It isn't really unhealthy as a part of your overall diet, but that peanut butter is tricky. Peanut butter lends itself to overeating - a serving size is only 2 tablespoons. About the size of a ping-pong ball. This isn't consistent with the ways most of us eat the stuff. Not to mention that it is just packed with calories. The combination makes it really easy to overeat.

Peanuts are a slightly easier option to control. There are about 45 peanuts in a serving of peanut butter. That isn't bad at all and seems a lot more filling in the long run and harder to over-do with a bit of self-control.

Thanks for the response. I don't really like peanut butter all that much, but my approach to food is to just generally eat high-satiety foods and not worry about counting the exact quantity. I've found that it ends up netting out to eating the right amount anyway, without much effort. Calorie density by volume doesn't really figure into the way I eat.

It was along those lines that I figured that something that consists largely of healthy fats wouldn't pose a health concern. But I guess I wasn't thinking about other approaches to nutrition: it's entirely possible that a different approach would lead to overeating peanut butter, I guess.

How do most people eat peanut butter? I like it spread on oatcakes - it's just ground peanuts, so it's like eating a handful of unsalted, unsweetened nuts.

USAmericans have a confection confusingly also called "peanut butter" that is high in sugar and salt, sadly most UK supermarkets now only stock the confection and not the nut-butter.

Americans eat both - the sugar/salt laden one all the way to slightly crunchy natural peanut butter. Most folks grew up with the processed stuff that doesn't separate when sitting on the shelf, though (not all natural).

But more to your question: Most folks spread it on fruit, some veggies, or on a sandwich, much thicker than butter or cream cheese. Too little peanut butter makes for a dry sandwich, especially if you aren't eating jelly along with it. Even when you are eating pure nut butter, it is easier to eat a lot of it. It is similar to someone drinking fruit juice or a smoothie (blended fruit only) can consume many calories in a sitting more easily than one would do with whole fruit. The body perceives it a bit differently with less chewing and whatnot.

Probably better to just eat peanuts / nuts, more bite and filling to it too. Eating raw peanut butter just sounds like the calorie kick people should stop indulging in.

> Is peanut butter unhealthy? Obviously excluding the crappy ones that have added sugar.

It's mostly fat with lots of salt, which is a pretty good recipe for future cardiovascular disease if eaten excessively.

Peanut butter is pretty good.

It's basically half fat, quarter protein, quarter carbs. Salt can be added or not.

They use it fortified as 'plumpy nut' to feed undernourished children in the third world back to health. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy%27nut )

I think that only applies to some styles of peanut butter. Jif, for instance, is more like three-quarters carbs (half of that sugar), one-quarter fat and negligible amounts of protein.

Oh, I was assuming that without further qualifiers peanut butter means just peanut and at most a bit of extra salt.

But I am not aware of how peanut butter is sold in eg the US. I am going by the German and British market here.

So, yes, if you eat sugary stuff, it's gonna be not great for you. Agreed.

On mobile so sorry for no links. "Fat is bad" is untrue. Watch any of the plethora of anti sugar films and you can get a brief history on the sugar lobby in the US and how fat's link to cardiovascular disease is limited. Salt is also not a problem, but it depends on your water intake and exercise (ie sweat) levels. Obviously, a pure fat and salt diet might not be the best choice, but both are solid parts of a healthy diet, especially if one is striving to be strong and fit.

Fat isn't bad per se. Excessive fat consumption however is as are saturated fats.

Peanuts mostly contain unsaturated fats. Peanut butter though might contain all sorts of other ingredients that are rich in saturated fats (like some plant oils).

The problem with salt is that in general Western diets already tend to use too much salt and too much salt can lead to an increase in blood pressure, which ultimately if untreated can lead to heart attacks and strokes.