Food Friday - Crazy for peanut butter!
Peanut butter, who didn’t grow up with it? It is still one of the favourite spreads from our riders. In this Food Friday, we explain the nutritional value of peanut butter, relate it to cycling, and we finish off with two delicious peanut butter recipes.
Peanut butter was founded more than 120 years ago due to a surplus of peanuts. Over time it grew out to be one of the most consumed spreads across the world, but is it as healthy as we believe it to be?
The answer in short: peanut butter is nutritious, because it contains essential nutrients for everyone’s well-being, whether you are a cyclist or loyal fan. The nutritional value of peanut butter can be compared with that of both legumes and nuts. Officially, peanuts are a legume, just as beans and chickpeas. Legumes are high in protein and fibers, and so is peanut butter. But peanuts have a high amount of (unsaturated) fat as well, just as nuts (which is the reason why some people believe peanuts to be a type of nuts rather than a legume).
"Peanut butter is nutritious"
Some research shows that the consumption of too much peanuts might irritate the intestines, due to the fibers and/or specific nutrients (e.g. lectins). All not too pleasant while riding. However, our riders only consume small doses of (100%) peanut butter, using it as a spread. The main advantage of peanut butter is the nice flavor it can give to a dish. The essential nutrients are provided to our riders through the complete meal, not a single ingredient.
Peanut butter does contain essential nutrients, making it a perfect flavor-adding ingredient. Are you an active cyclist yourself? Try the breakfast recipe or protein recovery shake below!
Recipe 1: Oatmeal with apple and peanut butter
Ingredients (4 persons):
- 2 apples
- 160 grams oatmeal
- 400 ml semi-skimmed milk
- 500 ml water
- 4 table spoons raisins
- 4 table spoons Calvé peanut butter
- 4 table spoons unsalted peanuts, chopped
- Cinnamon
- 100 grams blueberries
Preparation:
- Clean the apples, remove the core and chop the apples.
- Pour the oatmeal into a pan, together with the apple, raisins, milk and water, and bring it to boil. Once boiling, keep it on the stove for one more minute.
- Divide the oatmeal over four bowls. Add the peanut butter and cinnamon, topping off with the blueberries and unsalted peanuts.
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Recipe 2: Spinach-peanut protein shake
Ingredients (2 shakes):
- ½ cucumber
- 1 avocado
- 3 cm fresh ginger root
- 100 grams spinach
- ½ lemon
- 5 table spoons Calvé peanut butter
- 250 ml Greek yogurt (0% fat)
- 75 ml semi-skimmed milk
Preparation:
- Clean and chop the cucumber. Leave two pieces aside, and puree the rest of the cucumber with a (hand)blender.
- Chop the avocado (without the core and skin). Chop the ginger root (without the skin). Clean and drain the spinach.
- Leave two pieces of avocado aside, and puree the rest of the avocado in a blender, together with the ginger root, spinach, lemon juice, peanut butter, milk and yogurt.
- Put the pieces of avocado and cucumber onto two (bamboo) skewers.
- Divide the shake over two glasses and put the skewers on top.
