When you eat protein, it helps you build muscle, among many other amazing benefits. If you are looking for a protein-rich addition to your diet, you should get one that will also deliver other nutrients to support your overall health. Well, peanut protein powder would be a good option. Aside from being protein-rich, it contains other health-promoting nutrients. It is also free of gluten. More so, the only thing in peanut powder is peanuts. It contains no fillers; there are no other ingredients in it. It’s just simple food with no complex blend or additives. This new spin is indeed taking the world by storm.
You can use peanut powder just as it is, or you can rehydrate it with water. When you add water, it forms a paste that is similar to regular peanut butter. One of the known merits of peanut powder is that it is low-caloric and peanut lovers can get what they love without the fear of eating too many calories. However, this powder has its cons too. It lacks most of the fats in original peanuts, as well as some vitamins. In this article, we will talk about peanut powder and review its merits and demerits. By the time you finish reading, you would know whether peanut powder suits your personal needs or not.
What Is Peanut Protein Powder?
Except you are allergic, nothing stops you from loving peanuts. They are very versatile and can be used in various ways. One of the new inventions on using peanuts is peanut powders. This is a new product in town, so you may be wondering what it is.
Peanut powder is what you get when you grind roasted peanuts and press out the oil in it. That is why some people call it defatted peanuts. The resultant powder is rich in flavor.
What’s more, peanut powder contains 85 percent fewer fat calories compared with peanut butter. Two tablespoons of peanut powder contain only about fifty (50) calories. This makes it a great option for those trying to restrict their calorie intake.
One other good thing is that 2 tablespoons of peanut powder will give you 6g protein. The same serving of peanut butter contains 7g protein. So you see, you can get almost the same protein supply with limited calories. No wonder it is called a protein powder.
Do you know why the calories in protein powder are much fewer? It is because it is already defatted. The calories from the fats are no longer there. But the protein and fiber, as well as many other nutrients are still very intact.
With peanut powder, you can easily reduce your calorie intake without much stress. You will still get the same amazing taste and flavor. More so, it will fill you up quickly and can make you eat less of other calorie-rich foods all day long.
Well, the fats in peanuts are typically unsaturated. So they promote metabolism and the burning of calories even when your body is at rest.
However, this is only true for unprocessed peanuts. Commercial peanuts butter, for instance, usually have vegetable fats added to them. This kind of oil is not good for the waistline. In this regard, peanut powder is better.
What Are The Cons?
The major pro with peanut powder is that there are fewer fats in it than you will find in peanut butter. Peanut butter has so many fats. You should get about 16g of fats from only 2 tablespoons. The same serving of protein powder, on the other hand, contains only 1.5g of fat.
But then, as we said earlier, peanut fats are predominantly unsaturated. This type is generally not harmful. It is even considered to be beneficial health-wise.
Experts tell us that the main unsaturated fat in peanuts is oleic acid. This fat can help reduce blood pressure, lessen inflammation, and lower heart disease risk. So when you consume peanut powder instead of peanut butter, you may be missing out on these benefits.
But then, peanuts are not the only source of unsaturated fats. So you should be okay if there are other unsaturated fat sources in your meals. These include avocados and olive oil.
More so, protein powder may not have as many fat-soluble vitamins as peanut butter. This is because it has been defatted. This is also one of the downsides of peanut powder. And it bothers some people.
Anyways, peanut butter originally does not contain good amounts of vitamins A, D, and K. The fat-soluble vitamin that is abundant in peanut butter is vitamin E. You will get 14% RDI of vitamin E from 2 tablespoons. But most of these are lost in defatted peanuts.
Vitamin E has amazing antioxidant properties. This means that it fights off free radicals’ damaging effects to reduce cellular damage and inflammation.
Quite unfortunately, about 8 out of every 10 adults and teens in America do not eat as much vitamin E as they need. As such, you replacing peanut butter with peanut powder may not be so good in this regard. Other vitamin E-rich foods include nut oils, nuts, avocados, fish, and wheat germ.
Adding Protein Powder to Your Meals
It is quite easy to cook with peanut powder. More so, you can easily add it to your dishes for its signature peanut flavor. You can use it directly in the powdered form. And you can also create a paste with it by rehydrating it with water. The powder does not contain so much fat.
You can also use peanut powders as dry seasonings. But you can’t do peanut butter this way.
Other ways to use peanut powder are as follows:
- Sprinkle it onto oatmeal
- Blend it into smoothies
- Stir it into batters
- Use it to flavor your sauces
- Shake it onto your popcorn
- Mix it with flour for dredging your meats
Protein peanut powder is indeed something you should consider adding to your daily meals. It is not only low-fat but also low-caloric.