If you are trying to lose weight or reduce your risk for heart disease, you might be monitoring your calories and fat while searching for ways to continue eating your favorite foods. Jif Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread may sound like a good option, but you should read the label carefully for calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar before making your decision about whether it is really a good alternative to Jif Regular Peanut Butter.
Overall Nutrition
The nutrition information is the same for Jif Reduced Fat Creamy and Reduced Fat Crunchy Peanut Butter Spread, and the serving size for both is 2 tbsp., or 36g. A serving of either of the Jif Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spreads has 190 calories, 15g carbohydrate, 1g dietary fiber and 4g sugars, including added sugars from corn syrup solids. Regular Peanut Butter also has 190 calories, but it has 7g total carbohydrates with 2g dietary fiber and 3g sugars. The Reduced Fat Peanut Butter has 8g protein, with some of it from soy, while the Regular Peanut Butter has 7g protein.
Fat
Jif Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread has 12g total fat, which is about 25 percent less fat than Jif Regular Peanut Butter, which has 16g per serving. The Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread has 2.5g saturated fat while the Regular has 3g saturated fat. The rest comes from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are the two kinds of fat that the 2005 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend emphasizing in your diet. Only foods from animal sources contain cholesterol -- plant foods, including Jif peanut butter, are cholesterol-free.
Minerals
According to the Linus Pauling Institute's Micronutrient Information Center, magnesium is a essential mineral for metabolism and electrolyte balance in your body. Natural sources of magnesium include fortified grains, bananas and nuts, including peanuts. For someone on a 2,000 calorie diet, each serving of Reduced Fat Jif Peanut Butter Spread has 15 percent of the recommended daily value (DV) of magnesium. It also has 4 percent DV of iron, 6 percent DV of zinc and 10 percent DV of copper.
B Vitamins
A serving of Reduced Fat Jif Peanut Butter has 25 percent DV for vitamin B3, also called niacin. According to the Micronutrient Information Center, food sources of niacin include poultry, meat, fish, fortified grains and legumes, including lentils and peanuts. The peanut butter has 6 percent of the recommended DV of vitamin B6 and of folic acid, a B vitamin essential for preventing birth defects. A key recommendation in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines is for women who may become pregnant to be particularly careful to get adequate folic acid.
Sodium
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines state that most Americans should decrease sodium intake to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. A serving of this peanut butter has 250mg sodium, or 10 percent DV for sodium. The regular version has 150mg sodium.
References
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005
- Jif: Regular Peanut Butter
- Jif: Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread: Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread
- Oregon State University, Linus Pauling Institute: Magnesium
- Oregon State University, Linus Pauling Institute: Niacin
Member Comments