Peanut vs Peanut Butter: Which one is better and why

Peanut butter has gained massive popularity with time. Peanut butter, which is made with raw peanuts is preferred not only by kids but also health fanatics. Read below to find out which is better - peanuts or peanut butter.

Updated on Dec 05, 2019  |  05:48 PM IST |  15.1M
Peanut vs Peanut Butter: Which one is better and why
Peanut vs Peanut Butter: Which one is better and why

One food item that has become a worldwide trend is peanut butter. Be it health-conscious people, vegans or even kids everyone enjoys a spoonful of peanut butter. It's tasty, nutritious can be enjoyed on toast, or even just like that. Peanut butter, which is made using raw peanuts, can be made with chocolate and various other things. Health fanatics enjoy consuming peanut butter in its raw form, that is without any sweetener or preservatives.

However, when it comes to peanuts and peanut butter, there's a constant debate on which one is better. Many people say that unsalted peanut is better than peanut butter since there's no preservative or oil added to it, while others claim the latter one to be healthier. If you are someone who is also confused between the two, then read below to find out which one is better, peanut or peanut butter. 

Proteins and calories:

When it comes to proteins, both peanut and peanut butter belong to the protein-rich category. When it comes to calories, peanut butter is slightly higher in calories, containing about 94 calories per serving, while peanuts contain about 80.5 calories per serving. It is because there are some oil or other preservatives that are added in peanut butter while making it.

Carbohydrate content:

When it comes crabs, consuming a small amount of serving is good for diabetes patients since that will not cause your blood glucose levels to rise. Foods that contain 5 grams of total carbohydrate or less per serving are considered a free carbohydrate on a diabetes diet. When it comes to raw peanuts, one serving of raw peanuts contains 1.76 grams of total carbohydrate. Whereas one serving of plain peanut butter, without added sugar, contains 3.18 grams of total carbohydrate. So, peanut butter is higher in carbohydrates than raw peanuts. 

Fibre content:

Raw peanuts have less total carbohydrate, but more fibre than peanut butter. For this reason, raw peanuts have a slight edge over peanut butter. One and a half serving of raw peanuts contains 1.2 grams of fibre and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter contains 0.95 grams of fibre.

Fat content:

A 1/2 serving of raw peanuts contains 3.46 grams of monounsaturated fat and 2.2 grams of polyunsaturated fat; 1tbsp of peanut butter contains 3.79 grams of monounsaturated fat and 2.21 grams of polyunsaturated fat. But while peanuts and peanut butter contain the same amounts of healthy unsaturated fats per serving, peanut butter is significantly higher in unhealthy saturated fat.

Which one is better:

If you have to make a pick, then you should consider choosing peanuts over peanut butter. 

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Credits: LIVE STRONG

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