How to Choose a Healthy Peanut Butter (Sugar-free, Protein-rich, Nutrients)

If you consume peanut butter and care about your health, you must know how to choose the healthiest peanut butter. In today’s times when even the most basic food ingredient like table salt comes with additives, it is important that you choose a good-quality, healthy peanut butter free of preservatives, sugar, additives, and hydrogenated oils. Below is a list of factors to consider before buying peanut butter. Whether you are looking to buy peanut butter for the gym, weight loss, or muscle gain, this simple yet detailed peanut butter buying guide will help you select the best peanut butter for yourself.

To choose the best healthy peanut butter, there are several important things that you should look for. From the type of peanut butter, you are choosing to the nutritional value of peanut butter, it all plays an important role in determining how healthy peanut butter is. So, here is a list of all the things to look for when buying peanut butter:

• Which peanut butter is better, Crunchy or Smooth?

Peanut butter comes in majorly two forms, crunchy and smooth or creamy. Crunchy peanut butter is generally more healthier and expensive than smooth peanut butter due to the fact that it contains less saturated fat and more fiber.

• Natural vs Regular Peanut Butter, which one to choose?

Natural or Organic peanut butter is obtained from naturally grinding peanuts and is free of additives like sugar, hydrogenated oils, or preservatives making it a healthier option over regular peanut butter. So be sure to check if the peanut butter you are buying is 100% natural or not.

• Check if your peanut butter is really sugar-free

When buying sugar-free peanut butter, be sure to check if the peanut butter is free of all forms of sugar such as brown sugar, cane juice, corn syrup, molasses, honey, and stevia.

Peanuts have their natural sweetness. The glucose present in natural peanuts is however very less. So ideally the sugar content in your Natural or Organic Peanut Butter should be negligent.

We compared two different peanut butter, sugar-free and regular, from one of the top peanut butter brands and found that regular peanut butter contained an extra approx 14g of sugar as compared to sugar-free natural peanut butter which is almost half of the daily sugar requirement for most adults. This makes the sugar content in peanut butter one of the most important things to look for.

• Avoid Peanut Butter with Hydrogenated Oils

Another important thing to consider when buying peanut butter is checking if it contains hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated Oils are obtained from a process called hydrogenation in which the oils are infused with hydrogen to achieve a more spreadable consistency.

In 2015, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that partially hydrogenated oils can cause cardiac health issues and that removing them could prevent thousands of heart attacks each year.

Palm Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils, and Soybean Oils are all examples of hydrogenated oils you should avoid when buying healthy peanut butter. Check for both, the nutritional label on your peanut butter or the ingredients list to find words like “hydrogenated oils” or “partially hydrogenated oils”

• Beware of marketing gimmicks like “Reduced Fat” when buying peanut butter

Some peanut butter comes with the label “Reduced Fat” which makes the consumers believe that such peanut butter must be healthy. However, it isn’t always the case. Many peanut butter brands label their peanut butter as “Reduced Fat” by replacing fat with starch which is even worse.

Many studies have found diets with high starch content to leave you feeling bulky and lethargic.

• A good Peanut Butter is protein-rich, low in sodium, low salt, low fat, and high in fiber

When buying peanut butter, it is important to check its nutritional value. The best-quality, healthy peanut butter is the one that is rich in protein, and vitamins, low in sodium, salt, and fat, and high in fiber content as natural peanuts are a good source of dietary fiber. We compared the top peanut butter in India to conclude the approximate nutritional values present in healthy, natural, and best-quality peanut butter. While the following figures are not exact, aiming for peanut butter with similar nutritional values can assist in identifying a truly healthy option compared to standard peanut butter.

Also read: Our Discussion forum thread on Which is Your Favourite Peanut Butter Brand?

• A good-quality healthy Peanut Butter contains useful vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals like magnesium, iron, vitamin E, and copper among others are essential for the overall health of our body. Hence, one of the important things to look for when buying peanut butter is to check the contents of vitamins and minerals. Good-quality peanut butter is rich in vitamins and minerals like magnesium, iron, Vitamin E, copper, potassium, etc.

As per Verywell Fit, an award-winning resource for nutrition, here’s how 32g of peanut butter contributes to the key RDI nutrients:

• Check if your Peanut Butter is free from Preservatives and Additives

In today’s modern age, where there’s a rise in ready-to-consume foods, it is common to find preservatives and additives in pretty much every other food we consume, from the cancer-causing cold drinks to the “natural” yogurt you buy from your nearby grocery store. Preservatives help brands extend the shelf life of their products. But they leave some of the worse effects on consumers.

When buying peanut butter, one of the important things to consider is if the peanut butter contains any preservatives, stabilizers, or any other additives.

Be sure to check for the following list of preservatives, additives, and stabilizers to avoid when buying peanut butter:

So, this is all about sharing how to select a good-quality, healthy peanut butter. Considering these factors before buying peanut butter can help you identify the best peanut butter for the gym, weight loss, muscle gain, or workout. When you are aware of the base ingredients that go into your peanut butter, you can better understand which peanut butter is best for you.

While Peanut Butter comes with many health benefits, there are healthy alternatives to peanut butter that you can choose from.

• Almond butter: It has the highest concentration of nutrients per ounce

• Walnut butter: Of all the nut butter, Walnut butter has been found to have the most omega-3 fatty acids

• Macadamia Nut Butter: Macadamia Nut butter contains monosaturated fatty acids which help reduce inflammation, support digestive health, and maintain blood pressure

• Cashew Butter: Cashew has more magnesium and iron compared to peanut butter

Buying good-quality healthy peanut butter comes with many benefits as we saw above. From high-protein content to rich vitamins and minerals, making peanut butter a part of your diet can help you meet its Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) nutrients.

Before we conclude this article, let’s quickly have a look at interesting nutritional facts about peanut butter:

• Peanut butter is high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which can help to lower bad cholesterol levels in the body.

• Peanut butter has a low glycemic index, which means it does not cause a rapid spike in blood sugar levels

• Despite its high-calorie content, peanut butter can actually help with weight loss when consumed in moderation.

• Peanuts and peanut butter are high in niacin, which is important for cognitive function and brain health

• Zinc in peanut butter reduces age-related diseases and boosts the immune system

• Magnesium in peanut butter helps people avoid the risks of low magnesium levels linked to prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes

Overall, good-quality, healthy, natural, and organic peanut butter can truly help you in your health and fitness journey.

Here is an article we covered on Best Peanut Butter in India that you may find worth checking out.

Let us know if you have any thoughts to share or questions to ask, I would be happy to answer. I hope this peanut butter buying guide helps you make a better choice when next time you are buying peanut butter.