You probably have seen powdered peanut butter at your local grocery store. It is usually located in the store’s health food section, which is for a good reason. Powdered peanut butter has 85% fewer calories and fat compared to the classic spread.
So, it is basically a healthier alternative to regular peanut butter, but would it also make a good substitute for whey protein?
To the typical health or fitness enthusiast who is trying to lose weight and stay lean, peanut butter is a treat that one must be careful with.
Finding a healthy, low-calorie version of your guilty pleasure seems like a great discovery. Still, it probably makes you wonder how it compares to other popular protein supplements like whey protein.
So, before you load up your cart with the tubs of peanut butter powder in hopes of replacing your whey protein for good, let’s take a look at both of these protein sources and see which one could be more beneficial for you.
What Is Peanut Butter Powder And How Is It Made?
Peanuts are roasted and then pressed to remove the oil and ground up into a fine powder.
During the manufacturing process, roasted peanuts are pressed, and most of their natural oils are extracted from them. After that, the nuts are ground up until they’re a very fine powder.
Since most of the oils were extracted, now the powder has an 80-90% reduction in its calories. If you add water to the powder, you can turn it into a paste that looks surprisingly similar to the original peanut butter.
So, do all that processing and removal of most of the oil affect the nutrition and taste of this product?
Let’s review some of the advantages and disadvantages of powdered peanut butter.
Benefits Of Powdered Peanut Butter
There are fewer calories in powder due to the removal of fats. These fats have a lot of calories, so taking them out makes it a lot less calorie intensive.
For instance, there are 190 calories in 2 tbsp of regular peanut butter and 45 calories in 2 tbsp of powdered peanut butter. That is quite a notable reduction.
However, the powdered version still retains its protein and fiber content, making it easier to stay feeling full. This will help you consume fewer calories and keep your weight down.
In addition to a naturally high-fat content, most commercial peanut butter brands are often loaded with vegetable fats, palm oil, and other bad filler ingredients. Therefore, powdered peanut butter will give you a lot better results for your weight loss goals.
How Does It Compare To A Real Peanut Butter?
Regular peanuts have unsaturated fats. These fats are important to include as part of a healthy diet. One of these fats is called oleic acid; known for reducing inflammation and blood pressure.
If you’re consuming powdered peanut butter, you won’t receive these benefits. That is why fats like these are not a bad thing to have in your diet.
There is also a worry that it doesn’t have fat-soluble vitamins because the fatty oils are removed.
When defatted (oils extracted) peanuts are ground up to make defatted peanut flour, most of the fat-soluble vitamins get removed as well in the process. Therefore, it has very few Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, and Vitamin E left in it.
If you’re somebody who is not already eating foods with a lot of Vitamin E, such as wheat germ, avocados, nuts, and seeds, then it is probably better to choose regular peanut butter over the powdered version.
You can also take some oil supplements to make up for the shortfall.
What Does Powdered Peanut Butter Taste Like?
When mixed with water, the texture and taste are not as smooth as the original peanut butter.
Unfortunately, most of these powders don’t taste quite the same as regular peanut butter. Because they contain very little fat, so they won’t have a creamy texture or strong taste.
There is only 1 gram of added sugar for each serving. This is not a lot of sugar, depending on how much you eat. If you care more about losing weight than how things taste, then that is probably a good thing for you.
I did find one powder that is completely sugar-free, I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but you can check it out here>>>
The added salt is far less than the salt added to the regular peanut butter. You get 94 mg in the powdered version and 147 mg in the regular version (per serving).
How To Use Powdered Peanut Butter?
Although it doesn’t taste quite the same as the real thing, it will make up for this little inadequacy with its usability.
It is easier to add peanut butter flavoring to your meals by using the powder. Powdered peanut butter can be used in making smoothies, pastries, regular bread spread, and so on.
You can also make a paste out of it by mixing it with water. It is easy for the powder to mix with water because there is virtually no fat in it. If you try to mix water with regular peanut butter, the fat content makes this quite difficult.
Powdered peanut butter is excellent for:
- Adding to smoothies
- Flavoring oatmeal
- Mixing with batters
- Flavoring sauces
- Flavoring popcorn
As a paste, you can use it as a dip for other foods. Just be prepared for the slightly bitter and grainy taste because it won’t have the richness and creamy texture that regular peanut butter has.
It is easy to sprinkle the powder into creamy snacks, such as yogurt. You can also make a peanut butter sauce by mixing the powder with the right amount of water or milk.
Is It A Good Alternative To Whey Powder?
It is a great low-fat, low-calorie alternative to traditional peanut butter. Unfortunately, it won’t quite live up to the much more superior quality of whey protein.
It is a good option tho, if you want a peanut butter solution with less fat and calories, choose the powdered version. Remember that it has an 85% reduction in its calories from fat than regular peanut butter.
So give it a try and use it alongside your Whey protein.
The best one to get is PBfit All-Natural Organic Peanut Butter Powder, you can get it here on Amazon>>>
Anyone who is on a restricted-calorie diet will love PBfit. This is why most trainers and fitness gurus recommend it over actual peanut butter but NOT as a substitute for whey protein.
Now, if you are looking for a completely vegan protein source, then there are some great vegan protein sources to check out.
So, let’s take a look at what is so good about whey protein.
Everyone Needs Protein But Not All Proteins Are the Same!
A lot of people think that all protein is the same. But there are actually different kinds of protein. The most familiar one is whey isolate, which is more beneficial than most of the other ones available.
Whey protein is most recognized for its importance in sports nutrition. It is far superior to all other forms of protein. It consists of essential amino acids that can be quickly absorbed into the body.
According to numerous medical studies, whey protein can increase your muscle mass and strength and significantly reduce your body fat.
It includes 9 essential amino acids and several vital nutrients which have powerful biological effects on the body. No other supplement has been studied as much as this one.
How Is Whey Protein Made?
Whey is a leftover by-product of the cheese-making process.
Milk contains a watery liquid called whey. When cheese is produced in a factory, the milk and whey liquid are separated from one another. This is so the milk can harden up and form that solidness of cheese that we all know and love.
As for the whey liquid, it is basically the leftovers of cheese production. It wasn’t previously used for anything until its nutritional value was discovered as a supplement.
However, the whey liquid extract must be processed in various ways before it can become a final product ready for consumers.
Products like protein bars, protein-based meal replacement shakes, and post-workout shakes do actually contain the liquid whey extract in them.
How Does Whey Protein Taste?
If you were to consume raw whey protein, it would taste horrible. For this reason, food manufacturers add flavorings to it, such as strawberry, chocolate, banana, vanilla, rocky road, and so on.
Unfortunately, these sometimes artificial flavors can destroy the healthiness of the supplement.
Make sure you check the ingredients list and see if your supplement contains refined sugars, preservatives, aspartames, or other unhealthy ingredients. If so, do not consume it.
Always go for good quality powders like Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard. These don’t have any dubious ingredients added to their products.
Perfect Sports Supplement For Fitness And Bodybuilding
Most people who take whey supplements try to improve their strength, physique, and muscle mass. Some of these people include models, bodybuilders, athletes, actors, fitness enthusiasts, and anyone who wants to get a better workout in the gym, add muscle mass to their body, and lose fat at the same time.
Here is how whey protein can increase strength and muscle mass:
Building Blocks – The building blocks of muscle growth are amino acids and protein. Whey powder has both.
Hormones – Whey protein causes more anabolic hormones to be released in the body. This boosts muscle growth and insulin levels.
Leucine – There is an abundance of the amino acid called “leucine” in whey. This amino acid boosts protein synthesis, both genetically and molecularly.
Quick Absorption – The body absorbs whey isolate quickly and uses its nutrients and amino acids appropriately.
If you consume it at the right time, it can effectively boost muscle growth and strength. Consumption can occur before, during, or after exercise or lifting weights.
Although, the best time to take advantage of protein synthesis is right after your workout when your muscles are trying to rebuild themselves from the contractions.
If your diet currently consists of protein-based foods like dairy, eggs, fish, and meat, you don’t need to consume whey supplements. These supplements are best suited for people who do not consume enough high-quality proteins from their foods or have a busy life with no time to cook that often.
Amino Acids – What You Should Know
Protein supplements consist of amino acids. The human body uses amino acids as primary building blocks for its skin, organs, hormones, certain molecules, enzymes, contractile muscle elements, and neurotransmitters.
These small molecules called amino acids are responsible for assembling the proteins. Each molecule is connected to one another.
The cells of the body produce some of the amino acids on their own. However, the body needs additional amino acids, which are only available in food. These specific types of amino acids are called essential amino acids. The body cannot produce these on its own. They must be received from food consumption.
There are 9 essential amino acids that your body needs. Whey powder can supply all of them, including the crucial branched-chain amino acids. They are also known as BCAAs, which include leucine and cysteine.
According to some studies, no other amino acid is more anabolic than leucine. This means that it promotes growth the best. As for cysteine, it can increase your level of glutathione, which is a cellular antioxidant.
What this all means is that whey supplements promote growth. Did you know a human mother’s breastmilk contains about 60% whey and cow’s milk only contains 20% whey? That would explain why babies grow faster from drinking their mother’s milk.
Different Types of Whey Protein
The three main types of whey protein are hydrolysate, concentrate, and isolate. The difference between these is how they’re processed.
Whey concentrate is around 70% to 80% protein. It consists of fat and lactose, which is milk sugar. Because of this, concentrate tastes the best.
Whey isolate is around 90%+ protein. Isolate doesn’t have very much fat, lactose, or beneficial nutrients for the body.
Hydrolyzed whey absorbs in the body the fastest. Your insulin levels will increase by up to 43% more with hydrolysate than if you took isolate or concentrate.
Check out the best-Hydrolysed whey here>>>
So, which is the best?
Although the Isolate seems to be the preferred choice among fitness enthusiasts, all of them are valid options depending on your preferences.
As for the price, whey concentrate is the cheapest, followed by Isolate and hydrolyzed whey. A lot of people even say that concentrate tastes the best. Since concentrate has fat and lactose content, this would explain why it tastes quite delicious.
My favorite one is actually a mix of concentrate and isolate, check it out here>>>
However, if you’re trying to reduce fat and carbohydrates in your diet, then you’ll want to choose either hydrolyzed whey or whey isolate. These are the best option for anyone wanting to cut fat and carbs down considerably.
Whey Protein And Weight Loss
Protein is a macronutrient that can actually help you lose weight.
According to a study, getting 25% of your daily calories from protein caused a 60% reduction in cravings and a 50% reduction in eating late at night.
Whey supplements are fast and simple to consume and will boost your protein intake while eliminating carbs and fat.
In other studies, if you use whey protein to substitute your other calorie sources and continue to weight lift regularly, then you’ll drop an estimated 8 pounds and still boost your lean muscle mass.
Therefore, whey supplements can help you both build muscle and lose weight. They’ve been proven to decrease appetite and increase metabolism. This is the key formula for burning fat and still building muscle mass at the same time.
Additional Benefits
Besides the plethora of amino acids in whey, you’ll also find many other nutrients. Some of these include beta-lactoglobulin, immunoglobulins, and alpha-lactalbumin.
Whey protein offers several additional health benefits besides just building muscle mass and strength. It can reduce your blood pressure, depression, stress, and blood sugar.
Cysteine is an amino acid in whey which facilitates several of these other health benefits. This occurs because the primary antioxidant, glutathione, is increased in the cells of the body.
How Much Whey Protein Should You Take A Day?
It is recommended that you take 1 to 2 scoops of whey powder daily. The best time to take it is 15–60 minutes after your workout. This is known as the “anabolic window.” As with all the supplements, follow the instructions on the label for the proper serving amount.
Remember that if you already consume a lot of protein from food each day, you don’t really need to consume whey supplements. It won’t give you any more benefits.
Some people think that too much protein will increase your chances of developing osteoporosis or kidney damage.
However, many studies have disproven this myth by showing that protein does not affect the kidneys, and it actually reduces your risk of getting osteoporosis.
But if you’re suffering from medical issues concerning your liver or kidneys, you should talk to a doctor before consuming too much protein just to be on the safe side.
Excessive doses of whey protein may give you digestive problems, such as diarrhea, cramps, flatulence, nausea, and stomach pains. If you have an allergy to whey, then you shouldn’t consume it at all.
Whey hydrolysate or whey protein isolate is better for people who cannot handle whey concentrate. Either that or just consume foods that are rich in protein and forget about the supplements. Most people, don’t have a problem with digesting it.
My recommended one for easy digestion, that is also lactose-free, check it out here on Amazon>>>
Conclusion
Whey supplements make it easy and simple to increase your daily protein intake. It comes from a high-quality source that the body can absorb quite easily. Anyone looking to lose weight and build muscle should consider taking whey protein powder.
Read Also: Why Eating Plants Is Better For You Than Earing Meat
