Have we managed to tempt you with our peanut butter-based recipes this month? If you haven't yet tried the delights of freshly ground peanut butter, there are some good health reasons for giving it a go!
A healthy treat
According to the ZOE Health Project, eating peanut butter may help with cardiovascular health, blood sugar control, and long-term weight management. Pairing peanut butter with carbohydrate-rich foods can help manage your blood sugar response, lessening blood sugar spikes and crashes that leave you wanting to eat more. And the high protein content can help you feel fuller for longer, making you less prone to snacking.
As with everything, moderation is key - since peanut butter is a high calorie food, it's recommended that you don't consume more than two tablespoons a day.
Many branded peanut butters contain salt and sugar, emulsifiers to prevent the natural oils from separating, and extra palm, canola or rapeseed oils to increase shelf life. Experts recommend opting for a peanut butter with as few ingredients as possible, and ours is simply made from toasted peanuts - nothing else!
What about allergies?
In the UK the advice has often been to avoid giving peanut products to children, and over the last few decades the incidence of peanut allergy has increased threefold. Today, around one in 50 children in the UK has a peanut allergy. However recent studies suggest that introducing peanut products at an early age can actually reduce the risk of an allergy developing, and in cultures where peanut products are usually introduced early, peanut allergy is rare.
Further studies suggest that there is an optimum age range for introducing peanuts into the diet of babies. This should be in the form of smooth peanut butter or other peanut snacks suitable for babies – not whole or broken peanuts. The baby should also be developmentally ready to start solids.
Analysis by experts at the Southampton Biomedical Research Centre* identifies a ‘window of opportunity’ between four and six months of age, depending on the child’s health. Introducing peanut products into all babies’ diets by six months could reduce peanut allergy across the population by up to 77%, whereas waiting until 12 months of age would lead to only a 33% reduction.
If you have a family history of allergies, or have any doubts, always consult a doctor before giving your baby peanut butter.
*Led by Professor Graham Roberts from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which is hosted by University Hospital Southampton (UHS), and the University of Southampton, and Professor Gideon Lack at King’s College London, with expertise from the Immune Tolerance Network (ITN) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the USA.
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