Healthy peanut butter is lower in both sugar and sodium
Ah yes, healthy peanut butter might become your best friend if you follow this one simple trick. Many athletes and weightlifters love to indulge in peanut butter because it can easily, and deliciously, satisfy hunger, but we believe only half of them are using the healthy kind.
Peanut butter has a sufficient amount of fat and is a great source of vitamin B3 and E. B3 is important for our metabolism and E is a great antioxidant that helps our immune system. Healthy and tasty? Forget sliced bread, peanut butter is the best thing ever. Our condolences to those who are allergic to peanuts.
It’s super easy to spot out the differences and find healthy peanut butter in comparison to unhealthy peanut butter. Remember that natural peanut butter is created by grounding dry-roasted peanuts. The ones that have too much added salt, sugars, and hydrogenated vegetable oils are the ones you should be ignoring.
You can find healthy peanut butter everywhere, but don’t be fooled by “organic” or “natural” labeling. Just because it says it’s natural peanut butter doesn’t mean that it’s the healthy kind. A great rule of thumb is to pick up a jar and check its ingredients. The less ingredients, the better. A little bit of salt doesn’t hurt.
“Typically you can get peanut butter as a smooth spread or a spread with chunks of peanuts,” says Blanca Garcia, R.D.N., nutrition specialist of MIDSS. “The most common peanut butter will often have 10 percent salt, added sugars, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and emulsifiers to keep all ingredients mixed. For the smooth style, ingredients may be added to create a thick paste that spreads easily.”
Whatever kind of peanut butter you decide on, keep in mind that it should only be consumed in moderation as a part of a balanced diet rich in wholesome foods. Don’t get carried too away now..