Make Peanuts Your 3 pm Snack - Fit Training Blog for Women 40, 50, and Beyond
- Linda T Gottlieb, MA, CPT, CET
- Apr 27, 2016
- 2 min read
It's 3pm and your energy is low - most likely your blood sugar is, too. You know you have more work (or play!) ahead of you - what to do?
Well, if you don't have a nut allergy and are open to the thought, make peanuts your snack.
Here are five reasons why:
Peanuts and peanut butter are jammed with fiber and protein. As a snack, that combo can keep you going for a long time, satisfied and energized.
As a snack, the protein and fiber in peanuts will last up to 2 1/2 hours vs. the half hour you might get from a donut, bagel, candy or cookie. High carbohydrate foods (simple carbs) are never a good choice for a snack, but our body loves to crave them.
Peanuts can increase your metabolic rate. Some research around resting energy expenditure for peanut and peanut butter eaters shows that their energy expenditure was 11% greater after regular peanut consumption for 19 weeks compared to the baseline
Yes, there is fat in peanuts and peanut butter, but compared to other fats, this fat lands on the "good fat") list, providing satiety and taste satisfaction- decreasing the chance you'll reach for another snack a few minutes later.
Peanuts stabilize your blood sugar and are a low glycemic food - digested more slowly and released in to your bloodstream slower, they provide a longer lasting boost than other foods, and also can act as a buffer for craving other, less nutritious options.
Convinced yet? Why not give peanuts and peanut butter a try? Here are the portions to allow:
Enjoy 28 peanuts and you'll have consumed one ounce. It's equal to about 170 calories and almost seven grams of protein.
The recommended size for a single serving of peanut butter is two tablespoons, an amount equivalent to a little more than 1 ounce and roughly the size of a ping pong ball.
Enjoy your snacks and ramp up your fiber and protein (the building block for muscle)!
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