The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Healthy Peanut Butter

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Why "Good" Peanut Butter Matters so much?

You might be wondering, "It's just peanut butter, right?" Well, yes, but the ingredients in your peanut butter can significantly impact your digestive system and overall health.

Healthy Fats: Peanuts naturally contain healthy fats, so any additional oils like refined vegetable oil, canola oil or even coconut oil should be avoided in peanut butter.

Protein & Fibre: Peanut butter is a good source of protein and fibre, which is essential for satiety and a healthy gut.

Added Nasties: When manufacturers add unnecessary ingredients like sugar, unhealthy oils, and artificial additives, it can disrupt your gut microbiome, lead to inflammation, and contribute to multiple health issues.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

So What to "Look For" and What to "Avoid" in Peanut Butter


To make it super easy, here's a quick guide based on what truly healthy peanut butter looks like:

1. Percentage of peanuts: More than 90-100% of peanuts
2. Added oils: No added oils (peanuts contain healthy fats)
3. Sugar content: Unsweetned or no added sugar
4. Salt content: Low sodium (<120mg per 100mg) or no added salt 
5. Flavours and additives: Minimal or none; if present, only safe emulsifiers like INS 322 (lecithin)

I always believe in this golden rule? 

The fewer ingredients, the better! Ideally, your peanut butter should have just one ingredient and that is peanuts, peanuts and only peanuts! Maybe a tiny pinch of salt is okay. But nothing more and nothing less


Lets see How Much Peanuts are there in Your Peanut Butter? 

(Brand Breakdown!)

You'd be surprised to see how much filler can be in some of the popular brands you use almost regularly! These are some common peanut butter brands to show you just how much peanut content they actually have:






Many popular brands include a lot of added sugar, unhealthy hydrogenated oils, and other additives. Even "chocolate" versions often prioritize sugar over peanut content. So at the end the goodness of peanuts is lost because of so many additives and sugar content.

So The Best Choice is to choose brands with 100% Peanuts!

The absolute best peanut butter for your gut and overall health will be those made with 100% peanuts and no added oils, sugars, additives, or artificial flavors. 


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