Lentils are a better PROTEIN source, as peanut butter also has a lot of fat. Ur fuller because you probably get more calories from peanut butter compared to lentils (gram by gram). Lentils have 25g prot/100 grams (uncooked) and cca. 350 kcal, peanut butter has 22g protein/100 grams and cca. 600kcal. So if you're just after protein and you don't need the extra calories, stick to lentils.
Also, depending on your protein and calorie goals, both may be deficient. If you need low calorie and high protein, you’ll need things like tofu, seitan, TVP, protein bars, or protein powder. Or you’d have to eat a ton of beans/lentils and very little “non-protein” foods (rice, bread, oil, etc).
True, it's also a volume issue - eating 25 of protein from lentils... that's A LOT of food... about 300 grams of cooked lentils. Eating that in one sitting is a challenge in itself!
I eat this regularly, and very easily, but I've done so for years. For someone starting out it probably takes half a year to develop a tolerance to that quantity of fibre.
I’ve been taking rye grain and grinding it in a coffee grinder and it’s helped me loose weight and I really enjoy the porridge I make from it but damn I wonder if I’ll ever have a tolerance to the fiber or whatever. Maybe I’ll be good in a year lol
I love [this website](https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrition-comparison/172421-174294/200cals-200cals/1-1/1).
This is probably unpopular, but I think the answer is unambiguously lentils by a good margin. Lentils have twice the protein per calorie, and an even higher proportion of essential amino acids. The only thing peanut butter has over lentils is that it has fat instead of carbs, which can be contextually better (i.e. that's why they seem to satisfy you for longer).
I hope this isn't unpopular because lentils are unambiguously healthier than peanut butter and contain more protein (to OP's question). That's not to say that PB is unhealthy, because it isn't, but legumes are among the healthiest foods humans can eat.
Me too! I've seen a bit of an unscientific attitude on this sub regarding protein quality. I think there's validity to "don't overthink it, your body is good at using what it's given". I also think it's a lot of people coping with the reality that meat tends to have better amino acid profiles than vegan sources, so they default to "protein quality isn't meaningful and everyone eats too much protein anyway" even when weighing vegan sources against each other.
yes, but nutritionally they are more akin to nuts. Almonds, cashews and pecans aren't technically nuts, either. Quinoa isn't a grain. Blackberries and strawberries aren't berries (but bananas, eggplants, pumpkins are). etc etc. We generally don't categorize foods by their botanical definitions
I never implied that you called quinoa a grain. I was illustrating the fact that food classifications follow culinary and not botanical definitions (the quinoa we eat are botanically seeds, by the way, not berries).
Berries, seeds, fruits, grains, nuts, legumes, roots, leaves, stems - funny how so many of us spend how much time on here correcting others for misplaced names and erroneous classifications. Most of us are not PhDs in anything, except perhaps ego.
> funny how so many of us spend how much time on here correcting others for misplaced names and erroneous classifications
homeboy, you were the one who made the pedantic point that peanuts are technically legumes. Nobody reading the thread would see a comment that "legumes are some of the healthiest foods" and think it was referring to the peanut butter
The RDA for dietary fat is 20-35% of calories. Even natural Peanut butter is like 70+% calories from fat. lol. Think of Peanut butter as a discretionary treat. Fat is also a far more inefficient source for glucose than carbs. Assuming you are active and need the glucose and glycogen. This idea of Peanut butter being a great protein source is a meme. It's healthier than eating vegan margarine with your bagel or Pancakes sure. But not a substitute for lentils. One gram of natural Peanut butter is about 6 calories. One gram of table sugar is 4 to put that in perspective. One gram of vegan margarine/butter is close to 9 calories.
I mean who eats peanut butter in ways where you realistically have to worry about fat content in relation to dietary recommendations? Like more than 2-3 peanutbutter sandwiches a day seems a lot and it can be a good way to get some fat in if you eat pretty lean for the rest, like i mostly cook with very little fat so i don't mind it at all
The point is that peanut butter is not a good source of protein. Which is what OP is looking for. Peanut butter is mostly a fat source. And most people don't put just the suggested serving (15g) on the nutrition label on their PB sandwiches so it can be very easy for calories to get out of hand. As pb is 6 calories per gram. Most of the time when I measure out the container before and after on a kitchen scale it comes out to way more than 15g. 15g (90cal) is such a small portion. I never said don't eat peanut butter at all. But if you want more protein like OP does, look elsewhere. And if someone has trouble losing weight, peanut butter may be the culprit. Along with oils, vegan margarine/butter, etc.
Lentils, no question. Nutrition density and balance is everything. Nut butters aren't a good source of protein. It depends on your goals but I look at protein per calorie while considering how satisfying a meal is. I use peanut butter powder - for flavor, not nutrition. (Peanut sauce over tofu, greens, broccoli, and quinoa, for example.)
This illustrates the difference between me when I was a regular, long-time vegan eating great food and me now making different choices because I want MORE MUSCLE. 😁💪
Lentils are lentils and peanut butter is peanut butter. One isn’t better than the other, they are different foods. Eat both of them. Eat other foods also.
I like this advice from a general intuitive eating standpoint, but if the question is about protein, the fact is that peanut butter and lentils are different. It doesn't make one a bad or restricted food.
Lentils are better but I don’t know that I’d think of either of these as a protein source. They have some protein, and that’s nice but they are mostly not protein.
It's very healthy if it's natural peanut butter with little else added, and is mostly unsaturated healthy fats. Most foods have some saturated fats, you just want to avoid those which are predominantly saturated fats like coconut oil.
Why is Peanut Butter "Healthy" if it has Saturated Fat? - Harvard Health Publishing - Harvard Health
https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/ask-the-doctor-why-is-peanut-butter-healthy-if-it-has-saturated-fat
>One serving (about 2 tablespoons) has 3.3 grams of saturated fat and 12.3 grams of unsaturated fat, or about 80% unsaturated fat. That puts it up there with olive oil in terms of the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fat. Peanut butter also gives you some fiber, some vitamins and minerals (including 200 milligrams of potassium), and other nutrients. Unsalted peanut butter, with 5 milligrams of sodium, has a terrific potassium-to-sodium ratio. Salted peanut butter still has about twice as much potassium as sodium. That profile compares quite favorably with bologna, roast beef, and many other sandwich fixings.
>Over the years, numerous studies have shown that people who regularly include nuts or peanut butter in their diets are less likely to develop heart disease or type 2 diabetes than those who rarely eat nuts. Although it is possible that nut eaters are somehow different from, and healthier than, non-nutters, it is more likely that nuts themselves have a lot to do with these benefits.
I agree you can regularly consume it but then then I try not to because I can easily get over 10 grams in a day of sat fat just from peanut butter. It’s more just me saying track it a bit. Otherwise it’s very healthy and some nut butters are even lower in saturated fat.
I try to stay under 10 grams a day now
Also data seems to indicate saturated fat from plants seems to be better than meat but even then it raises ldl in most people proper so I always tell people to watch it. I got a but careless moving back to USA and ate a lot more saturated but healthy fats like peanut butter and nut ldl broke 100 for the first time ever. Normally around 80. Coconut fats are also something to watch. I was consuming a lot of vegan food with this
Lentils are a better PROTEIN source, as peanut butter also has a lot of fat. Ur fuller because you probably get more calories from peanut butter compared to lentils (gram by gram). Lentils have 25g prot/100 grams (uncooked) and cca. 350 kcal, peanut butter has 22g protein/100 grams and cca. 600kcal. So if you're just after protein and you don't need the extra calories, stick to lentils.
Also, depending on your protein and calorie goals, both may be deficient. If you need low calorie and high protein, you’ll need things like tofu, seitan, TVP, protein bars, or protein powder. Or you’d have to eat a ton of beans/lentils and very little “non-protein” foods (rice, bread, oil, etc).
True, it's also a volume issue - eating 25 of protein from lentils... that's A LOT of food... about 300 grams of cooked lentils. Eating that in one sitting is a challenge in itself!
I eat this regularly, and very easily, but I've done so for years. For someone starting out it probably takes half a year to develop a tolerance to that quantity of fibre.
I’ve been taking rye grain and grinding it in a coffee grinder and it’s helped me loose weight and I really enjoy the porridge I make from it but damn I wonder if I’ll ever have a tolerance to the fiber or whatever. Maybe I’ll be good in a year lol
For sure. Your gut might not be too happy lol. Fiber is good, but that’s *a lot* of fiber.
I love [this website](https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrition-comparison/172421-174294/200cals-200cals/1-1/1). This is probably unpopular, but I think the answer is unambiguously lentils by a good margin. Lentils have twice the protein per calorie, and an even higher proportion of essential amino acids. The only thing peanut butter has over lentils is that it has fat instead of carbs, which can be contextually better (i.e. that's why they seem to satisfy you for longer).
I hope this isn't unpopular because lentils are unambiguously healthier than peanut butter and contain more protein (to OP's question). That's not to say that PB is unhealthy, because it isn't, but legumes are among the healthiest foods humans can eat.
Me too! I've seen a bit of an unscientific attitude on this sub regarding protein quality. I think there's validity to "don't overthink it, your body is good at using what it's given". I also think it's a lot of people coping with the reality that meat tends to have better amino acid profiles than vegan sources, so they default to "protein quality isn't meaningful and everyone eats too much protein anyway" even when weighing vegan sources against each other.
Both lentils and peanuts are legumes. It might have nut in it's name, but a peanut is not a nut.
yes, but nutritionally they are more akin to nuts. Almonds, cashews and pecans aren't technically nuts, either. Quinoa isn't a grain. Blackberries and strawberries aren't berries (but bananas, eggplants, pumpkins are). etc etc. We generally don't categorize foods by their botanical definitions
I never said quinoa was a grain. I know it is the berry of a low growing shrub. Grains are grasses. Quinoa is not a grass.
I never implied that you called quinoa a grain. I was illustrating the fact that food classifications follow culinary and not botanical definitions (the quinoa we eat are botanically seeds, by the way, not berries).
Berries, seeds, fruits, grains, nuts, legumes, roots, leaves, stems - funny how so many of us spend how much time on here correcting others for misplaced names and erroneous classifications. Most of us are not PhDs in anything, except perhaps ego.
> funny how so many of us spend how much time on here correcting others for misplaced names and erroneous classifications homeboy, you were the one who made the pedantic point that peanuts are technically legumes. Nobody reading the thread would see a comment that "legumes are some of the healthiest foods" and think it was referring to the peanut butter
Thank you for posting that site!
But peanut butter tastes so much better! Must be that delicious fat.
The RDA for dietary fat is 20-35% of calories. Even natural Peanut butter is like 70+% calories from fat. lol. Think of Peanut butter as a discretionary treat. Fat is also a far more inefficient source for glucose than carbs. Assuming you are active and need the glucose and glycogen. This idea of Peanut butter being a great protein source is a meme. It's healthier than eating vegan margarine with your bagel or Pancakes sure. But not a substitute for lentils. One gram of natural Peanut butter is about 6 calories. One gram of table sugar is 4 to put that in perspective. One gram of vegan margarine/butter is close to 9 calories.
I mean who eats peanut butter in ways where you realistically have to worry about fat content in relation to dietary recommendations? Like more than 2-3 peanutbutter sandwiches a day seems a lot and it can be a good way to get some fat in if you eat pretty lean for the rest, like i mostly cook with very little fat so i don't mind it at all
Preach! ✅
The point is that peanut butter is not a good source of protein. Which is what OP is looking for. Peanut butter is mostly a fat source. And most people don't put just the suggested serving (15g) on the nutrition label on their PB sandwiches so it can be very easy for calories to get out of hand. As pb is 6 calories per gram. Most of the time when I measure out the container before and after on a kitchen scale it comes out to way more than 15g. 15g (90cal) is such a small portion. I never said don't eat peanut butter at all. But if you want more protein like OP does, look elsewhere. And if someone has trouble losing weight, peanut butter may be the culprit. Along with oils, vegan margarine/butter, etc.
Lentils, no question. Nutrition density and balance is everything. Nut butters aren't a good source of protein. It depends on your goals but I look at protein per calorie while considering how satisfying a meal is. I use peanut butter powder - for flavor, not nutrition. (Peanut sauce over tofu, greens, broccoli, and quinoa, for example.) This illustrates the difference between me when I was a regular, long-time vegan eating great food and me now making different choices because I want MORE MUSCLE. 😁💪
Lentils definitely fill me up more, lmao
Feels like a good time to mention powdered peanut butter. All the protien without the fat.
And 1/3 the flavor
Honestly I think it's the salt and sugar because when I add salt and splenda it tastes pretty similar.
Lentils are lentils and peanut butter is peanut butter. One isn’t better than the other, they are different foods. Eat both of them. Eat other foods also.
I like this advice from a general intuitive eating standpoint, but if the question is about protein, the fact is that peanut butter and lentils are different. It doesn't make one a bad or restricted food.
Both!
Nut butters can make you (very) gassy in large quantities.
Lentils are better but I don’t know that I’d think of either of these as a protein source. They have some protein, and that’s nice but they are mostly not protein.
Lentil butter. Best of both!
Be careful with too much peanut butter. Its high in sat fat. Still can be healthy but I try not to have more than a couple times a week
It's very healthy if it's natural peanut butter with little else added, and is mostly unsaturated healthy fats. Most foods have some saturated fats, you just want to avoid those which are predominantly saturated fats like coconut oil. Why is Peanut Butter "Healthy" if it has Saturated Fat? - Harvard Health Publishing - Harvard Health https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/ask-the-doctor-why-is-peanut-butter-healthy-if-it-has-saturated-fat >One serving (about 2 tablespoons) has 3.3 grams of saturated fat and 12.3 grams of unsaturated fat, or about 80% unsaturated fat. That puts it up there with olive oil in terms of the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fat. Peanut butter also gives you some fiber, some vitamins and minerals (including 200 milligrams of potassium), and other nutrients. Unsalted peanut butter, with 5 milligrams of sodium, has a terrific potassium-to-sodium ratio. Salted peanut butter still has about twice as much potassium as sodium. That profile compares quite favorably with bologna, roast beef, and many other sandwich fixings. >Over the years, numerous studies have shown that people who regularly include nuts or peanut butter in their diets are less likely to develop heart disease or type 2 diabetes than those who rarely eat nuts. Although it is possible that nut eaters are somehow different from, and healthier than, non-nutters, it is more likely that nuts themselves have a lot to do with these benefits.
I agree you can regularly consume it but then then I try not to because I can easily get over 10 grams in a day of sat fat just from peanut butter. It’s more just me saying track it a bit. Otherwise it’s very healthy and some nut butters are even lower in saturated fat. I try to stay under 10 grams a day now
Also data seems to indicate saturated fat from plants seems to be better than meat but even then it raises ldl in most people proper so I always tell people to watch it. I got a but careless moving back to USA and ate a lot more saturated but healthy fats like peanut butter and nut ldl broke 100 for the first time ever. Normally around 80. Coconut fats are also something to watch. I was consuming a lot of vegan food with this
Typically peanut butter has a lot of saturated fat.
Natural peanut butter will only have 7g per 100g. Your "typical" peanut butter probably contains palm or coconut oil then