Peanut punch is a popular drink made and sold in the Caribbean, particularly Trinidad and Tobago, and includes milk, peanut butter, sugar and a wide variety of other optional ingredients. These ingredients may include fruit, like banana or berries, as well as granola, glucose powder and condensed milk or coconut milk. Since peanut punch is rather high in fat due to the milk and peanut butter, and since dietary fats are suggested to influence sex hormones to some degree, it is often marketed as a natural aphrodisiac. Due to the high amount of protein and antioxidants in this popular beverage, it is also regarded as a health-promoting drink.
In the Caribbean islands, the popular beverage called peanut punch is often sold to locals and tourists at street corners, movie theaters and in shops. This popular drink combines peanut butter, milk or cream, and sugar blended together into a creamy consistency that resembles the consistency of a smoothie. Depending on the person who prepares peanut punch, there can be many variations on the overall flavor of the beverage by adding different ingredients such as spices like cinnamon or ginger. Other ingredients like granola, coconut milk instead of dairy milk or pure glucose instead of white sugar are popular ingredient additions.
Many retailers promote peanut punch as a health elixir, boasting its supposed health benefits in humans and animals based on its ingredients. Dietary fat, specifically monounsaturated fat found in peanut butter, can influence hormone levels, especially the male sex hormone called testosterone. Since this peanut butter beverage is quite high in fat, mainly from the peanut butter and dairy, many retailers often promote it as an aphrodisiac. This beverage also contains a high amount of antioxidants, from the peanut butter to the spices, and is often promoted as a beauty-promoting drink as well.
The protein content in peanut punch is quite high, making it a popular beverage in the Caribbean islands among muscle builders and dieters wishing to lose weight. Many nutritionists point at the sugar content, however, agreeing on the most part that it would be a poor substitute for real food for promoting health. Despite the sugar content, peanut punch is often regarded as a healthy, tasty beverage by the local inhabitants, mainly due to the amount of antioxidants and protein. Many individuals desiring a healthier version of this drink can make it at home, using a natural sugar substitute to decrease the amount of overall sugar in each serving.