The Truth About Peanut Butter

Peanut butter comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Not only that, you have to battle with which brand and type of peanut butter you want to purchase. There are a few things you should know before you throw another container of peanut butter into your shopping carriage.

Do you find yourself eating peanut butter often? Do you throw away the container because it expired and you didn't finish it, or do you throw the container away because it's empty? If you find yourself throwing away your peanut butter because you finished it, then first things first. Buy your peanut butter in bigger sizes. You will be spending a little more, but you pay less per serving. This will save you some money in the long run. Need more reasons why buying in bulk is better? Find out why here.

Buy all-natural or natural peanut butter. The worst thing about not buying natural or all-natural peanut butter is the hydrogenated vegetable oil. HVO might as well be a fancy word for trans fat. If companies use 0.49g of trans fat or less per serving, then they can still put 0g of trans fat on the label. Trans fat should be completely avoided at all costs, they serve only negative purposes. Eating trans fat poses for a higher risk of heart disease, raising total cholesterol levels, and clogging your arteries. No bueno.

You have narrowed down your selection to all-natural or natural. Some all-natural / natural peanut butters can still sneak in some extra ingredients to their list.  Be sure to look at the label of the peanut butter. The 2 ingredients should be peanuts and salt.

So what about reduced fat peanut butters? Stick with peanut butters that aren't reduced fat. Here's why. While you are getting a fraction less of fat, companies are replacing it with maltodextrin, which is a filler that is used in many processed foods. You are trading healthy fats for empty carbs and more sugar. Once again, no bueno.


Here is the recap about peanut butter:
✓Buy in bulk if you plan on eating it all
✓Stick with all-natural or natural
✓Avoid reduced fat peanut butter
✓Ingredients should be peanuts and salt 

PS Want a new recipe using all natural peanut butter?
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