There’s something about peanut butter that just makes us crave it all the time. Is it the salty, sweet, and creamy flavor? Why Am I Craving Peanut Butter? Or is it the satisfying feeling of spreading it on toast? Whatever the reason, we can’t seem to get enough of this delicious spread. Here are a few of our favorite ways to enjoy peanut butter—whether we’re trying to satisfy a craving or just add a tasty snack to our routine.
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Is peanut butter desire your kryptonite? Continue reading if you think peanut butter cravings are a sign of weakness. Alternatively, if you believe that desiring peanut butter implies you’re failing or not being ‘healthy,’ keep reading. While there are certain negative, emotional eating causes that contribute to peanut butter desires…
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Most of the time, you want peanut butter for good, healthful reasons.
And I’d recommend you to incorporate peanut butter into your daily diet!
Why Do We Have a Craving for Peanut Butter? Four Reasons
This article delves into the four basic causes of peanut butter cravings:
- You’re not getting enough fat in your diet.
- Protein Deficiency in Your Diet
- Inadequate Calories
- Excessive Stress
In addition, I’ll answer the following commonly asked questions:
- Should I give up peanut butter?
- What happens if you consume a large amount of peanut butter?
- Is a desire for peanut butter an indicator of pregnancy?
Why Am I Craving Peanut Butter Reasons Below
1 – Inadequate Fat In Your Diet
It’s easy to despise obese people.
However, your body need fat in order to operate! A healthy body fat percentage of total weight for men is approximately 10-20%, while for women it is around 20-30%.
Unfortunately, there are several low-fat diet fads on the market. Keep an eye out for them!
When you don’t receive enough fat, peanut butter becomes very appealing, just like food does when you’re hungry.
- Licking peanut butter off a spoon with honey suddenly sounds delicious!
- Isn’t it true that peanut butter waffles are a French delicacy?
- Isn’t it a long time since you baked peanut butter cookies?
If you can’t get enough of peanut butter… I can’t get enough of peanut butter…
One cause might be that you are deficient in fat.
Your desires are merely your body’s normal reaction to a lack of fat.
Cravings are similar to signs of communication.
They are attempting to catch your attention in the same way as a text message signals you to pick up your phone and check your messages!
Cravings are your body’s way of telling you that you need to eat more fat.
These food cravings are merely a need for more food with a healthy quantity of fat, such as peanut butter.
Of course, you may overeat fat, but if that were the case, you wouldn’t be desiring peanut butter as much.
2 – Inadequate Protein In Your Diet
You can also be desiring peanut butter because you’re low on protein!
Protein aids with muscular development. It also keeps you full.
Whether it’s protein or fat, there’s one overarching trend:
If you don’t get enough of them in your diet…
You will begin to want meals high in these nutrients!
That’s right, peanut butter!
3 – Inadequate Calories
The most common reason you desire peanut butter is a lack of calories in your diet.
Low-fat diets, like low-carbohydrate diets, can be problematic… Low carb diets can sometimes be harmful.
Fat, protein, and calories are all required by your body.
However, if you are on a low carb diet, you may find that you are not getting enough fats, proteins, or calories.
Overall, peanut butter is high in fat, protein, and calories.
So, if you’re not eating enough in general, it’s understandable that you’d desire peanut butter.
4 – Excessive Stress
Harvard University research has shown a relationship between stress and overeating.
When you are stressed, your body craves foods high in fat, protein, and calories.
Does this sound familiar? That’s correct. Peanut butter contains all of these and is thus an excellent stress-relieving meal.
Furthermore, combining dieting with a life stressor can make you need peanut butter even more!
Furthermore, there are unique compounds in peanut butter that might make food more enticing under stress.
Beta-Sitosterol
Beta-sitosterol, a component present in peanut butter, may help moderate the effects of stress on cortisol levels.
Some preliminary study suggests that beta-sitosterol may serve as an antidepressant.
So, if you’re depressed, it’s feasible that you desire peanut butter. However, the other factors we listed previously are more likely.
Stress Reduction Techniques
If your peanut butter cravings are the result of too much stress, you should try:
- Meditation
- Jogging
- Journaling
- Consultation with a therapist
Should I Stop peanut butter?
If you’re wanting peanut butter…
Your natural tendency may be to avoid peanut butter totally!
However, you should be able to see that the peanut butter:
- Is a good source of both lipids and proteins.
- Can assist you in consuming enough calories
- Contains anti-stress chemicals
Basically, I recommend eating a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter every day!
A couple of tablespoons of peanut butter has around 200-300 calories and is an excellent snack.
This only goes to illustrate how important peanut butter is in our daily life!
So, if you have a hankering for peanut butter, don’t eliminate it from your diet!
Enjoy some of it!
Peanut Butter Cravings: How to Treat Them
To satisfy your peanut butter cravings, you should consume other meals that are high in healthy fats, protein, and fill you up.
Some examples of these foods may be:
- Cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sunflower seedlings
- Avocado
- Yogurt
- Bread made with whole grains
What Happens If You Eat Too Much Peanut Butter?
Of course, eating too much peanut butter is also unhealthy.
If you consume too much peanut butter, you’ll get the same outcomes as if you ate too much of any other high-calorie, high-fat food:
- Putting on weight
- Bloatedness
Finally, there’s one more often asked question!
Is a desire for peanut butter an indicator of pregnancy?
When you’re pregnant, you’ll need to eat more food in general.
Because peanut butter includes a lot of good healthy fats and calories, it seems to reason that if you were pregnant, you would desire more peanut butter.
Of course, you wouldn’t crave peanut butter in particular.
You would want other comparable things when pregnant, such as avocados, ice cream, and so on.
But I’m a male, and I definitely can’t become pregnant!
I’m craving a peanut butter sandwich with two slices of whole wheat bread right now!
So… I, too, desire peanut butter!
That’s not surprising. Even if you are not pregnant, you may be wanting peanut butter.
Conclusion
The only two reasons why you may be craving peanut butter are that your diet is lacking in protein or fat, or due to a food allergy. If the former is true and you’re not getting enough protein from foods like meat, eggs, fish, beans, lentils and tofu then adding more of these types of proteins can help curb cravings for high-calorie snacks such as nuts and nut butters. Eating too many simple carbohydrates (sugars) can also increase hunger because it causes blood sugar levels to spike followed by an energy crash which leaves us feeling hungry again soon after eating. A healthy balanced diet with adequate amounts of fats and proteins will ensure that we stay satiated longer than if we were just snacking on
