Eating 5 tablespoons or more of peanut butter a week may help lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes in women, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Previous studies have confirmed that nuts including peanuts and peanut butter can play a role in the prevention of heart disease and obesity, and this study is the first to extend their influence to reducing risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Peanut butter is high in unsaturated fat, magnesium and dietary fibre which all have a beneficial effect on reducing diabetes and heart disease risk.
Foods high in saturated fat, in contrast, have been shown to increase risk.
So researchers from this latest study recommend that nuts and peanut butter replace some foods, such as refined carbohydrates and foods high in saturated fat as a useful way to reduce risk of diabetes, without increasing calorie intake.
This will help your blood glucose (ssugar) remain steady throughout the day, minimising potentially harmful highs and lows.
Foods that cause a rapid rise in blood glucose will have a high GI, so the key is to choose more foods with low GI's regularly.
Peanuts are an excellent food in diabetes, as part of a healthy diet, since they have a GI of only 14!
Fats are an essentil commponent ofthe diet, but too much of certain types can lead to a build up of fatty streaks in the arteries, which can reduce blood flow to the heart.
Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
Salt is the common name for Sodium Chloride and it is the sodium part of salt which is considered to be harmful if taken in excess.