The Dirty Truth About Grocery Store Nut Butter (Spoiler Alert) (2024)

FAQs

Which nut butters should I avoid? ›

Avoid nut butters with added sweeteners such as sugar, corn syrup or molasses. Avoid nut butters with added oils such as hydrogenated vegetable oils. Basically, avoid anything other than nut butters made with just the nut.

Generally, the best nut butter for weight loss contains the most vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients. While calories also enter into this equation, they're not nearly as essential. Consequently, the healthiest nut butter for weight loss might be: Almond Butter.

Peanut butter has higher saturated fats, which should be taken in moderation. Almond butter, on the contrary, has more monounsaturated fats that are thought to be heart-healthy and can contribute to lowering harmful cholesterol levels. These fats are high in energy and help in the digestion of fat-soluble vitamins.

While most of the fat in peanut butter is relatively healthy, peanuts also contain some saturated fat, which can lead to heart problems when consumed in excess over time. Peanuts are high in phosphorus, which can limit your body's absorption of other minerals like zinc and iron.

Peanut butter is a delicious, nutrient-dense spread, and there is nothing wrong with eating peanut butter every day. Although it's calorie-dense, as long as your intake of peanut butter aligns with a balanced overall diet, there's nothing wrong with eating at least a serving (2 tablespoons) a day.

"Of all the nut butters, walnut butter has the most omega-3 fatty acids," Andrea says. The healthful fat ratio helps lower LDL cholesterol, increase HDL cholesterol, and reduce inflammation.

Healthy, gut-friendly nut butters for your kiddos can include almond, walnut, cashew, pistachio, or even seed-based butters such as sunflower seed butter. Nut butters contain a mix of nutrients including fiber, protein, B vitamins, phosphorus, zinc, and vitamin E that can all support a kid's growing body.

Nut Butters and Cholesterol

There is no dietary cholesterol in peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or pistachio butter. All four nut butters are rich in unsaturated fats and lower in saturated fats. Almond butter has the highest amount of total fat, but the lowest amount of saturated fat.

Macadamia nut butter comes top of the list because of its incredibly low carb content compared to all other nuts. Macadamia nuts also contain a very important mineral, manganese, an enzyme that's involved in antioxidant activity in almost every cell in your body.

What is the healthiest nut butter substitute? ›

Coconut butter is a great nut butter substitute that is a good source of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.

You can eat this substance regularly if you want to – but it's important to make sure that you're only consuming it in moderation. There are a lot of calories in almond butter, and you could end up facing issues with your weight if you eat too much at once.

As Janet Rausa Fuller explains in Epicurious, open jars of nut butters only last two to three months when stored on the pantry shelf. The easiest way to prevent your almond butter from going bad and extend its shelf-life—by as much as twice as long—is to pop it in the fridge.

Are peanuts inflammatory? The short answer is no, and in fact, peanuts and some peanut products like peanut butter have been shown to be anti-inflammatory. Inflammation in the body is a mechanism thought to be at the center of the majority of chronic diseases.

As a result, we can proudly assert that every MaraNatha nut butter is virtually aflatoxin free.

All in all, blanched almond butter is:

A lectin-free alternative to cashew & almond butter. Filling, subtly sweet, smooth, and creamy. Keto-friendly, Plant Paradox-friendly, Vegan, and Paleo.