Peanut Butter Jelly Time…Or Not!

Peanut butter is alongside fruit juice as one of those foods that is historically considered healthy in all contexts, but in reality is far from it and can be detrimental from a metabolic standpoint.  True, peanuts alone ground into butter is probably not that bad for you, but this single ingredient recipe is far from the norm.  

Go check the nutrition labels of most grocery store peanut butters and it is actually quite a challenge to find a jar without added sugar.  And while added sugar should be bad enough, most brands also contain a mix of hydrogenated vegetable oils which are known to be inflammatory and this inflammation likely contributes to a wide variety of disease states (heart disease, dementia, diabetes, obesity, depression/anxiety, some types of cancer).  

Beware of the label ‘peanut spread’ as opposed to ‘peanut butter’ as this is the FDA’s way of saying that the product has <90% peanuts and is mixed with unhealthy oils and sugars.  And please, please, please throw the ‘reduced fat’ peanut spreads in the trash.   Nuts are fat.  Fat is not bad for us.   If you are eating nuts you are eating healthy fat.  Reduced fat nut butter is an oxymoron and also a dead giveaway that the product labeled as such is full of sugar and bad oils for taste.  A good rule of thumb (and not just for peanut butter) is to choose the product with the fewest ingredients listed.  One is ideal (just peanuts!), and two, perhaps some added sea salt, is also ideal.  

On to the next school of thought, which is to not eat, or limit peanut consumption at all.  As referenced above, we are learning and more and more literature suggests chronic inflammation to be associated with many disease states.  While it is a much bigger topic for a different day, a high ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 essential fatty acids in our diet has been shown to contribute to chronic inflammation.  An ideal Omega 6:3 ratio is 1-4:1 though a true 1:1 ratio is difficult to obtain with typical modern, western foods.  Peanuts, depending on the source, have a ratio of 4,000:1.  Some sources argue that peanuts do not have any Omega 3’s, making the ratio infinity!  Relative to other types of nuts and seeds (walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds are best), peanuts are hyperinflammatory from an Omega 6 to Omega 3 standpoint.

In a similar vein to this inflammatory argument, subscribers to the Paleo diet avoid peanuts.  Technically speaking and despite common functional classification with other nuts, peanuts are a legume.  The Paleo argument is that legumes contain lectins which can cause digestive issues and inflammation and also phytates which can contribute to mineral deficiencies.  The inflammatory Omega 6:3 ratio and inflammatory potential of lectins may be reasons to avoid peanuts all together.        

While single or two ingredient peanut butters are the healthiest type of peanut butters, an alternative nut butter is probably the best answer.  Almonds also have a high Omega 6:3 ratio, but have a significantly lower ratio than that of peanuts.  Almond butter tends to be the most widely available alternative nut butter.  Walnuts are the best nut with regards to Omega ratio (around 4:1), making walnut butter a great option.  Brands such as ‘Nuttzo’ offer blended spreads of good ratio nuts, high Omega 3 seeds, and otherwise minimal and clean ingredients.  

Yes - this almost invariably means a more expensive jar of nut butter compared to peanut butter.  Consider this in context though that we collectively already spend billions of dollars a year on health fads, diets, and supplements - nut butter is not the place to cut corners!  Moreover, nut butters and other healthy choices in the grocery store are infinitely cheaper than the chronic diseases, hospitalizations, medications, and overall decrepitude that they can help us steer clear of.