The Unhealthy Secrets of Peanut Butter

To say that I'm obsessed with peanut butter would be an understatement. Actually, not just peanut butter but all nut butters for that matter. Almond butter, cashew butter, sesame seed butter- you name it, I love it! I put them in my oatmeal and in smoothies, on apples and bananas, stuffed in dates, with sweet potatoes- the list is endless! 

And considering how well Jiffy and Skippy are doing, i'm going to guess that peanut butter is probably on your grocery list and in your cabinets as well. Actually, I would even bet on it. So here is some good news for us all: when eaten in moderation(up to 2 Tbsp per day), nut butters are actually an amazing source of healthy fats, a great energizer and have been shown to help boost heart health and keep weight down because it keeps you fuller longer. 

However, there is one drawback, and the reason that I wanted to write this blog post in the first place. Most generic popular brands like Skippy, Jiffy, Peter Pan, or even Smart Balance add sugar, salt and hydrogenated oils to their peanut butter to make it more addicting and have a longer shelf life. How annoying is that?? Peanut butter should have one ingredient: peanuts! Almond butter should have one ingredient: almonds! Cashew butter should have one ingredient: cashews! The end. Any ingredients other than that and your healthy food just turned unhealthy.

picture by My Nguyen

Bottom line? When it comes to buying nut butters, INVESTIGATE! Stay away from brands that have anything other than peanuts/almonds/cashews, ect. (and maybe a little salt) in the ingredients! It's garbage. Don't fall for the "low fat peanut butter" option either. All that means is that they took out some fat (which has all the healthy benefits) and added in a bunch of unhealthy additives in its place.

Make the switch to a healthier brand and clean out your cabinets or pantries! I guarantee that once you start eating an organic and natural brand, you will never want to eat Skippy, Jiffy, or any of those chemically added nut butters again. They will taste oily, fake and you won't want any part of it because your taste buds will change and it will make you feel crappy.

So glad I saw the above picture two years ago on the internet and saved it to my phone. Is it as eye opening to you as it was to me?!