Peanut Butter Decoded

Peanut butter is a delicious treat on fruit, veggies, crackers, ok let's face it...in cookies, and of course we can't forget the ever famous PB&J. It typically has about 95 calories per tablespoon, however not all peanut butter is created equal. Peanut butter can be tricky and labels such as "reduced fat" are misleading.

Stay Clear of:
"Regular" pb- Should be called fake pb, since most have additives and trans fats.
Skippy Regular consists of- hydrogenated cottonseed, soybean, and  rapeseed oil (all trans fat).
Jif Regular consists of- fully hydrogenated rapeseed and soybean oil (both trans fat).

Reduced Fat- Most reduced fat versions of pb contain the about the same amount of calories as their "regular" counterparts. However these options have more carbohydrates and way more added junk in the ingredient list.
Skippy Reduced Fat has- 16 ingredients opposed to 6 in the regular version, and only 10 less calories than "regular."
Jif Reduced Fat has-16 ingredients opposed to 8 in the regular and has the same amount of calories as the "regular."

Get the bread ready for:
Powered PB2 -This pb has had most of the fat removed and can be reconstituted with water. It only has 45 calories per 2 tbsp and is great for smoothies.~

Natural (need to be stirred)- Teddie, Smuckers, or mill at the store yourself, this is often times cheaper and will last longer without stirring, tastes better too!

Natural (no need to stir)- Teddie, Skippy Natural, Jif Natural. These taste like a better version of "regular" pb, there is no need to stir and you can taste the peanuts since there are no trans fats or chemicals covering them up.

Naturally More- This pb has 7 ingredients, but they are all whole, not chemicals or trans fat. There is only 169 calories and it packs a protein punch with 10 grams. This one is my clients' favorite!

Make your own pb- Add desired amount of peanuts to food processor and blend...voila it's done. If desired, add a small amount of salt and sugar for taste. There is enough oil in the peanuts and no need to add additional fat with extra oils.

**When choosing a peanut butter, the most important thing to look at is the ingredients. Rule of thumb: if there are more than 5...put it back. Avoid any pb with hydrogenated oil listed in the ingredients (including partially hydrogenated). Even though most peanut butter is packed with protein, healthy fats, and vitamin E, it is important to limit portion size.

Easy PB snacks under 275 calories:
1 granny smith apple cut into slices with 2 tbsp pb (270)
6 oz plain organic yogurt mixed with 2 tbsp pb (270)
1 cup milk ~try silk in the green container~ with 1 cup frozen strawberries and 1 tbsp pb blended (270)
1 whole grain piece of bread toasted with 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp pb (260)
1 cup prepared oatmeal with 1 tbsp pb (245)
1 piece of whole grain bread with 1 tsp all fruit no sugar added jelly and1 tbsp pb (230)
7 baby carrots with 2 tbsp pb (225)
1 banana with 1 tbsp pb (215)
7 Reduced Fat Triscuits with 1 tbsp pb (215)
2 organic celery stalks with 2 tbsp pb (200)
2 tbsp pb right off the spoon! (190)