Is peanut butter healthy or not?

Are saltine crackers, peanut butter, and jelly healthy?

• I took a saltine cracker and put peanut butter and jelly on top. Is this really fattening? Could it be considered a healthy snack? About how many calories are in it?

• Answer:

  It's not the worst snack you could eat, but it truly isn't the best. You could be sitting there popping doughnut holes or eating a pint of ice cream. Peanut butter is fattening any way you eat it (even the reduced fat kind has quite a bit of fat. It isn't reduced by THAT much.) It's good though because it's high in protein and contains some good fats your body needs to stay healthy. A 2 tablespoon serving (which would typically cover 6 crackers or so) is about 190 calories, 16 grams of fat. Jelly is kind of... empty. There's no fruit in it really, and it's just sugar. Unless you're using an all fruit spread, or sugar free jam, it isn't that great. A tablespoon serving has about 50 calories, and LOTS of sugar. Saltines are lower in calories. 6 crackers are about 70 calories. There's really not much to them nutritionally either, besides maybe if you're eating the whole grain ones. They taste pretty good if you're interested. So, one cracker with peanut butter and jelly is probably about 55 calories or more each one. Not too bad considering you're getting a protein and grain. I'd eat it for a light snack. Maybe 4 crackers or so. Hope this helps!