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Food for Thought
Power peanut butter; fiber and fat loss.
By Brett Hall, R.D.
Peanut butter comes of age
Not long ago research from Harvard School of Public Health demonstrated that adding 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to your daily diet may help you stick with a fat-loss diet plan more effectively, and maintain your weight loss longer. This was good news for those of us who are peanut butter addicts (myself included), but who have deprived ourselves for so long because we thought it was fattening. And now this good news is getting even better. 
A brand new peanut butter product, which has literally just landed in select GNC stores, has taken peanut butter to a whole new level. Simply named Peanut Power Butter, this potent new peanut paste packs a powerful protein punch. Whereas normal peanut butter contains about 15 grams of protein per 2-ounce serving, Power Butter boasts an impressive 32 grams. And this isn’t just a low-quality plant protein of some kind, this is from pure pasteurized egg whites. Good stuff.
But the Power Butter folks didn’t stop there. They also found a way to both lower the overall fat content of the peanut butter and enhance the fatty acid profile. By first de-fatting natural peanut butter, then adding flax seed oil and whole roasted flax seeds back into the mix, they took the normal 75 percent of fat calories in peanut butter down to just 50 percent. And whereas normal peanut butter is almost exclusively monounsaturated fat, Power Butter contains hefty doses of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids.
But does it taste good? Amazingly it does. Being a peanut butter addict for more than 30 years now, I count myself somewhat of a connoisseur of the paste of the peanut. And this, my friend, is good peanut butter.
So, if you’re looking to prop up your protein intake, increase your EFA consumption, or just want another good reason to eat peanut butter straight from the jar, try a bit of this pasty pooch. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. You can get more info or even order online at www.powerbutter.com.
Add fiber—lose weight!
Q: A friend of mine told me that adding fiber to my diet may help me lose weight. Is it true? If it is, how much fiber should I add and what kind?
A: Fiber is one of those words that calls to mind such things as "regularity" and Geritol™. Who would have thought that it would turn out to be one of the easiest, healthiest, cheapest and most effective fat-loss supplements ever? Not I. But that it is.
Your friend is absolutely right. The simple act of adding a solid dose of fiber to your daily diet can indeed help you healthfully and painlessly lose fat. There has actually been quite a bit of research done on this. Here is some of what that research shows:
- When consuming a fixed number of calories (like on a structured 1,500 calorie diet say) the addition of fiber to the diet:
- Increases post-meal satiety (feelings of fullness)
- Decreases subsequent hunger (you stay fuller longer)
- When caloric intake is not controlled (if you’re just eating normally), fiber added to the diet:
oDecreases self-selected food and calorie intake by an average of 18 percent.
oCauses an average weight loss of over 5 pounds in a 3.8-month period with no other dietary changes.
- In a review of multiple fiber studies it was found that on average "… weight loss was more than three times as great in individuals consuming diets both low in fat and high in fiber compared with diets only low in fat (-7.5 pounds versus -2.2 pounds)."
- In a study originally designed to assess the effects of fiber on blood lipids (like cholesterol) it was found that healthy, normal weight adults all spontaneously lost body fat without any other dietary alterations. Average fat loss over 11 weeks was 3.5 pounds. No muscle mass was lost. And subjects with the initially lowest level of body fat actually gained muscle (1.3 pounds) while they lost fat mass.
- Soluble fiber (pectin, in this study) also has been shown to decrease the absorption of both sugar and fat from the intestine.
There is no doubt that fiber is a formidable fat-fighting nutrient. But how much of what kind should you take?
First, there are two basic types of fiber—soluble and insoluble. They tend to act a bit differently in the gut, with insoluble fibers soaking up water, creating bulk and a sense of fullness that lasts; while soluble fibers do a bit more of the fat and sugar binding. But as far as fat loss goes, it appears that a mixture of the two is optimal. And it has also been recognized that the effects of fiber are not really affected by whether you get it from food or a supplement.
Great sources of insoluble fiber are things like wheat bran, psyllium husk and any other whole-grain foods and fibrous veggies. Soluble fibers can be found in abundance in all types of beans and fruits. A couple fiber supplements I would recommend, if you choose to go that route, are "Pro-Fiber" (soluble) and "Fiber-psyll" (insoluble).
The current fiber intake of the average American is 15 grams per day. The American Heart Association recommends 25 to 30 grams per day. Personally, for fat-loss purposes, I’d like to see you shoot for 40 grams a day. Include 5 to 10 grams with each meal. But only use a few grams with your pre-workout meal, or your stomach could get a bit disturbed. Make sure to drink plenty of water with your meals, and between, as you increase your fiber intake. It tends to soak up water and can cause some dehydration and "back up" issues with too little water intake.
Do supplements and breastfeeding mix?
Q: I stopped taking supplements while I was pregnant. Now I am breastfeeding my son and I would like to know if you think it would be safe to start taking some again.
A: For starters, I recommend the same supplement usage precautions be taken when you are breastfeeding as when you are pregnant. It is well-known that many of the nutrients you consume will pass through into your breast milk. So you still want to be careful about the types of supplements you choose to use. But there are some that are quite safe, which can help support both you and your baby’s health.
First, I base my assessment of what is safe to use and what is not by what is known about the nutrient’s overall safety profile. If any research shows that there is even the slightest chance of undesirable side effects with a supplement in adults, it is excluded immediately. Second, I look at what is known about the effects of the supplement nutrients on an infant. There are some that will have very differing effects in the developing physiology of a child versus an adult.
Using these criteria, vitually all herbal supplements are a no-no. There is simply not enough known about their effects on developing systems and too many with known side effects in adults.
Next, you should steer clear of all stimulant products like caffeine, green tea, etc. Due to their very water-soluble nature they will pass easily into breast milk. And the last thing you want is your son wired on caffeine in the wee hours of the morning.
The products I do comfortable recommending include:
- A multivitamin and mineral with very moderate levels of all nutrients in the formula. Avoid any with mega doses of B vitamins and/or any with herbal "support" nutrients.
- An Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) product. EFAs are quite innocuous in their biological actions, and they can offer great benefits. Finding an EFA product including DHA would be great. Good research shows that DHA helps support healthy development of the infant and fetal brain.
- A quality protein product. I would suggest sticking with a milk protein (such as casein or whey) or an egg protein, and avoiding too much soy. The phyto-hormonal effects of soy may interfere with the delicate hormonal balance in your body at this time.
As a final reminder, please make sure to check with your doctor to see if he or she has input as well. Take even the supplements listed above in cautious moderation. And see if there is any change in your baby’s behavior when you start taking them. Happy feeding!
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