Two tablespoons of smooth peanut butter (minus salt) contain 7.1 grams of protein, 16.4 grams of fat (mostly healthy fats — monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids), and 1.6 grams of dietary fiber, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture. All of these ingredients are helpful when it comes to curbing your appetite.
Fiber pulls water into the food you eat and makes it bulkier. This can help you feel full for longer. Protein takes longer to digest than other nutrients, and this can contribute to how satiated you feel, too. The same can be said about fats. Thus, when you eat peanut butter every day, you might notice changes in how often you feel hungry and, ultimately, how much you eat.
Additionally, peanut butter also contains some amounts of vitamin B6. This vitamin, along with other B vitamins, can control your appetite too. Vitamin B6 helps maintain healthy thyroid function and regulates your hunger hormone. A 2013 Purdue University study found that consuming meals with peanuts or peanut butter curbed appetite better than eating lower-energy density meals like rice cakes in obese women with type 2 diabetes risk. Does this mean anyone who’s focused on weight loss or maintaining an ideal weight should focus largely on peanut butter?