Eating 1 tablespoon of jam or jelly with 1–2 slices of whole grain bread and peanut butter is good for weight loss. High-quality jams have less than 40 calories and up to 10 grams of fiber per serving!
Eat only high-quality, organic jams
Cheap jams and jellies are bad for weight loss. If you like eating jam, jelly or marmalade, at least prefer high-quality, organic products.
Sugar
Cheap jams can make you fat. They are packed with sugar. Too much sugar make you gain weight. Not only is sugar high in calories, but also, it makes you feel hungry all the time.
Fruit concentrations
Also, cheap jams and jellies have small concentrations of fruits. Thus, they aren’t nutritious foods. They contain negligible amounts of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. These compounds support weight loss, and help burn belly fat, as they’re involved in energy metabolism.
On the contrary, high-quality jams have 30-50% fruits, or more!
As a rule of thumb, prefer eating jams with the highest fruit concentrations and the lowest sugar content.
Jams with low-calorie sweeteners support weight loss
In fact, consuming common jams and jellies is bad for weight loss because they contain high amounts of low-quality, cheap sweeteners.
In many cases, jams are packed with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The overconsumption of HFCS not only increases the risk of obesity, but also may have severe adverse health outcomes compared to other caloric sweeteners.[1]
As corn syrup is pretty cheap, it’s found in many processed foods.
So, it’s important to prefer healthier jam and jelly products. There are jams with natural sweeteners which contain no calories.
For instance, the top 4 bestseller products on Amazon are jams and jellies with no added sugar. Natural, low-glycemic sugar substitutes, such as monk fruit or stevia are used, instead. This way, sugar-free jams and jellies taste great.
Most noteworthy, stevia and many other sweeteners have no calories! Thus, many sugar-free jams and jellies can help us lose weight. Especially if they’re eaten:
- instead of calorie-dense, sugar-rich jams.
- as part of a healthy, well-balanced, hypocaloric diet.
- in reasonable amounts.
Moreover, jams and jellies with berries are naturally low in sugar. Berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, are the fruits with the lowest sugar content. Cranberries in particular have negligible amounts of sugar.
Eat jam with peanut butter
Actually, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich per day, as part of a well-balanced diet, can be beneficial for weight loss.
1 tablespoon of peanut butter a day supports weight loss. It promotes satiety, as it’s high in fiber and protein. Hence, we can eat it as a healthy snack between meals.
Moreover, peanut butter is one of the few foods high in resveratrol. This polyphenol plays a key role in weight loss. It helps decrease Body Mass Index and waist circumference.
Berries are also great dietary sources of resveratrol. Thus, jams and jellies made of berries contain decent amounts of resveratrol.
Eat jams & jellies with other healthy spreads
Moreover, you could eat jams and jellies with other healthy spreads.
Tahini
For instance, you should try to eat a jelly sandwich with tahini. In fact, tahini is better than peanut butter for weight loss. Tahini is a super food. It has a superior nutritional value!
Almond butter
Also, you could eat jam, jelly or marmalade with almond butter. Although, almond butter has many calories, it’s beneficial for weight loss. Fiber and protein in almond butter keep us full for hours.
In addition, almond butter is packed with minerals, which are involved in fat metabolism, such as iron, calcium, and magnesium!
Cow’s butter
On the contrary, it’s healthier to avoid consuming jam and jelly with cow’s butter. It’s high in calories, while having a poor nutritional value.
Most noteworthy, cow’s butter is one of the richest foods in saturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat can raise LDL cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.[2]
On the other hand, you could enjoy jams with yogurt. Yogurt is one of the best foods you can eat for weight loss. It’s packed with nutrients that burn belly fat. It’s ideal for dinner.
Eat marmalade with foods high in minerals
Furthermore, you could eat a high-quality marmalade or jam made of citrus fruits as part of a well-balanced diet for weight loss.
Organic acids in orange and other citrus fruits are natural mineral enhancers! They increase bio-accessibility of important minerals, such as iron, calcium, and zinc.[3]
Thus, toasts with marmalade, peanut butter, tahini, or almond butter contribute to the daily calcium and iron intake!
Calcium
Tahini is the vegan food with the highest calcium content per serving. Bread, peanut and almond butter contain decent amounts of calcium as well.
Iron
In addition, peanut butter, almond butter, and tahini contain decent amounts of iron. Hence, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich contributes to the daily iron intake!
It’s important to consume healthy snacks high in iron. Actually, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide!
Eat reasonable amounts
Certainly, you should be very cautious with portion sizes of jams if you want to lose weight. Most jams, jellies, and marmalades have many calories per serving. Just a tablespoon of a common sugar-rich jam has about 40 calories!
In fact, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich has almost 300 calories:
- 2 slices of bread have approximately 150 calories.
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter has about 95 calories.
- 1 tablespoon of jelly has about 40 calories.
Therefore, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich per day, as part of a healthy, hypocaloric diet is good for weight loss.
However, two or more can make most people gain weight. Only active people and athletes can eat more than one peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a day without gaining weight, as they have high energy needs.
How to eat jelly sandwiches for weight loss?
It’s vital to follow a diet high in fiber. High fiber intake decreases the risk of developing obesity. Fiber gives us a feeling of fullness for a long time.[4]
But, most common peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have low amounts of fiber. White bread and common jams are poor sources of fiber.
However, you can boost the fiber content of your favorite snack by consuming whole grain bread. Whole grain bread has substantially more fiber than white bread.
Furthermore, there are premium jams high in fiber. For instance, this keto strawberry jam has 10 grams of fiber per serving!
Always check the nutrition facts label of jams and jellies. Unfortunately, most jams contain negligible amounts of fiber.
In fact, just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can have up to 15 grams of fiber! This amount is 53% of the recommended daily intake:
- 2 slices of brown bread have approximately 4 grams of fiber.
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or tahini has about 1 gram of fiber.
- 1 tablespoon of jelly has up to 10 grams of fiber!
Eat jam & jelly with seeds, nuts & whole fruits
Moreover, you could eat a toast with jam, jelly, or marmalade with seeds and nuts. Seeds and nuts are among the most nutritious foods. They’re high in fiber, protein, minerals, and even omega-3s!
Also, you could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a whole fruit. This meal could keep you full for many hours! Fruits are beneficial for weight loss. Water and fiber in fruits promotes satiety with only a few calories.
On the other hand, you should avoid consuming fruit juices or dried fruits with jam. You’ll get way too much sugar and calories!
What’s the best time to eat jam & jelly for weight loss?
Eating a healthy snack with brown bread, jam, jelly, or marmalade between meals is good for weight loss. It helps avoid overeating, as it regulates hunger!
Also, you could eat a PB&J sandwich before bed. It supports a good night’s sleep.