This may be a stupid question, but what is the difference between natural peanut butter and other peanut butters? My husband is a Jif fanatic, but if natural is better then I MIGHT be able to persuade him to convert. Does natural have less fat, more protein, less calories? Also where do you buy it? I don't remember seeing any in my grocery store. I'll need to check again.
Peanut Butter
- Thread starter kristi
- Start date
Hi, I actually just bought some at the grocery store in the regular section. I don't remember what kind-sorry. I think the difference is that it doesn't have any added sugar. If there are other reasons, I am not aware.
I'm not too sure if your husband will like that. I know my fiance would never even try it. He likes the sugar, but so do I. Unfortunately, he does not need to watch what he eats but I do! ;(
I'm not too sure if your husband will like that. I know my fiance would never even try it. He likes the sugar, but so do I. Unfortunately, he does not need to watch what he eats but I do! ;(
Natural Peanut butter is not hydrogenated, so it separates. Hydrogenation is pretty unhealthy. It also does not contain all the added sugar, salt.
I think the stuff is icky myself and loooove Low Fat Jif. I don't buy it because it is low fat (I generally don't buy "lite" or low fat foods except for things like skim milk. Also no buying artificial sweeteners) --I just prefer the taste to the full fat stuff. It has the sam amount of calories, anyway.
I think the stuff is icky myself and loooove Low Fat Jif. I don't buy it because it is low fat (I generally don't buy "lite" or low fat foods except for things like skim milk. Also no buying artificial sweeteners) --I just prefer the taste to the full fat stuff. It has the sam amount of calories, anyway.
dimples237
Cathlete
I love peanut butter and decided to move toward natural peanut butter in stages. Right now I'm using Peter Pan's low sodium-no added sugar kind, and my next step will be the natural stuff. If you have a food processor, you can also easily make your own peanut butter with non-salted peanuts from your grocery/health food store.
I made the switch to natural PB a while ago and I really didn't mind the taste difference.
Now I am on a soy nut butter kick. It is SO good I keep waiting for someone to tell me it's not healthy - ;-). I use the I.M. Healthy brand (I buy it at Kroger in the "healthy" all natural section). I have tried the Crunchy and the Creamy Honey varieties and both are so good.
It does not need to be refrigerated, it's gluten and dairy-free and there are no hydrogenated oils. Check out their web site at soynutbutter.com for tons more information.
No, I don't work for them, I'm just a huge fan!
Take care!
Mikie
Now I am on a soy nut butter kick. It is SO good I keep waiting for someone to tell me it's not healthy - ;-). I use the I.M. Healthy brand (I buy it at Kroger in the "healthy" all natural section). I have tried the Crunchy and the Creamy Honey varieties and both are so good.
It does not need to be refrigerated, it's gluten and dairy-free and there are no hydrogenated oils. Check out their web site at soynutbutter.com for tons more information.
No, I don't work for them, I'm just a huge fan!
Take care!
Mikie
My understanding of natural peanut butter v other is... the natural is ground up roasted peanuts and maybe a little salt. The other is peanuts ground up with the peanut oil removed and replaced with other oil (the peanut oil is sold separately as peanut oil and the manufacturers can get more $$ from their peanuts that way.) Hydrogenating adds h2 molecules to the fat so that it is more solid at room temperature and now it is believed to be worse for you than a saturated fat . My grocery store and the health food store I go to grind peanuts to make the natural and sell it fresh. This stuff really really sticks to the roof of your mouth. As far as calories go, unless you get the whipped variety they are all about the same - around 95 per tablespoon. The reason the whipped is less is that air is whipped in and fluffs it up so you are actually getting less p-butter in a Tablespoon then if it had no air in it! Most of the big brands have sugar added but Jiff, if I remember right, has the most sugar added.
*****BTW, I never met a peanut butter I didn't LOVE...:7 (or a peanut for that matter) -joy
*****BTW, I never met a peanut butter I didn't LOVE...:7 (or a peanut for that matter) -joy
michele1967
Cathlete
I love natural peanut butter (but my husband doesn't) I buy both. he doesn't want to hear about hydrogenation--he just goes for taste. he will eat it if we're out of Skippy, though.
I also love cashew butter and almond butter. We have a great little old nut
store near us and they grind their own.
It's yummy.
I also love cashew butter and almond butter. We have a great little old nut
store near us and they grind their own.
It's yummy.
Cruncholi
Cathlete
Natural peanut butter contains no trans fats (a by-product of partially hydrogenated oils), while regular peanut butter contains trans fats.
Trans fats are terribly unhealthy for you. In reading a recent article in Prevention magazine about trans fats (the title of the article is "Frankenfats" because of how bad they are for you!), it stated that the only healthy level of trans fat consumption is zero! Not only do trans fats increase your bad (LDL) cholesterol, they decrease your good (HDL) cholesterol. In the meantime, saturated fats (found in butter and other animal products) increase your overall and, in particular, your bad (LDL) cholesterol, but do not decrease your good (HDL) cholesterol.
Peanut butter contains mostly healthy mono and poly unsaturated fats (although it is high in calories), so you don't need to worry about saturated fats too much. Adding hydrogenation into the picture is simply causing an otherwise healthy food to become a food that has the above-described negative impact on your cholesterol and risk of heart disease.
On the other hand, to be called "peanut butter," it must contain at least 90% peanuts. Therefore, the hydrogenated oil in regular peanut butter is less than 10% of the total food, so the amount of trans fat in regular PB is very little. It just goes back to the idea that if you don't want to consume any trans fats, you should eat natural peanut butter instead of regular.
I like natural peanut butter just as much as the regular--it is good. Give it a try! Your husband may like it too.
Linda
Trans fats are terribly unhealthy for you. In reading a recent article in Prevention magazine about trans fats (the title of the article is "Frankenfats" because of how bad they are for you!), it stated that the only healthy level of trans fat consumption is zero! Not only do trans fats increase your bad (LDL) cholesterol, they decrease your good (HDL) cholesterol. In the meantime, saturated fats (found in butter and other animal products) increase your overall and, in particular, your bad (LDL) cholesterol, but do not decrease your good (HDL) cholesterol.
Peanut butter contains mostly healthy mono and poly unsaturated fats (although it is high in calories), so you don't need to worry about saturated fats too much. Adding hydrogenation into the picture is simply causing an otherwise healthy food to become a food that has the above-described negative impact on your cholesterol and risk of heart disease.
On the other hand, to be called "peanut butter," it must contain at least 90% peanuts. Therefore, the hydrogenated oil in regular peanut butter is less than 10% of the total food, so the amount of trans fat in regular PB is very little. It just goes back to the idea that if you don't want to consume any trans fats, you should eat natural peanut butter instead of regular.
I like natural peanut butter just as much as the regular--it is good. Give it a try! Your husband may like it too.
Linda
kathryn
Cathlete
You might try a gradual switch over to the natural. First mix 2 parts "unnatural" ;-) with 1 part natural PB. Then gradually move to a higher percentage of natural. Even if you don't make it all ther way (or get hubby to prefer the natural), you could at least reduce the amount of the unnatural.
I find that it's difficult to switch between natural and the hydrogenated stuff, and you can develop a taste for one or the other (which you can change). Natural PB might not taste good to your husband at first (that's why I suggest the gradual mixing of the two), but once he gets used to it, he might prefer it.
By the way, as bad cholesterol can block the arteries to the heart and the brain (causing heart problems or strokes), it can also block the arteries to the naughty bits (causing impotense problems). That might be a motivation for giving up saturated fats.
I find that it's difficult to switch between natural and the hydrogenated stuff, and you can develop a taste for one or the other (which you can change). Natural PB might not taste good to your husband at first (that's why I suggest the gradual mixing of the two), but once he gets used to it, he might prefer it.
By the way, as bad cholesterol can block the arteries to the heart and the brain (causing heart problems or strokes), it can also block the arteries to the naughty bits (causing impotense problems). That might be a motivation for giving up saturated fats.
I absolutely love peanut butter. Not only does it taste good, but is also helps control my low blood sugar. I used to eat the sugar stuff, but then I kept reading articles about how much more healthier the natural PB is. My friend shared some with me (on oatmeal graham crackers), and I fell in love with it. Yes, it does take some getting used to, but now I that's all I eat. And, now, when I am out and have to use my husband's regular pb (with the sugar), it tastes too sugary. I used to buy the Skippy natural (either that or Jif-I can't remember), but then I saw "Crazy Richard's" natural pb on a good sale one week, so I bought it and it is just as good. They also have chunky natural pb too-it's pretty good! My snack suggestion is (a favorite bedtime snack of mine)...
natural pb spread over an oatmeal graham cracker with slices of banana on top along with a glass of milk:9
natural pb spread over an oatmeal graham cracker with slices of banana on top along with a glass of milk:9
N
noc529
Guest
Where can you get cashew and almond butter? Does Whole Foods sell them? Thanks!
michele1967
Cathlete
I'm sure they do, though I haven't been to a Whole Foods in a while. I have seen almond butter at regular supermarkets, though.
The suggestions about grinding your own was good, too (if you have a decent food processor).
I just had almond butter this AM. Love it!!
The suggestions about grinding your own was good, too (if you have a decent food processor).
I just had almond butter this AM. Love it!!
I just want to point out that not all natural peanut butters are created equal. Just like with any other product, you might find one brand or type tastes yucky to you but others are deelish. Personally, I don't like salt-free PB at all, and like even less the ultimate natural pb, raw, unsalted. Never much cared for the pb I tried from the grind-your-own machine, either. For pure, peanut-buttery bliss, though, my favorite is Laura Scudder's Natural -- sooo yummy --, and I can usually find it near the regular peanut butters, though usually on the bottom shelf or something. Adam's All Natural is also pretty good.
So don't give up on natural peanut butter if you don't care for the first one (or two, or three...) you try.
-bev
So don't give up on natural peanut butter if you don't care for the first one (or two, or three...) you try.
-bev
mogambo
Cathlete
I like Arrowhead Mills. It has salt, is roasted just right, but is totally natural, even organic. I've tried others, but this one is the best by far. I've been using it for 20 years.
And yes, Whole Foods sells almond and cashew butter. There is also tahini and sometimes hazelnut butter. I once had pecan butter in Ann Arbor. I wish I could find that again!
And yes, Whole Foods sells almond and cashew butter. There is also tahini and sometimes hazelnut butter. I once had pecan butter in Ann Arbor. I wish I could find that again!