The Recipe Doctor
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Trade Peanut Butter for Almond Butter?
Technically, peanuts are legumes, whereas almonds are botanically in
the “nut” family. Just in case you’re getting tired of peanut butter
and want to try something new, there’s a new nut butter in town. You
may have heard about the various and sundry health
benefits—particularly for the heart—of including almonds in your diet.
For example, a recent study found that when people with elevated blood
lipid levels snacked on almonds, their coronary heart disease risk fell
significantly, probably due in part to the fiber, phytochemicals with
antioxidant activity, and monounsaturated fat components in almonds.
One
easy way to work a little bit of almonds into your day is with almond
butter. Use it anywhere you would normally use peanut butter, including
spread on whole grain toast, bagels, or crackers; as a dip for fruits
and veggies; or in cooking from cookies to sauces and dressings.
Let’s do a nutritional comparison of almond butter and peanut butter.
(The figures shown for vitamins and minerals reflect percentage of the
recommended daily intake.) You’ll see why we might want to trade in our
peanut butter some of the time.
| 1 tablespoon of almond butter | 1 tablespoon of peanut butter |
| 100 calories | 94 calories |
| 2.5 grams protein | 4 grams protein |
| 9 grams fat | 8 grams fat |
| 0.8 gram saturated fat | 1.5 grams saturated fat |
| 6.2 grams monounsaturated fat | 3.7 grams monounsaturated fat |
| 2 grams polyunsaturated fat | 2.2 grams polyunsaturated fat |
| 0.1 gram omega-3 | 0.01 gram omega-3 |
| 1.9 grams omega-6 | 2.2 grams omega-6 |
| 0.6 gram fiber | 0.9 gram fiber |
| 21.5% vitamin E | 14% vitamin E |
| 5% calcium | <1% calcium |
| 12% magnesium | 6% magnesium |
By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
The Recipe Doctor Blog
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Trade Peanut Butter for Almond Butter?
I have heard a lot about the advantages of almonds in our diet. Never considered almond butter though. After seeing this chart it is definitely worth making the switch.
I have a friend who swears by almonds. He buys them in bulk and tries to eat a few every day. He is a true health 'nut'. He has researched this and I'm sure there are huge advantages to adding them to your diet.