Nut butters, be they made from almonds, cashews, or hazelnuts, are a great source of healthy fats and also a source of protein and fibre.
To say the least, they’re a staple in my house. I personally LOVE nut butters (like you wouldn’t even believe how much I love them)! They’re delicious, creamy, and so versatile to use in snacks, smoothies, and stews.
My favourite? Almond butter, of course! Second to that is hazelnut butter.
But not all nut butters are created equal, such as peanut butter.
As much as it brings back childhood memories or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I don’t eat peanut butter, or peanuts for that matter. Here’s why.
PEANUTS AND AFLATOXINS
Peanuts aren’t actually a nut. They’re classified as a legume.
Peanuts grow underground, unlike other nuts, which grow on trees. Because of this, they are susceptible to toxic mold and fungus, and unfortunately peanuts can be contaminated with aflatoxins.
Aflatoxins are carcinogenic compounds that can pose a threat to humans and livestock. This type of toxin can invade crops, and thrive in conditions of high heat and humidity.
The two crops mostly affected by aflatoxin contamination are peanuts, maize (corn), and cereal grains.
These carcinogens can affect the liver and kidneys, are linked to liver cancer, which can increase in risk in those infected with hepatitis B virus. In addition, aflatoxins are linked to stunted growth in children and suppress the immune system.
There are a multitude of things in our environments that are carcinogens and while we don’t have control over everything, there are factors within our control. For this reason, I no longer consume peanut butter and prefer to choose other sources of nuts and seeds.
PEANUTS AND OMEGA-6 FATS
Before discussing this point, please understand this one fact first. We need fats to survive and their essential to our health. Fats are good for us, as long as we’re eating the healthy sources of fat.
Peanuts are high in fat but in omega-6 fats. While we do require omega-6 fats in our diet, they should be balanced with omega-3’s, in a ratio of 3:1 (omega-3 to omega-6).
So while peanuts are high in omega-6, they are low in omega-3 fatty acids. This is in addition to the fact that in our modern-day diet, we are consuming a high amount of omega-6s, found in processed and packaged foods made with processed vegetable oils, and not consuming enough omega-3s.
Consuming a diet high in omega-6 causes chronic inflammation in the body, and increases the chance of becoming overweight or obese.
PEANUTS AS THE ALLERGEN
Fortunately, growing up as a child in the '90s when PB & J sandwiches were all the rage, I didn't have any adverse reaction from eating it but peanut butter was becoming a very common allergy among people. However, the percentage of people allergic to peanuts has increased significantly over the years, since it wasn't at the magnitude where it is today, where it’s banned from schools and some workplaces.
Peanuts are one of the most common foods triggering an allergic reaction, responsible for food-induced fatal anaphylaxes occurrences.
The U.S. is the third largest producer of peanuts, following India and China. Peanuts are often high in pesticide residues, which are hormone disrupters, neurotoxins, and developmental toxins. Due to the nature of being grown underground, peanuts absorb pesticides and heavy metals.
Most health-nuts (pardon the pun) would switch to buying organic peanut butter, in an effort to avoid pesticides and the questionable (unnecessary) added ingredients but please do keep in mind that organic brands are still susceptible to aflatoxins.
Speaking of the questionable and unhealthy ingredients found in regular peanut butter, let’s look at the ingredients:
SELECT ROASTED PEANUTS, SUGAR, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COTTON SEED AND RAPESEED OIL), SALT, FANCY MOLASSES, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES. (I019D)
This is a head scratcher because there is only ONE ingredient required to make any nut or seed butter, which is the nut or seed itself.
The reason manufacturers put in additional (and unhealthy) ingredients is to make it taste better (i.e. more salt and sugar in order to addict their customers’ sensory receptors in their mouth and brains = more purchases = more profits), and the other is for shelf life so that it’s the ideal texture when people use it at home.
When you have natural nut butter, the oils release from the nuts, and naturally separate and float on top of the nut butter in the jar after sitting for awhile. Many people don’t like this. The easy solution to this problem? Flip the jar over, let the oil and nut butter combine, flip the jar back upright and voila, problem solved!
So is peanut butter good or bad for you? As with anything, it is your decision but now you have more information to make an empowered and informed decision. It's not the safest option when it comes to mold, toxin, and pesticide exposure. If you're looking for healthier alternatives, keep reading!
OTHER NUT BUTTER OPTIONS
There are a lot of peanut butter alternatives, which taste even more delicious and have a better nutritional profile!
Even better, is that these items are so widely available in grocery stores and online. Please do your due diligence and be sure to read the ingredient list to ensure it only contains one ingredient (the nut or seed itself) and preferably made from organic nuts, if your budget can afford.
Or you can simply make your own butter at home in your food processor. Just take the nuts of your choice and process for a minute at a time, using a spatula to wipe down the sides, and continue to process, until the oils from the nuts start to release and the nuts begin to form a nut butter consistency.
Allergic to tree nuts? Not a problem because another great alternative is SEED butter.
NUT BUTTERS:
Almond
Cashew
Hazelnut
Walnut
Brazil nut
Pecan
Macadamia
SEED BUTTERS:
Tahini (sesame seed)
Sunflower seed
Pumpkin seed
Hemp seed
Watermelon seed
Poppy seed
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