Peanut butter. America’s original finger food—remember getting into trouble as a kid for scooping it right out of the jar? One serving (two tablespoons) of peanut butter* contains:

  • 190 calories
  • 16 grams of monounsaturated fat, which helps lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)
  • 8 grams of carbohydrate (including 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of sugar)
  • 7 grams of protein
  • B-complex vitamins
  • antioxidants

*smooth peanut butter, with added salt and no hydrogenated oil

What about the fat?

According to the American Heart Association, while all fats contain 9 calories per gram, all fats are not equal. In general, for a healthy diet, most of the fat we eat should be monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Here’s a great recipe from Crème de la Crumb, featuring our peanut butter pal.

Shrimp Pad Thai with Peanut Sauce1

Serves 4

Ingredients
  • 10 ounces thin rice noodles, cooked according to package directions
  • 1 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • ½ cup bean sprouts, optional
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • chopped cilantro and lime wedges for serving
  • creamy peanut sauce:
    • ½ cup creamy peanut butter, microwaved for 30-45 seconds until easily pourable**
    • ¼ cup fish sauce (may substitute low-sodium soy sauce in a pinch)
    • juice of 1 lime
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoons minced garlic OR ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce OR 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • ½ cup water, more as needed
Directions
  1. Stir together all sauce ingredients until smooth, set aside. It should be easily pourable—if not, add more water.
  2. Drizzle oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté shrimp, bean sprouts and carrots until shrimp is cooked through.
  3. Push shrimp and veggies to one side of the pan, pour whisked eggs onto the uncovered half of the pan. Stir eggs often until scrambled.
  4. Stir noodles, sauce and green onions into the pan. Give it a good toss, garnish with cilantro and lime wedges, if desired, and serve immediately.

**If you or a family member is allergic to peanuts, please avoid this recipe or substitute peanut butter with a comparable ingredient.

Bottom line: Healthy fats are an essential part of a healthy diet. For more information about the skinny on fats, check out the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

An important word about peanut allergy

Peanuts are not actual tree nuts. They’re legumes (along with lentils, peas and soybeans). These are the symptoms of peanut allergy:

Teladoc is only an app tap away 24/7, anywhere you are. Our board-certified doctors can help diagnose a wide variety of non-emergency conditions, make treatment recommendations and even send a prescription to a nearby pharmacy when medically necessary (you can select the pharmacy with the app).

Enjoy your nutty-licious dinner. And keep wearing your protective face mask and practicing social distancing. We’re in this together.

References

1https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/shrimp-pad-thai-with-peanut-sauce/

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