My Endo told me that peanut butter is bad for diabetics. I stopped eating it for awhile. I also made other changes in tandem, and my numbers got better.
But I love pb! So I’m eating it again.
What are your thoughts/ experiences?
Also, does pb raise your blood sugar about 2-3 hours after eating? Mine seems to do that.
1 Like
yes it raises bg’s. Yes I eat it. if you are on insulin, just count the carbs and bolus according to your I:C ratio and forget about the doc. 
If his characterization of it was “bad” I question his bedside manner, at the least.
5 Likes
I have a little peanut butter most days – doesn’t move my BG much…
Peanut butter is my go to snack. I literally eat it every day. It is like anything else, you figure out how it works and adjust accordingly.
Your doctor is right however, if he is talking about brand-name peanut butters. For the life of me, I do not understand why they can call it peanut better when the same type of product is called “cheese food product”. All of them should be avoided.
When you read the ingredients on the jar, if you are actually buying peanut butter there will be no more than two ingredients. Obviously it will contain peanuts. It may also contain salt if you prefer. If it contains anything else, well, what is it actually.
3 Likes
Life without peanut butter is not much of a life lol I just make sure to stay away from the sugary “Peter Pan” type peanut butter and get the fresh ground stuff at the local health food store. That’s the best kind in my opinion. I never have counted carbs for peanut butter and as far as I can tell it has never made a difference. If you eat half a jar the fats will probably get your blood sugar rising, but I would in no way consider it “bad for diabetics.” A spoonful is a great way to stave off unnecessary snacking in between meals!
5 Likes
I really like creamy. The in-store grinders don’t quite get there. I used to buy “organic peanut butter” at Trader Joe’s. The last time I bought it there I believe I paid $2.79 for 16 ounce jar. I found the exact same product with a different label as a Kroger house brand. The regular price is something like $1.60 it goes on sale somewhat frequently at around $1.25. Best ever was buy one get one. It comes both salted and unsalted, chunky and creamy. Take your pick and grab a spoon.
3 Likes
It is best to get a brand of peanut butter that has no additives, no fat, no salt and nothing else. Can be hard to achieve unless you have a health food shop near you wlth a grinder machine. It is the additives that can cause the problems.
Did your endo explain why it’s not a good choice? My son is allergic to peanut butter, so eats soy bean butter in its place. I’m not sure if that’s a healthier choice - perhaps less sugar?
Doctors are notorious for their ignorance about food. Unless your doctor adds some facts to persuade you otherwise, I would not be afraid of eating peanut butter. As others have noted, I would avoid the products that contain anything more than peanuts and salt.
More importantly, I would take measures to avoid overeating peanut butter, something that is very easy to do! Try to limit your portion to the standard serving size of two tablespoons or 32 grams. Don’t eat out of the jar – something I’ve been known to do! If you do want more than two tablespoons, measure it out and dose for it.
If your glucose is rising 2-3 hours after eating then you may need to dose insulin for the protein and fat in it. Two tablespoons contain 6 grams of carbs, 8 grams protein, and 16 grams of fat. Before I started on an automated insulin dosing system, I used to take a unit or two of insulin delivered in an extended fashion over a few hours via my pump. A little trial and error could help you identify the best dose for you. If you don’t use a pump, a second small peanut butter bolus could be taken, say an hour after eating to cover the out hours.
Overall, I find peanut butter to have a stabilizing effect on my blood glucose. I think the high fat content helps to slow down nutritional absorption for even the pancreaticly-challenged to keep their blood glucose from spiking.
5 Likes
I find I have to spread bolus over as much as 2 hours. I often bolus fewer carbs than is in pb.
Peanut butter isn’t poison. If you know the carbs in it you can bolus for it if you are on insulin. If you are a type 2 not on insulin that’s another story
1 Like
Peanut butter and peanuts always seem to spike me. I love them so it’s unfortunate that I’ve cut them out of my diet. I don’t know maybe I should just try bolusing a little more but then if I do that I will usually crash and then spike later.
Is it really worth all this to eat two tablespoons of peanut butter though? I find when I do extended bolus it causes problems. Lately I increase basal more instead of corrections but I can also crash at some point from it all.
Well, I accept that it’s not for everyone. For me, I can dependably dose insulin for peanut butter and the glucose response is acceptable. I wish I could but can’t say the same thing for cold cereal with milk, pizza, and Chinese food. I’ve written these foods off as “not worth the trouble.” The same thing goes for a tub full of buttered popcorn at the movies or a mound of mashed potatoes on my plate for a holiday meal.
What influenced you to start using basal insulin instead of a bolus correction? That’s a little like what the automated insulin dosing pumps do.
2 Likes
If I want to “spike and crash” all I have to do is eat jam instead of PB on my morning toast. LOL!
My Kroger Creamy says Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Molasses, Vegy Oils & Salt. 8 gram carbs in 2 tablespoons. Is this the same one? Used to eat more PB&J than lunch-meat for lunch. Slowed down for no particular reason but will NOT avoid it.
I can easily make trouble for myself with peanuts or plain peanut butter or almost any kind of nuts, because I neither measure nor know when to stop. The fat slows the carbs, but they keep coming for hours. If I’m smart, I spread pb on a couple of slices of cheddar, and that limits how much trouble I’ll make.
1 Like
The Smuckers Natural Creamy Peanut Butter 6 carbs for 2 Tablespoons. I don’t think that is too bad.
Yep. I can’t eat any of those either. I did try a very expensive grain and gluten-free pizza from whole foods three or four months ago but it made me drop and then I ended up spiking maybe from treating the drop so even though it tasted good it wasn’t really worth the hassle. I could only eat a tiny piece of it so really what is the point of that.
I’m also gluten and grain free now. No potatoes etc either. Lots of other stuff too. Nothing us really worth it if causes problems. I’m not sure why I did that and why works better for me. I started doing that not long after I started on the pump. I have to be careful because it can cause lows but it definitely seems to stop my spikes and shutting off the basil there was nothing like that for low. Or even just one my blood sugar is dropping.
I started doing that not long after I started on the pump. I have to be careful because it can cause lows but it definitely seems to stop my spikes and shutting off the basal is the best for lows. Or even just when my blood sugar is dropping a bit to straighten it out.
Extended boluses are more rigid while basal can be changed whenever you want to. Sometimes of course it does not work who knows why.
there are other things going on maybe I had a couple of days where my bg kept going back up to like 160 no matter what I did. So I changed out my entire cartridge, inset and insulin etc. I did an injection also but it took another few hours to get back to normal.
OMG overeating peanut butter is the only way to go. I am the only one in the family who loves peanut butter, so yes I eat it right out of the jar. I love peanut butter. I can sit in front of the tv with the jar in my lap and I go to town. But like you, I have learned how to handle it. And yes extended bolus works well. It helps avoid those late night blood sugar climbs. But peanut butter I think is one of the best foods out there.And for many the fact that it has staying power makes it a good addition when fighting a low. Yeah Peanut Butter!
I wonder if there is a peanut butter day like there is for everything else (chocolate chip cookie day, butter croissant day etc) and if not there should be!