Which peanut butter you must choose

Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
Mar 29, 2019
3 min read

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T EAT PEANUT BUTTER EVERYDAY AND CHOOSING A HEALTHY JAR

Peanut butter is a popular spreading rich in fat and protein.

It is important to learn different types of peanut butter along how to add them to be a part of healthy diet.

Peanut butter is simply made from roasted peanut with liquid. The texture and flavour are yet amazing.

Peanut butter may not contain added sugar but it may contains harmful hydrogenated trans-fat.

NOT ALL PEANUT BUTTERS ARE CREATED EQUAL

Considering peanut butter at shops they are not made from pure peanuts. Manufacturers often add unhealthy oils, salt, sugar, flavourings, artificial sweeteners and even trans-fats.

NEST AND GLOW RECIPES

Unpure peanut butter reduces the cost to the manufacturer, yields higher profits, gives a longer shelf life and enhances the flavour for some people’s tastebuds. Sugar, sweeteners and trans-fats are all detrimental to our health.

Real peanut butter should be only made from peanuts with no added sugars or oil but adding a little of salt can be acceptable ingredient.

Pure peanut butter is expensive than non-pure versions. Even this high cost worth the health benefits. Moreover, pure peanut butter contains the skins – you can tell as it will have flakes of red or brown. These skins have been shown to be high in antioxidants and make peanut butter more nutritious.

Only pure peanut butter is a low FODMAP food. Pure peanut butter close-up:

Pure 100% peanut butter

PEANUT BUTTER NUTRITION

Peanut butter is about 50% fat, 25% protein and 20% carbohydrates by weight.

Even peanut butter is a good source of protein but it does not a complete protein source which means it has missing amino acids and you cannot rely only on peanut butter for having enough protein.

Peanuts are a legume as they grow underground in pods making them not true nuts.

Peanut butter is a nutritious food containing many vitamins and minerals including E, B3, B6, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese.

However as peanuts are high calorie with 1 tbsp containing 94 calories, it’s not nearly as nutritious as fruit or vegetables per calorie or serving. Natural peanut butter is low carb and suitable for a ketogenic diet.

Peanut butter chocolate:

AFLATOXINS IN PEANUT BUTTER

These toxins are found in peanut butter and are produced by fungi as the peanuts grow.

Short term exposure to the aflatoxins in peanut butter seems to not affect humans much.But there’s little research into the long term risk.

Diets high in aflatoxins have shown links to liver cancer and impaired child growth. The same toxins can be found on other crops including corn and tree nuts.

However when peanuts are roasted to make peanut butter up to 90% of these toxins are destroyed.

The levels of aflatoxins allowed in foods are set by the EU so that peanut butter on the shelf is no immediate danger.

HI OLEIC PEANUT BUTTER

There’s a new variety of hi-oleic peanuts that are now being sold that claim to be healthier.

Traditional peanuts and peanut butter made from them are about 50% oleic acid and high oleic peanuts are 70%. Oleic acid is a type of omega-3 mono-unsaturated fat that’s also found in olive oil and tree nuts.

High oleic peanuts are lower in the omega-6 linoleic acid.

Manufacturers of high oleic peanut butter claim that they help reduce mono-unsaturated fats.

There’s still ongoing research as to the importance of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and the correct ratio that’s optimal for health.

There’s limited unbiased research into the benefits of high oleic peanut but they may be a useful addition to add variation in a diet.

FINAL WORLDS ON PEANUT BUTTER AND HEALTH

Yes peanut butter is a good source of nutrition but it’s not all good. Follow these tips to enjoy peanut butter as part of a healthy diet.

Only consume pure peanut butter without additives.Don’t rely on peanut butter alone as a protein source or for a large part of your diet.Peanut butter does contain a toxin that can have a harmful effect on the body, so it’s best consumed in moderation as part of a varied diet.Small amounts of peanut butter occasionally is unlikely to cause any harm, but it shouldn’t be an everyday food.Keep reading for alternatives to peanut butter – as always the best diet advice is to eat a varied diet.

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES TO PEANUT BUTTER

There’s lots of other nut and seed butter that you can add to your diet that taste amazing and can be used as a direct replacement for peanut butter. All recipes are made from just whole food ingredients and are free of oil, dairy, and sugar and junk.

Cashew butter:

Pure raw cashews make an amazing nut butter.

Sprouted almond butter:

Almonds are soaked and sprouted in salted water to make one of the healthiest nut butters out there. Also known as activated almond butter.

Sunflower seed cookies butter:

All the taste of cookies in a raw spreadable healthy butter.

Coconut butter:

A great healthy alternative to coconut oil is this butter that is made from the whole coconut without anything taken away.