4 tips on choosing the healthiest peanut butter

Peanuts are a source of vegetable proteins, which contains healthy fats for the heart, and offer essential minerals such as potassium and magnesium.

Many commercial peanut butters contain sugars, hydrogenated oils and conservatives to improve their texture and their conservation time, but these additives can have an impact on health. Added sugars can be added, and hydrogenated oils contribute to saturated fat – both should be limited to less than 10% of your diet. For the healthiest peanut butter, opt for a peanut and salt.

The consumption of a lot of sugar added can increase your risk of diabetes, obesity and other heart disease, especially when consumed in excess over time. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that people who have been assigned to a woman at birth and people assigned by men at birth, limit their contribution to no more than 25 and 36 grams per day, respectively.

Many packaged foods contain added sugars, even those that do not have sweet taste. Peanut butter, which contains at least 90% peanuts, is an example. Some brands add sugars, ranging from 1 to 6%, to improve the conservation time of the product.

Fully natural peanut butter (made from peanuts and salt) contains 1 gram of sugar per portion, while more transformed peanut butters can contain 3 grams. Adding sugar here and there can easily add up during the day.

Conservatives are added to improve the taste and texture of a food and improve its shelf life. For peanut butters, these are sugars, such as cane sugar and molasses, and stabilizers such as hydrogenated oils and lecithin.

However, there are peanut butters that only contain peanuts and salt.

Hydrogenated oils can be added to peanut butter to prevent it from going wrong. These oils are part of many food additives which help protect the conservation time of a product and maintain a thick and creamy texture of peanut butter.

There are many evidence that partially hydrogenated oils have a significant amount of trans fat, which are considered dangerous. Hydrogenated oils may not be so risky, but they still contain a large amount of unhealthy saturated fats.

Many brands of popular peanut butter contain hydrogenated oils at 1 to 5% to prevent oils from separating.

Lecithin can be added to peanut butter as an emulsifier to keep it more fluid by preventing the natural separation of oil from peanut solids. Some people may be concerned about the use of lecithins as a food additive, but they are generally recognized as safe because only very small amounts are generally used in peanut butter.

Lecithins can provide health benefits, such as support for cholesterol control. Since lecithins are more commonly added to peanut butter products which also contain hydrogenated oils and added sugars, it is preferable to opt for natural peanut butter, made only with peanuts and salt.

Making your own peanut butter means controlling your ingredients. You can include your favorite type of peanuts (for example, dry roast, slightly salty or raw). You can also decide the amount of salt to be added. If you have a food processor, it can be a simple DIY project:

1. Fill your root root robot with roasted peanuts (about 3 cups for a 7 cup processor) and add a pinch of salt if the nuts are not salty.
2. Treat about 8 to 10 minutes until the peanut butter is smooth. You may need to take a break about every minute to scrape the sides of the bowl.
3. Transfer to a pot with a tight lid. Store the pot upside down so that when oils separate naturally, they float up.

Nuts and seeds are important for heart health, weight management and blood sugar control. They are also part of health diets favorable to health such as Mediterranean and Dash diets.

Awards, almonds and pistachios have the highest quantities of protein compared to other types of nuts. The peanuts lead the pack with 7 grams of protein per portion, while almonds and pistachios have about 6 grams.

Macadamia nuts are rich in monounsaturated fats, including oleic and palmitic acids, which are beneficial for brain health. Nuts are among the edible vegetable sources richest of omega-3 fatty acids healthy for the heart.

Some other nuts of nut butter include:

• Almond butter
• Cashew butter
• Walnut butter
• Macadamia butter
• Pistachio butter

If you make your nut butter, try a combination of two or three different nuts. Keep in mind that some nuts contain more oil and are softer, which makes them easier and faster to treat.

To balance your snacks (or increase your meals) with healthy fats and a little vegetable protein, you can try one of these combinations.

• Spread the peanut butter on toast, dates or crunchy celery sticks for a satisfactory snack in the middle of the morning.
• Continue salted peanut butter dip, like a peanut satay, to add a daring flavor, healthy fats and certain vegetable proteins with grilled chicken kebabs.
• Incorporate your morning crane to make your porridge more creamy, more tasty and more satisfactory.
• Mix it in your smoothie For a boost of protein from healthy plants and fats that will keep you under tension and supplied longer.
• Spread it on waffles, then garnish with fresh berries and finish with a light net of maple syrup.
• Drizzle a creamy peanut butter -based vinaigrette On green leafy vegetables, roasted vegetables or a hearty bowl based on protein and cereals.

Peanut butter can be a healthy addition to your snacks and meals, as it supports control of blood sugar and satiety. Choosing the healthiest peanut butter simply means choosing one with just peanuts and salt.

You can create your own or buy a brand that does not contain added sugars or preservatives, such as hydrogenated oils.