The Truth About Nut Butters – Are They Really Good For You?
Many health experts claim that nut butters can be extremely healthy for you and should be included in your diet because of all the nutritional value they have. Nuts are an excellent source of fiber, healthy fat, protein, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
However, there is big difference between nuts and processed nut butter. While there is a lot of evidence and claims suggesting nut butters are good for you, I am going to suggest that they are not as healthy as they claim to be and give you a few reasons why.
• Many nut butters are not organic. A great deal of nut butters are harvested and produced with a lot of chemicals which obviously is not good for your health or that of the planets.
• Nut butters often contain mold. This produces a chemical called aflatoxin – common in the processing of “tree” or “ground” nuts, including almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews and peanuts. The toxin has been shown to have carcinogenic, mutagenic and immunosuppressive properties.
• Nut butters may be exposed to harmful bacteria. Because most nut butters are processed in massive quantities it’s hard to prevent and test for contamination. Many nut butters have been pulled of the shelves because they have found to contain bacteria such as salmonella.
• Nut butters are often full of additives. Nut butters may contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils (high in trans-fats) and other fillers such as cornstarch and corn syrup.
• Nut butters are high in omega 6 fatty acids. While some omega 6 fatty acids are good for you, too much of them can be harmful and effect your health. You need the right balance of fatty acids including the proper omega 3 and omega 6 ratios.
• Peanuts are not really nuts. Peanuts are legume which contains lectins – they attack the intestinal mucus membrane and many people suffer from “leaky gut syndrome” which potentially allows whole proteins into the blood stream and may trigger an auto immune response. Peanut butter also has the highest concentration of aflatoxins, and they are among the most heavily (pesticide) sprayed food grown.
Good news for nut butter eaters
Up until the end of last year, I use to eat a lot of store bought nut butters because I believed them to be healthy.
If you are like me who loves nut butter and the nutritional value nuts have, there is a healthy alternative for consuming it. Make your own nut butter and eat in moderation.
To make a great tasting nut butter, follow this simple recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup roasted or raw nuts
1 tbsp of healthy oil
½ a tsp of agave syrup (optional but gives your nut butter a sweet taste)
*If you are making almond butter you can use almond oil or, walnut oil for walnut butter. Make sure you use unrefined cold pressed oil for the healthiest option. I love using coconut oil.
Stay away from store bought nut butters if you can and make your own healthy home-made recipe today.
image courtesy of chrismek
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