Alternative Peanut Butter
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N
If you are one of the 3 million Americans who has an allergy to nuts, you know how serious it can be if you accidently eat nuts. How can you enjoy a good old fashioned PB and J without the peanuts? What if you are just looking for alternatives to peanut butter?
If are allergic peanuts or tree nuts, you still have options.
Soynut butter: It is actually quite good. Many schools are switching to soynut butters, making their schools nut free. Soynuts are actually not nuts, but rather soybeans roasted to taste like nuts. Soynut butter is 30% lower in fat than peanut butter and has 7 grams of protein. You can find soynut butters in several varieties and flavors such as creamy, crunchy, honey, and even chocolate.
Check out these websites for tasty soynut butters:
www.soynutbutter.com
www.simplefood.com (You'll love these butters)
In addition to soynut butter, you could go with a seed butter such as sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, or sesame seed butter. Sesame seed butter is called tahini and is used in Mediterranean dishes. I personally love sunflower butter and think it tastes excellent! Sunflower butter is about 200 calories per 2 T. with 16 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein, 4 g fiber, and is a good source of copper, magnesium, Vitamin E, and various antioxidants.
Check out www.sunbutter.com
Other alternatives to peanut butter, but these are not nut free:
- Cashew butter
- Almond butter
- Macademia butter
- Pecan butter
- Hazelnut butter (think Nutella)
- Walnut butter
All of these nuts and nut butters are about 180-220 calories per 2 Tablespoon serving with about 16 grams of fat and 6-10 grams of protein and 2-4 grams of fiber (each nut and brand varies a little bit). Each nut has a unique blend of different vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. If you enjoy peanut butter, give one of these other butters a try and see what you think!
Photo courtesy of www.simplefood.com
Labels: nuts, seeds, Tara Gidus
2 Comments:
At Wed Feb 06, 08:45:00 AM 2008,
Margie said…
Since this is a healthline site, it may be helpful to also caution that anyone on maoi's should avoid soy products of any kind, when you do articles on soy products. The interaction of these 2 products could result in a fatal hypertensive episode. I've personally been given a list that even includes crackers, cake mixes and cereals that contain soy oils. I applaude soy products, but they're not a good alternative for everyone. Thanks
At Thu Feb 07, 09:48:00 AM 2008,
Blair Ryan,RN,BSN said…
As a mother of a child severely allergic to nuts & peanuts, eating lunch in a school cafeteria,on field trips, or a class party have always been a challenge.A peanut allergic child does not have to ingest the food to have an anaphylactic reaction. It could be brought about by just inhaling the dust(like on a plane) or if someone were to touch their skin. Holding on to a swingset rope after a child who had peanut butter on their hands...being kissed by someone who had just eaten peanuts,etc.
The message that peanut butter can kill another child is a message that is not easily understood or accepted.Unfortunately statistics are showing food allergies are on the rise. When I was a child everyone ate peanut butter and I never heard anything about deadly food allergies.Today it is a different world. Today someone seems to knows someone with a food allergy.
Bringing awareness and education such as this article is much appreciated. Thank you for writing an article that gives those who are searching an alternative healthy and safe food choice other than peanut butter. Schools offering soy nut butter (which recently was added to the governments free foods comody lists for schools) are also choosing food products that are both healthier and safer for their students.
For my peanut allergic daughter she is going to visit some friends this weekend and bring them Soy Nut Butter jars and a loaf of bread as a gift:) Something they will all be able to enjoy together.
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