Run 4 One: Product Review: Almond Butter

We recently (the last 2 years) have switched to almond and cashew butter from peanut butter. There were many reasons for our switch and here are just some of the benefits:

Almonds are nutrient-dense, but won't derail your diet or add weight gain.
#1. They are good for the heart - high in monounsaturated fats which reduce cholesterol
#2. AB does not damage blood sugar levels and can reduce a sudden increase in blood sugar levels
#3. Rich in antioxidants like Vit E which trap free radicals. Free radicals cause cancer in the body.
#4. Help with weight control - AB is high in protein, fat and fiber. It will fill you up and leave you satisfied.

**DO NOT worry about almonds or other nuts (not peanuts) being high in fat. As long as it's not saturated fats, your body needs mono and poly unsaturated fats for brain development, healthy skin, organ function and overall growth and health! The misconception is often that "fat" is bad, but not all fat is created equal! Our bodies process this good fat differently. So eat up!

So, can you just eat peanut butter?????

Quite frankly, you will not get all the added health benefits from peanut butter. And here's why:

#1. Peanuts are a legume which means a seed, pod or other edible part of a plant used as food. These legumes are high in aflatoxins which are known carcinogens (cancer-causing substance) in the body

#2. Peanuts do not have the essential fatty acids that complete proteins (like nuts) offer

#3. Other additives - peanut butter can contain sugar and other products during production

#4. Allergies to peanuts is running rampant so AB would be a better choice

We have exclusively switched to AB. I use it in place of PB when baking, feed it Liam daily, and we can go through a jar in 1 week. We ate 2 jars a week while on the Whole 30 program and lost weight! It can be a great replacement if you are hooked on PB. It does take some time to adjust to the taste. Some of my friends have said it's not as sweet, which is true but give it try for a week.

Tips when buying/using AB:

1. Make sure the ingredients say: dry roasted almonds - nothing else!

2. You get the option of crunchy or smooth

3. Oil often rests on top after you open it so make sure to stir up from the bottom before using

4. Should be stored in the fridge (we don't and we're fine...ours got too hard to stir)
5. It is more expensive then PB so read labels and choose the best brand for you buck!

Here are two jars from my house and what to look for when buying:

#1
This is from Trader Joe's and it's about $7/jar which is a lot, but we believe in the investment and you better believe I scrape that baby for the last drop!

**Notice the ONLY ingredient is "dry roasted almonds" This is KEY. Nothing else has been added. Notice the fat grams is 17 grams but Sat. fat is only 1.5 g. 10 g of monounsaturated which is the good kind!

This one is from Aldi and yes, I know that TJ and Aldi are essentially the same company, but these 2 are very different.

This jar cost about $4.99 but is 4 oz smaller. It also contains palm oil, cane sugar and salt along with dry roasted almonds. It's best to get an AB that only has almonds. Obviously, I still bought this but there are other factors influencing my decision. First of all, I live 40 min, on a good traffic day, from Trader Joe's and 3 min from Aldi. I make 1 trip a month to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods to get certain foods and if I'm running low, I'll grab Aldi's version in a pinch.

Notable mention is Target's Archer Farms Almond Butter. Also honorable mention to Aldi's Cashew Butter - love it! Just check your ingredient list, folks!