To eat healthier, avoid these 6 common protein mistakes

You have probably heard that peanut butter has a lot of protein. Some popular peanut butter brands even boast about their protein content on their labels.

But in a report published in a top sports nutrition journal last year, exercise and sports nutrition scientists cautioned that peanut butter isn’t as high in protein as many people think. The report noted that peanut butter is an “energy dense” food: Ounce for ounce, it has a lot more dietary fat and calories compared with eggs, Greek yogurt, lean meats, chicken breast, beans, fish and other high-protein foods.

Peanut butter is certainly nutritious. It contains fiber, vitamins, minerals and heart-healthy unsaturated fats. But it contains at least twice as many grams of fat as protein. You should consider it a great source of fat, rather than a great source of protein, said Jose Antonio, an author of the report and a professor of health and human performance at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

“If you read the nutrition label on any jar of peanut butter, you will see that it’s mostly fat,” said Antonio, who is also the chief executive of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. “The fat is good for you. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’re getting a lot of high-quality protein.”

Two tablespoons of creamy peanut butter — the amount in one serving, or one ounce — has about seven grams of protein, 16 grams of fat and 190 calories.

The authors of the report noted that people who use peanut butter to help them meet their protein needs should consider eating it in moderation because of its high calorie density. Otherwise, the authors warned, they may be setting themselves up for “unintentional weight gain.”

“Peanut butter is a healthy food, but calories still matter,” Antonio said. “If you want to gain weight, eat a bunch of peanut butter. It’s not a great source of protein.”

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