Do you love peanut butter?

Peanut butter cookies...my favorite kind! 

Source: pauladeen.com via Bethany on Pinterest

Today is National Peanut Butter Lovers' Day...and count me in!

I'm a devoted lover of this wondrous food. I always have to have a jar on hand (Skippy's Natural is my fave), and sometimes just a spoonful will satisfy a craving...but I love just about anything that's made with peanut butter, too. And sometimes just a good old PBJ hits the spot like nothing else.

via

And as long as you don't overindulge...or mix your PB with a ton of sugar...this is one food crush to feel good about.

Consider this:

It helps you lose weight

Calling peanut butter a diet food, with 180 to 210 calories per serving, may seem counter-intuitive. But it has the enviable combination of fiber (2 g per serving) and protein (8 g per serving) that fills you up and keeps you feeling full longer, so you eat less overall. Plus, there's nothing more indulgent than licking peanut butter off a spoon--and indulgence (in moderation) helps dieters fight cravings and stay on track.

It's packed with nutrition

A serving of peanut butter has 3 mg of the powerful antioxidant vitamin E, 49 mg of bone-building magnesium, 208 mg of muscle-friendly potassium, and 0.17 mg of immunity-boosting vitamin B6. Research shows that eating peanuts can decrease your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that consuming 1 ounce of nuts or peanut butter (about 2 tablespoons) at least 5 days a week can lower the risk of developing diabetes by almost 30%.

--From Prevention.com

via

So thank you very much, ancient Incas, George Washington Carver, and John Kellogg, who share kudos for grinding peanuts up into a wonderful paste!

Peanut butter is a food crush to celebrate!

Do you love peanut butter? Hate it? Got any favorite recipes involving PB? Let me know in my comments section! 

I'm participating today in Company Girl Coffee, hosted by Home Sanctuary: