The Amazing Peanut Butter Diet is a really well balanced diet that allows for the addition of peanut butter to the menu. The cholesterol-lowering effects of this sticky elixir receive praise in recent studies conducted at the University of Rochester, New York, and Pennsylvania State University.

Adding peanut butter to the daily menu lowered the total cholesterol level, yet, unlike the low-fat diet, it did not lower the level of HDL, the good cholesterol. The low-fat diet also increased triglyceride levels.

According to Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, “What’s important about these findings is that we have another food option beyond olive oil … peanuts, peanut butter, and peanut oil … to increase dietary monounsaturated fats. “She added that the additional option allows for variety and personal preference when planning a heart-healthy diet.

A sample menu for the Amazing Peanut Butter Diet displays a well-balanced food selection that creates not only nutritious menus but delicious options as well. Each day contains three delicious meals, a mid-afternoon snack, and an after-dinner treat.

Use this daily menu as a guide to some of the sumptuous meals in the Amazing Peanut Butter Diet.

Breakfast:

A scrambled egg with chopped green bell pepper and onion fried in a tablespoon of canola oil is the main dish for this breakfast. 2 clementine tangerines and half a whole wheat English muffin accompany the egg.

Lunch includes a summer favorite, the open-faced tomato and cheese sandwich. Simply toast a slice of whole wheat bread, top with a thick slice of tomato, and a slice of low-fat cheddar cheese to top it off. Grill on a broiler until the cheese is melted. Accompany this sandwich with a medium banana.

The mid-afternoon snack in this sample from the amazing peanut butter menu is a stalk of celery stuffed with two tablespoons of peanut butter. An easy way to measure two tablespoons of peanut butter is to compare the size to that of a golf ball. A tablespoon of that size is two tablespoons. You can substitute an apple for the
celery.

Dinner consists of the cooked equivalent of a cup of dry whole wheat macaroni. Top the macaroni with a low-fat pepper and mushroom sauce. Add 12 steamed shrimp and top the pasta dish with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. Make a salad of 2 cups of lettuce with a dressing of a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil.

The daily treat for this menu is 4 large dates stuffed with peanut butter. The menus for the Amazing Peanut Butter Diet vary widely. This menu is just a sample of many for the diet and contains all the necessary nutrients not only for heart health, but also for good nutrition in general.

The diet does not promise rapid weight loss, but a slow and steady loss of two pounds a month. Its purpose is to change bad eating patterns for healthy ones. If you add exercise to your diet,
the weight loss is much more dramatic.