Peanut butter and similar foods are very calorie dense. You may want to use a teaspoon rather than a tablespoon to make it easier to measure portions.
Every day we see claims for super foods and “healthy options,” but foods that are healthful can still be eaten to excess. This isn’t a moral thing – just part of moderation.
As a practical matter, it is more difficult to out-eat your calorie needs with lean protein and fiber-rich foods, because they tend to leave you feeling satisfied and full with fewer calories. (That’s why people say “I cut out sugar and didn’t even have to count calories.”) But even the most “virtuous” foods can be prepared with enough fats, in particular, to make the calorie count skyrocket.
When dishing out nut butters, the serving size may say “tablespoons,” but tableware is rarely exactly the same size as measuring spoons, and you can easily stack a tablespoon (or much more!) of peanut butter on a teaspoon. Doubling your serving of broccoli won’t make much difference; doubling your serving of nuts or nut butters (which looks small to start with) adds hundreds of calories. It’s also a big help to use a scale to measure calorie-dense foods, instead of just spoons and cups. Be careful out there!
Photo by Alex Viada of Complete Human Performance.