Peanut butter has made a special place in my healthy life and I’m sure that I am not the only one. Above its finger-licking, creamy and nutty taste, it is full of good fats and this makes it one of the healthy food. Moreover, it is a good alternative to butter and cheese for vegans.

Despite its delicious taste, we overlook and leave them on store shelves and blindly opt for the chocolate hazelnut spreads which are virtual sugar spreads added with some bad fats, colourants, cocoa and few hazelnuts. Going through the contents is better than believing in false advertisements. Awareness keeps us from being fooled by the brands and buying nutritionally void foods.

Let’s compare the famous chocolate hazelnut spread Nutella with my favourite peanut butter (homemade/packaged) with given nutritional facts (given on the package).

Goodness in peanut butter

• Help lose weight: Rich in protein (4 gram per tablespoon) and fiber (1 gram per tablespoon), peanut butter also keeps you full for long and you eat less thus lose weight.

• Good for health: Packed with monounsaturated fats (3 gm each tablespoon) and polyunsaturated fats(3 g per tablespoon), peanut butter is beneficial for reducing cholesterol and LDL also for heart problems and diabetes.

• Low in sugar: Sugar ranges from 1 to 2 gm in natural brands and some brands offer an unsweetened one making it suitable for diabetic patients

• Good for hypertension: Its low sodium(10 to 30 mg) content makes it good for managing hypertension.

• Loaded with nutrients: Moreover, each teaspoon has 2 mg of vitamin E (good for skin), 24 mg of magnesium (good for bones), 100 mg of potassium (good for muscle function), and 0.9 mg of vitamin B6 (stronger immunity).

• There is nothing more indulging than licking a peanut butter off a spoon. It’s definitely irresistible.

How to make your own peanut butter at home?

Nothing could be easier than making peanut butter

1. Put the peeled and roasted peanuts in a jar of a food processor, process it for 1 minute.
2. Process for another 2 to 3 minutes until it feels smooth and shiny
3. You can make it crunchy or creamy per your taste
4. Mix with desired oil, salt, and honey

You can enjoy it on your bread, in your milk or directly licking from a spoon. 🙂

How to buy the best?

Although home-made peanut butter is best it is not possible every time. Peanut butter is just the crushed peanuts, still, try to look for healthier one. Not just for peanut butter, looking into the ingredients and contents of all processed items is a good habit. Don’t be lured by fancy labels of “low-fat”, “zero fat”. These versions are mostly made by adding trans-fats and hydrogenated oils, which are harmful to our health.

While the calorie content and peanut content are almost same, but there are few things to look out for making the best choice:

• Look out for sugar content between 1 to 2 gm per serving (16 gm) or you also go for unsweetened one
• Made with soybean oil, canola oil and rule out any trans fat, palm oil or hydrogenated oil.
• Prefer the below 40 mg per serving sodium
• Try for some natural brands

Few suggestions are:

Stay healthy, Stay happy ♣ 🙂

Lots of Love

Yogu♥