We love peanut butter! It is filling. It is healthy. It is packed with protein, fiber, monounsaturated fat and fat-burning folate. But there are some things you might not know about peanut butter that will probably change the way you shop (we hope).

The peanut butter from our childhood might not be the best way to fuel our workout. Added sugar and salt tastes good but when you add a bunch of stuff to what nature already provided, you might be eating something more like mutant peanut butter spread. Natural peanut butters do not contain hydrogenated oils as stabilizers. You will have to stir your peanut butter when you first open it. Make sure to store your jar of peanut butter in the refrigerator, upside-down to avoid having to stir again.

How to Choose Peanut Butter

Avoid Oil. Peanuts are naturally full of heart-healthy oils. Often peanut butter companies might choose to add hydrogenated oils to improve texture or improve shelf-life and allow you to not refrigerate after opening. But hydrogenated oils clog your arteries and add unnecessary fat to the healthy meal or snack you are using to fuel your body.
Avoid Sugar. Sugar gives you high feeling rather than actually giving you energy to burn. If you don’t burn off the sugar you eat, it stores as fat in your body. Also if your body has trouble processing sugar due to diabetes, hypoglycemia or other chronic illness, you might be setting yourself up for failure more than a day for champions. Other names for sugar include: evaporated cane juice, corn syrup solids, high-fructose corn syrup, molasses or honey.
Natural is not always better. Real natural peanut butter is just ground peanuts with a touch of salt (125 mg sodium or less per serving).
Full-Fat all the way! The fat in peanuts is a great fuel that is good for your heart and brain. Reduced-fat peanut butters use sugars and starchy fillers and they don’t really save you many calories.

Natural Peanut Butter Suggestions:

Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter
Serving: 2 Tbsp | Calories: 190 | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 8g | Protein: 8g | Sodium: 25mg
Smart Balance Peanut Butter
Serving: 2 Tbsp | Calories: 190 | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 8g | Protein: 7g | Sodium: 145mg
Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter
Serving: 2 Tbsp | Calories: 200 | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 6g | Protein: 7g | Sodium: 105mg
Trader Joe’s Organic Peanut Butter
Serving: 2 Tbsp | Calories: 190 | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 7g | Protein: 8g | Sodium: 45mg
Whole Foods 365 Peanut Butter
Serving: 2 Tbsp | Calories: 200 | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 6g | Protein: 8g | Sodium: 90mg

What in the heck is Powdered Peanut Butter?

Essentially powdered peanut butter is a powder made of non-organic peanuts that have been compressed in order to remove the fat and oil (including the healthy essential monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E) and then dehydrated and mixed with sugar and salt to make it taste good. What is left is the flavor of peanuts in a powder form that must be reconstituted with water in order to create something like what we know as peanut butter.

The truth is that the same amount of powdered peanut butter, reconstituted with water creates only half the 2 Tbsp serving of natural peanut butter; you have to use 4 Tbsp of powdered peanut butter to create 2 Tbsp of reconstituted peanut butter. The consistency of the reconstituted peanut butter is sticky and gritty, but is said to taste pretty good; but for $7 for 15 Tbsp of peanut butter, you will have to choose whether cutting out the fat is worth it.

…but Karen G Clemenson and I aren’t going to try it…

Need help creating your wellness plan? Contact Wellness Works NW to make an appointment today! We are located in Longview, Washington and serve all of Cowlitz County and the surrounding areas.