Is My Peanut Butter Too High in Saturated Fat?

I just read the label on my peanut butter jar and found it has 1.5 grams of saturated fat in a 2 Tablespoon serving.  Is that really bad?     Gary L.

Dear Gary,

No, I don't think it's really bad.  I actually think it could be a better substitute for what a person may be eating it in place of: substituting this for bacon and eggs on your toast at breakfast, making a sandwich with it for lunch instead of a few ounces of high-fat cheese spread, or having some for a snack instead of a candy bar--it is a better option than many other choices, and there are many foods that would be considered "worse" on a good-to-bad food scale.

But mostly I think there are no "bad" foods--only bad diets.  You need to consider how much peanut butter you consume as a serving, and how often you eat it.  Whether or not you are otherwise healthy or perhaps have a high cholesterol level and need to be limiting your saturated fats. 

There are levels of eating "better" foods and limiting foods that have more fat and calories than nutrition.  There is the issue of including balance in your diet and limiting portion sizes to what is reasonable. There isn't really any one food that stands alone as "bad".

Oh, and of the three varieties of peanut butter that are in my pantry right now, they have between 2 and 3 grams of saturated fat per 2 Tablespoon serving--so your peanut butter actually appears among the better, saturated-fat-wise!