Volunteers assemble peanut butter sandwiches at Kids Meals in Houstin, Tex., in September, 2023.Jason Fochtman/The Associated Press
Nuts are a staple ingredient in top‑rated eating patterns, including the Mediterranean, DASH, Portfolio and MIND diets.
As part of a healthy diet, eating a serving of nuts (about 30 to 45 grams) at least five times a week is linked to a lower risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
A consistent nut intake helps lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, reduce inflammation, support blood vessel function and improve insulin sensitivity.
And it’s not just whole nuts that deserve a place in your regular diet.
Nut butters count, too. Nutritionally speaking, two tablespoons are equivalent to a 30-gram serving of whole nuts.
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Here’s a quick guide to popular nut butters, their defining nutrient profiles and creative ways to include them in your diet – plus, some nut-free butter alternatives to try.
Nut butter ingredients
Natural nut butters contain only one or two ingredients: roasted nuts and sometimes salt. Because they don’t contain added ingredients to prevent their oils from separating, you need to stir them before using.
No-stir brands of nut butter add fat or oil to prevent natural oils from separating and rising to the top. Major brands of peanut butter, for example, contain small amounts of fully hydrogenated vegetable oil to stabilize the butter and give it a creamy, spreadable texture. (Unlike partially hydrogenated fat, banned in Canada in 2018, fully hydrogenated fat does not contain harmful trans fats.)
Vegetable oil and additives called mono- and diglycerides are also used to emulsify and stabilize no-stir peanut butters.
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Nut butter nutrient breakdown
Like whole nuts, nut butters contain a mix of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, plant protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
They’re also plentiful in flavonoids, protective phytochemicals with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Here’s how popular nut butters compare nutritionally, based on a two-tablespoon serving.
Almond butter
This nutrient-dense nut butter contains 195 calories, seven grams of protein, 3.3 g of fibre and 18 g of fat (83 per cent of it unsaturated) in each serving.
Almond butter really stands out for its impressive vitamin E (eight milligrams) and magnesium content (89 mg). Adults need 15 mg of vitamin E a day; daily magnesium requirements are 320 mg for women and 420 mg for men.
Plus, you’ll get some calcium (110 mg) and potassium (240 mg) in each serving.
Peanut butter
One serving provides 180 calories, seven to eight grams of protein, 1.6 g of fibre and 16 g of fat (75 per cent of it unsaturated).
And it’s an excellent source of brain-friendly vitamin E (three mg) and niacin (four mg), a B vitamin essential for healthy skin and nerve function (men and women need 16 and 14 mg of niacin a day, respectively).
Peanut butter also supplies a decent amount of folate, magnesium and potassium.
Light peanut butter has 25 per cent less fat than the regular version, trimming a mere 10 calories a tablespoon. I don’t see a nutritional advantage for it.
Cashew butter
You’ll find 190 calories, 5.6 grams of protein, 0.6 g fibre and 16 g of fat (76 per cent unsaturated) in one serving of this creamy nut butter. Like almond butter, it is an excellent source magnesium, delivering 82 milligrams.
Other nutritious nut butters to rotate in your diet include walnut butter, an excellent source of alpha linolenic acid (a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid) and pistachio nut butter.
For complex flavours, try nut butter blends such as almond and pecan, cashew and macadamia, or peanut and hazelnut.
Allergic to tree nuts or peanuts? Consider seed butters
When it comes to calories and amounts of protein, fibre and healthy fats, seed butters are similar to nut butters. Some are even exceptional sources of certain vitamins and minerals.
A two-tablespoon serving of sunflower seed butter, for example, is an excellent source of magnesium (100 mg) and selenium (33 micrograms, more than half a day’s worth), a mineral needed for normal thyroid function.
One serving of pumpkin seed butter provides nine g of protein along with a hefty 156 mg of magnesium and a decent amount of immune-supportive zinc (two mg).
Sesame seed butter (tahini) is a good source of B vitamins, iron and zinc. Its claim to fame, though, is calcium, with one serving supplying 130 mg.
Beyond PB&J
There are many tasty ways to add nutrition and flavour to meals with nut (and seed) butters besides spreading them on bread.
Blend nut butters into smoothies and protein shakes, stir them into hot cereal or overnight oats, or layer them in a yogurt parfait.
Make a stir-fry sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic. Or make a salad dressing with cashew butter, lemon juice, olive oil and herbs.
Use nut butter to make homemade energy balls and protein bars, or spread it on apple or pears slices for a snack.
Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan.
