We're all familiar with peanut butter, but did you know there are many other types of spreads similar to it?
Julie Brown, a nutritionist with Lifetime Fitness tells us about the pros and cons of apple, peanut, almond and sun butters:
Apple Butter
- Pro: Lower in fat and calories than the other butters, plus is loaded with vitamins and minerals
- Con: High in natural sugars. A healthy serving size is 2 tbsp.
- Bowl of oatmeal and low-fat cottage cheese with jar of apple butter. Can also be used as a sandwich spread, for baking purposes, or as a glaze on meats
Peanut Butter
- Pro: Packed with healthy fats and proteins that help energize and is great before workouts or running
- A bagel or toast with peanut butter is the perfect snack to consume to fuel up for a race.
- Con: Higher in calories and fats than other butters. You can still enjoy this delicious butter as long as you don't consume too much
- Whole or sliced apples and bananas with jar of peanut butter. You can also pack your morning toast with protein by spreading on a little peanut butter.
Almond Butter
- Pro: High percentage of vitamins and minerals. Also packed with healthy fats
- Con: Sweeter taste than peanut butter. Be aware of the brand you are eating because some brands include extra salt, sugar, and hydrogenated oils so important to look for natural brands
- Ricotta and celery with jar of almond butter. You can also make an almond butter and jelly sandwich or use in recipes to add a nutty flavor such as butternut squash soup
Sun Butter
- Pro: Edible for people with peanut allergies, but they don't have to miss the peanut flavor as the taste of sun butter is very similar to peanut butter
- Con: Not as high nutritional benefits as other butters and the "roastier" taste can be overwhelming for some palates
- Yogurt, fresh fruit and crackers with jar of sun butter. Can be used in the same manner as peanut butter.
Courtesy:
Lifetime Fitness - http://clubs.lifetimefitness.com/Arizona/93
