Almond butter vs peanut butter

Peanut butter is one of the most popular and loved spreads in the United States. Crunchy or smooth, with jelly on a piece of toast or eaten alone, only a few things beat the delicious sweet creaminess of peanut putter. However, several studies and investigations have shown that, for the sake of health, it is probably time to switch to almond butter as a healthier alternative when it comes to spreads.

Peanut butter

Peanut butter is a nutritious and tasty spread that is rich in protein fiber and fatty acids. Eating this butter in the morning, for breakfast, provides energy required for the daily activities and keeps the hunger at bay.

There are, however, several concerns regarding peanut butter. Some of them are legitimate, while others have proven to be false. Peanut butter does contain a lot of fat, both saturated and monounsaturated. It also contains cholesterol, which is why it is not recommended for people who have high levels of cholesterol in the blood or who suffer from heart disease.

Some people avoid peanut butter because it contains hydrogenated oils or trans fat, which is not necessarily true. Today there are many brands and varieties, and most of them do not contain those ingredients. “Healthy” brands, which produce only natural peanut butter, can be recognized by a layer of oil that gets separated on the top of the jar. There are also brands of organic peanut butter that do not contain pesticides and other harmful additives.

Almond butter

Compared to peanut butter, almond butter looks like a much healthier choice. It does contain the same amount of protein, fat, carbohydrates and calories as peanut butter, but it also contains more important nutrients. For example, almond butter has 25% more vitamin E than peanut butter, 3% more iron and 7% more calcium. It also contains more magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and antioxidants.

As for the fat, almond butter contains 50% more monounsaturated fats and 25% less saturated fats, which certainly makes it healthier.

In addition, and this may be the best reason to switch to almond butter, peanut butter is considered to be acidic while almond butter is alkaline. Alkaline foods speed up the metabolism, prevent diseases and increase the energy levels.

Almond butter is, however, much more expensive than peanut butter. Fortunately, it can easily be made at home, using only the natural and healthy ingredients.

Almond butter can sometimes be slightly more bitter when used as a spread, but it makes an excellent ingredient for smoothies and it can also be used for making cookies, cakes and desserts.