protein and 60 calories.

Using the 10:1 Label Rule, you shouldn’t spend more than 60 calories on 6 grams of protein (10 x 6) so this counts as a “lean” protein.  It’s a great choice!

Creative Ways To use Powdered Peanut Butter:

Stir into cottage cheese

Add powdered peanut butter to plain nonfat Greek yogurt (Use ~ 3 Tablespoons for 1 c yogurt) then use like this:

1) Freeze and eat like pb ice cream.

2 Make “PB Yogurt Bark:” Stir in raspberries, spread on a wax paper lined cookie sheet, then freeze. Once solid, break apart and eat like “bark” for a treat.

3) Use as a dip for celery or apples.

Happy National Peanut Butter Lovers Day!

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See you in the next issue!

In Health,

Suzette