Does Peanut Butter Cause Constipation?

And while I don’t personally experience constipation from eating peanut butter, it’s important to realize that some people do.

In this article I’ll explore why that might be.

Can Peanut Butter Cause Constipation?

Even the healthiest of foods aren’t perfect.

Veggies can cause diarrhea….greens powders can cause bloating.

There are a few potential reasons that peanut butter might cause similar types of GI distress.

Let’s take a look at these factors below.

Peanut butter doesn’t usually cause constipation.

In a small-but-vocal subset of users, however, it does.

Why?

An Undiagnosed Peanut Allergy

Peanut allergies are pretty common, particularly if we’re talking about low-grade, undiagnosed allergies here.

As a protein-rich, fiber-rich, anti-nutrient food, peanuts may be healthy…but they’re also quite allergenic!

Peanut allergy can slow down your body’s transit time, leading to inflammation and constipation.

Trans Fats/Additives

Be on the lookout for low-quality peanut butter that contains fully hydrogenated trans fat, partially hydrogenated fat, or other processed/rancid oils.

These oils can clog up just about anything they come into contact with — whether we’re talking about your arteries or digestive tract.

Poor Hydration

Peanut butter is high in both fiber and calories, which means you may need to pair your intake with a little more fluid than usual.

If you don’t make the effort to stay hydration you may very well experience mild constipation symptoms.

Some Benefits of Taking Peanut Butter

Before getting into other factors that may contribute to constipation, though, I want to take a brief look at some of peanut butter’s upsides.

It has a lot of them, after all!

Dietary Fiber

Peanut butter is incredibly high in both major types of fiber: insoluble fiber and soluble fiber.

These natural fibers assist with cardiovascular health, gut integrity, cholesterol levels, satiation, and much, much more.

If you can avoid going overboard, all this fiber also makes peanut butter a perfect diet food.

Essential Fats

Peanut butter is full of healthy fats that directly nourish your bones, tendons, skin, and hair.

While you shouldn’t go crazy with the peanut butter unless you balance it out with ample amounts of seafood, its omega-6 fats can fill a vital role in your overall way of eating.

Vitamin E

Peanut butter is a truly incredible source of the antioxidant vitamin E.

A mere two tablespoons of it contain 20% of your daily RDV.

Peanut butter’s vitamin E content is yet another reason it can be so good for your skin.

Protein

Last but not least, peanut butter is a great source of complete protein.

It might actually be one of the few complete proteins that keto dieters, vegans, and vegetarians can enjoy with impunity!

What If I Eat Too Much Peanut Butter?

Like creatine, peanut butter really only becomes a problem when you ingest way too much of it.

Some of the potential side effects include:

Stomach Aches and/or Pains

Peanut butter can cause stomach pain in rare instances.

This may be a result of an allergic reaction, or it might be indicative of mold contamination within the product you’re using.

If you encounter sharp, shooting abdominal pain after eating peanut butter, try:

• Throwing out your existing product and switch to a healthier and/or organic product. If that doesn’t work, try:
• Eating smaller portions of peanut butter (say no more than 2 tbsp per day). If that doesn’t work, try:
• Eliminating peanut butter from your diet entirely.

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Peanut butter can also trigger IBS signs and symptoms.

If you notice this, simply follow the same steps mentioned above.

You can also try bolstering your gut health with supplements like L-glutamine, glycine, or bone broth.

If you really don’t want to part with your beloved peanut butter, try swapping it out for other nut butters like almond butter or macadamia nut butter.

Colon Problems

A small body of research hints that peanut butter intake may accelerate colon cancer.

It’s unclear whether this link is causal or just correlative, you may want to abstain from peanut butter if you suspect colon problems. (Source)

Other Problems Unrelated to Peanut Allergy

Peanut butter has other potential pitfalls, too.

High in Omega-6 Fats

There’s a lot of fat in peanut butter.

As I explained above, its omega-6 fats are healthy in small quantities…but moderation is still key.

You wouldn’t want to down 5 tablespoons of peanut butter a day without balancing it out with some salmon or halibut.

Why not?

Because skewing your body’s omega 3:6 ratio in the wrong direction can be harmful.

Possibly High in Additives

Certain brands of peanut butter can also be high in additives.

In addition to the harmful oils I mentioned earlier certain products may contain harmful levels of sugar, preservatives, or ‘natural’ flavorings.

Very Calorie-Dense

Peanut butter is super energy-dense.

While that might make it helpful to hard-training athletes and people with naturally high metabolisms, eating too much peanut butter can easily sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Consider pairing peanut butter with less calorie-dense foods, like authentic sourdough bread, bananas, or celery, in order to strike the right balance.

Does Peanut Butter Cause Constipation? Summing Things Up

Does peanut butter cause constipation?

While it’s possible, there are usually underlying factors at play anytime one experiences constipation related to peanuts.

If it happens to you, follow the steps I outlined above. (And don’t rule out the possibility that other food sensitivities are acting as confounding variables — it might not actually be the peanut butter!)

Barring allergies, peanut butter can be a healthy part of virtually any diet. It’s all about finding the right product (and quantity) to meet your health and wellness goals.