Pecans: Friend or Foe?

It's no secret that I've gotten a little pudgy around the middle, but eating through your thrice-weekly hangovers will do that to you. While rooting around my parents' freezer the other day, I discovered my father's candy bar selection. (It's actually not that hard to find. It has completely taken over both shelves, and edged out my small container of flax seed, which now hides underneath the defunct ice maker. Depressing visual, I know.) My mother, who can hear the sound of a refrigerator door opening from two floors away, suddenly appears and says, "That's how I got fat." Now the woman is certainly not fat. For a while she was rocking a BMI (body mass index, a highly inaccurate measurement to determine if someone is a healthy weight) that put her in the "needs to be hospitalized within the week" zone. However, she's not as slim as last year.

So I thought about it... Could candy bars and my Seamlessweb addiction be responsible for our added girth? Certainly. But what about breakfast?

We eat Greek yogurt for breakfast. There's nothing wrong with the yogurt - it's the pecans we've been adding for a satisfying crunch. At 196 calories per ounce, and 20.5 grams of fat, we're basically begging for the bulge. An ounce of pecans is approximately 30 grams. Grab a small handful and toss them on a food scale, and you will easily reach 30 grams, if not more. I've been limiting myself to 10 grams lately, and I've got like six pecans topping my protein-packed treat.

Pecans are part of a nutritious diet. They are a good source of protein and unsaturated fats. Pecans are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, and have antioxidants and plant sterols that can reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Pecans are good for you, but only if you can recognize a serving size.

Verdict: FOE 

Better'n Peanut Butter: Friend or Foe?

12 Grain bread with Low Sodium Better'n Peanut Butter and banana slices

So apparently Better'n Peanut Butter put peanut butter on a low-fat diet (their slogan, not mine). My co-worker introduced me to the low sodium version of this diet nut butter at a recent meeting. I have to admit - I like it better than Skippy. If it came in crunchy, I'd drink it. As much as I love fresh grind almond butter, fresh grind peanut butter kind of skeeves me out and leaves me feeling more unsatisfied than waking up naked next to a super hot guy still fully clothed from the night before. Waste of time. 

Better'n Peanut Butter is damn tasty, but Jillian Michaels has burrowed into my brain and the first thing I thought of as I tasted this delicious treat while reviewing Grade 4 New York State math standards was, "How many chemicals in this crap are wrecking havoc on my metabolism and going to make me fat?!" However, this concern did not prevent me from purchasing Better'n Peanut Butter that weekend.

Click on the image to enlarge and read nutrition information.

Curious about the newest addition to my refrigerator, I went onto the website to do a little research.







Apparently it's "all-natural" and I can pronounce every ingredient on the label. Who knew?  It's still not as clean as fresh grind, but I think it's safe to eat instead of Skippy, Jiffy, et cetera.

As I gather more information, I will keep you informed.
Verdict: FRIEND