One core aspect to this program, and truly any healthy lifestyle, is nutrition. In addition to your lean proteins and healthy carbs, you also need essential fats. Despite not liking it as a child, one of my favorite 'fat' options now is peanut butter. Now when it comes to choosing peanut butter, stick to natural kinds and WATCH YOUR PORTIONS. You can actually grind your own at places like Whole Foods, Fresh Market and most natural food stores. HyVee has a brand, Parkers, that is also very yummy (and available with honey too).
Today, I want to share an alternative to these if you love the taste of peanut butter, but perhaps have issues with serving size or simply want to watch your fat intake. The product is called PB2 (www.bellplantation.com).
It was actually something that I stumbled upon in the health food section at HyVee (most retail grocers carry this brand or you can order it online). PB2 isn't your normal peanut butter. It is a powdered peanut butter and very intriguing as you mix it with liquid to make it creamy. The great thing about PB2 is that it has only 45 calories and 1.5g of fat with 5g of protein - this is nearly 85% less calories than that of normal PB.
Below is a statement from Bell Plantation, the producers of PB2:
Nutritional Benefits of PB2
A lot of the positive feedback we receive comes from our customers who had sworn off peanut butter because of the fat and calories in the traditional product – whether it is all-natural or the regular grocery store offerings. It is so rewarding to have customers let us know how happy they are to FINALLY be able to enjoy peanut butter again without feeling any guilt. It seems some people have denied themselves this most popular comfort food for years – what a shame!!
If you have any doubts about the benefits of PB2 vs. traditional peanut butter, read on. Keep in mind, that PB2 is all natural peanut butter without the fat or the added hydrogenated oil.
| Traditional | PB2 |
| 2 Tbsp – 190 calories | 2 Tbsp – 45 calories |
| Calories from fat - 130 | Calories from fat – 13 |
| Saturated fat – 3 grams | Saturated fat – 0 grams |
PB2 is made by slow roasting the peanuts, then they are pressed to remove the fat and oil. The result is a tasty powdered peanut protein. The product is available in regular as well as a chocolate peanut butter version (slightly more calories in this as it includes cocoa powder). To take it from a powder to a normal PB texture, you mix 2 tbsp. of PB2 with 1 tbsp. of water and stir until smooth. They even suggest mixing 1 tbsp of grape juice with it to make an automatic PB&J sandwhich (without all the added sugar).
I have also used the PB2 in protein shakes and in recipes that called for peanut butter when I wanted to reduce the calories. Check out the company website for other recipe ideas. I suggest getting both kinds because the chocolate version is a nice alternative if you have a sweet tooth.
If you try it, let me know your thoughts!
I am doing this and SO CAN YOU! Make it a Level 10 Day!
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