How Nutritious is a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich?

The peanut butter and jelly sandwich, also known as PB&J, is a staple of many kids' diets. Remember enjoying one with a cold glass of milk after school? maybe you still enjoy them - even as a grown up. This comfort food has been around for ages, but how nutritious is a PB&J?

Here's a look at the nutrition information for a sandwich made with two slices of white bread, two tablespoons of peanut butter, and two tablespoons of grape jelly:

• Fat: 18 grams
• Sodium: 500 milligrams
• Carbohydrates: 59 grams
• Protein: 12 grams
• Fiber: 3.0 grams
• Calories: 432

Here are the Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) of those nutrients for a person who normally consumes about 2,000 calories per day:

• Fat: 66 grams
• Sodium: 2,300 milligrams
• Carbohydrates: 250 grams
• Protein: 75 grams
• Fiber: 26 to 38 grams

Following these guidelines, one typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich would supply approximately:

• 27 percent of a day's fat
• 23 percent of a day's sodium
• 24 percent of a day's carbohydrates
• 16 percent of a day's protein
• 13 percent of a day's fiber
• 22 percent of a day's calories

Considering that a typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich is served as a snack, it has a lot of fat, sodium and calories.

Make a Healthier PB&J

You can make a healthier sandwich by reducing its size, using peanut butter with less fat and using fruit spread instead of jelly. You can also choose almond or cashew butter for an interesting twist.

First, start with one slice of 100-percent whole grain bread that has:

• 1.0 gram fat
• 132 milligrams sodium
• 12 grams carbohydrates
• 1.0 gram protein
• 2.0 grams fiber
• 70 calories

Add one tablespoon of strawberry spread (without sugar, just fruit and juice) for:

• No fat
• 10 grams carbohydrates
• 40 calories

Finish the sandwich with one tablespoon of reduced-fat peanut butter that has:

• 5.0 grams fat
• 86 milligrams sodium
• 3.0 grams carbohydrates
• 6.0 grams protein
• 1.0 gram fiber
• 83 calories

With this smaller sandwich, you have:

• 6 grams fat
• 220 milligrams sodium
• 25 grams carbohydrates
• 7 grams protein
• 3 grams fiber
• 193 calories

This peanut butter and jelly sandwich has fewer calories and less fat with the smaller portion size. But the sandwich maintains it's fiber count because the whole grain bread contains three grams of fiber.

_Sources:

_{Otten JJ, Hellwig JP, Meyers LD. "Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements." Institute of Medicine, 2006.}

_{United States Department of Agriculture. "United States Department of Agriculture, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 24." http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/list.}