Peanut Butter Pow Bars

One of my favorite parts about winter runs, hikes, rides and skis is the SNACKS. There are so many things you can bring with you more easily in the winter than you can in the summer, and these Peanut Butter Pow Bars are one of them.

Part energy bar, part candy bar, these crunchy, protein-packed bars are perfect for winter….for more reasons than one. I love taking chocolate with me as a training snack, but obviously that doesn’t really work very well in the summer months without some serious creativity and determination. But bars like this – set with chocolate- perform beautifully in cold weather where there’s no threat of melting. There’s another reason these bars fit in well in the cold; the peanut butter. It turns out that peanut butter is one of those common substances that Ayurveda recommends using with caution, and while there are definitely reasons to consider drizzling it all over your oatmeal, in your sammies, and eating it by the spoon all year round, there are some definitive reasons that peanut butter is a power food for winter. Read on!

Did you know peanuts…

Are also called groundnuts because they grow underground! And, they’re not “nuts” they’re legumes, and closely related to beans, soy and lentils (an Ayurvedic staple.) They’re an exceptional source of protein and fats, and they’re so tremendously popular because they were inexpensive sources of dense nutrition during the agricultural revolution.

Peanuts are harvested in the fall and left to dry out in “drying wagons” after harvest, which sometimes causes problems with the crops. The wagons aren’t always ventilated well, and often mold and fungus can grow. In fact, it’s estimated that some of the reason peanuts are so allergenic is related to their proximity to this and other fungi during their brief lives underground (rather than because of the properties of peanuts themselves.)

What does Ayurveda say about peanuts?

While they’re a tremendously nourishing food, peanuts have a complicated set of gunas or qualities that comprise them; they’re warming, oily, drying and therefore are quite aggravating to those with pitta constitutions (ahem, most athletes!) Because of these qualities, Ayurveda suggests that peanuts are aggravating for the liver, that they’re difficult to digest, and that they can increase anxiety – something that most nut butters don’t do. Suffice to say, we’re smart to think about when and how we use peanut butter…instead of slathering it, drizzling and spooning it all over everything!

If you’re a pitta constitution and you eat peanut butter all year round, you may find that your body feels heavy and lethargic, as well as inflamed in the winter. If this is you, keep reading!

A smarter PBJ

In the same breath, Ayurveda reminds us that ALL SUBSTANCES are both medicine and poison, and that the way that we use them is all the difference. So how do we use peanut butter smartly? The answer is not year-round. Generally speaking, peanuts are best suited to balancing the qualities of the fall and winter months, and this is when we’ll find they are the most beneficial for us.

For those with pitta constitutions (again, many athletes) we’ll likely be well served by avoiding peanuts and other oily nuts through the warm summer months, but can often reintroduce them in the fall and winter when the environmental pitta has diminished. This is appropriate because during the fall and winter our bodies will need a little extra boost of warmth, and oily nuts – like peanuts – can help to provide it!

Peanuts are also a tremendously nutrient-dense food and appropriate for fall and winter consumption as our bodies nutritional demands increase (to keep warm and also to recouperate after a full-on summer.) Metabolism increases in the winter and this is an excellent time to best process oily, heavy, nutritionally dense foods like peanut butter.

I personally find a lot of value in reducing my nut consumption in warm months, and increasing it with intention through the fall and winter, watching my body always for signs of inflammation, digestive distress and overheating.

Peanuts, get yer peanuts!

A few more reasons to enjoy peanuts when seasonally appropriate.

• Peanuts are one of the highest plant-based protein sources, offering 26g of protein per 100g.
• Because they’re so high in fat, protein and fiber AND because we most often eat them as peanut butter which is slow and sticky, this is a food that really “sticks with us,” for winter efforts.
• Peanuts and peanut butter are warming, which is a quality that can be very helpful for our bodies in the cold winter.
• Our bodies kick up metabolism to process heavier, more densely nutritious foods in the winter months to keep warm, and to regenerate and recover after a busy summer. Meeting this increased metabolic need with foods that satisfy, warm and nourish is a smart play.

And, a few occasions when reconsidering peanut butter is a good idea:

• If you’re a pitta constitution whom is already quite irritable, inflamed, or is prone to low liver function. Peanuts and peanut butter are only likely to exacerbate these qualities in your being.
• If you’re a vata constitution who suffers from gas and bloating, the drying qualities in peanuts will likely only make you feel more discomfort.