FitSugar

5 Things: Almond Butter

FitSugar — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 12:30:00 -0700

Almond Butter is one of my favorite treats. A spoonful of it with some dark chocolate chips and dried cranberries is absolutely divine and, not to mention, satisfying.

1 tbsp of almond butter contains 95 calories, 8g of healthy fat (this can help to lower LDL cholesterol), no cholesterol, 2g of fiber, and 2.5g of protein.
2 tbsp of almond butter contains 86 mg of calcium. Your RDI of calcium is 1,000 mg.
Almond butter is a good source or magnesium, Vitamin E, and potassium. It's also a great source of selenium, which has been shown to be effective in preventing cancer.
People who have a peanut allergy can eat almond butter (only if it's processed in a plant that doesn't process peanut products).
To prevent almond butter from going rancid, it should be stored in a cool dry place until it's opened, and then stored in the fridge after that.

Source

Nut Breakdown

FitSugar — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 03:15:00 -0800

One of the easiest foods to snack on (in my opinion) is nuts - a great Super Bowl munchable. Dieters tend to shy away from them because of their high fat content - but they have the the unsaturated heart-healthy fat that may help to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Just want to remind you that even though they are loaded with "good" fat, you still should limit yourself to a handful.

Check out how these crows eat their nuts...

Okay, here's the Nut Break Down for a 1 oz serving of each nut (dry-roasted, no salt added), including calories, total fat, saturated fat (bad fat), and protein.

Almond (20-24 nuts): 161 cals, 14g fat, 1g sat fat, 6g protein
Brazil Nut (6-8 nuts): 183 cals, 19g fat, 4g sat fat, 4g protein
Cashew (16-18 nuts): 160 cals, 13g fat, 3g sat fat, 4g protein
Grape Nuts: (just kidding)

Want to see the rest? Then read more

Hazelnut (18-20 nuts): 180 cals, 17g fat, 1g sat fat, 4g protein
Macadamia (10-12 nuts): 201 cals, 21g fat, 3g sat fat, 2g protein
Peanut (28 nuts): 166 cals, 14g fat, 2g sat fat, 7g protein
Pecan (18-20 halves): 198 cals, 21g fat, 2g sat fat, 3g protein
Pine nut (150-157 nuts): 188 cals, 19g fat, 1g sat fat, 4g protein
Pistachio (45-47 nuts): 159 cals, 13g fat, 2g sat fat, 6g protein
Walnut (14 halves): 183 cals, 18g fat, 2g sat fat, 4g protein

So go ahead and enjoy a handful of nuts. It's a great source of protein and healthy fats.

Nutty About Nuts

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:30:00 -0700

I think of nuts as little nuggets of energy, since ounce per ounce they are one of the most nutritionally dense foods around. Nuts are high in protein, but unlike meat, they are low in saturated fat. Also absent from nuts – cholesterol. Instead nuts contain phytosterols, which are considered heart healthy since they help to lower cholesterol.

We all know that variety is the spice of life, and this philosophy holds true for nuts. Not only do they vary in taste and shape, but they each have fairly unique nutritional properties too.

Here's a little lesson on nut nutrition:

Almonds: An ancestor to stone fruits, the almond is high in vitamin E. Vitamin E is considered a powerful antioxidant that helps prevents cells from damaging oxidative stress that has been linked not only to heart disease, but to Alzheimer’s as well.
Brazil Nuts: Just one of these large nuts exceeds the daily requirement intake (RDI) for the mineral selenium. The mineral selenium is also an antioxidant proven to reduce the risk of cancer.

To learn about three more nuts just read more

Peanuts: Technically, the peanut is considered a legume and is related to peas and beans, but we tend to treat it like a nut. They are high in niacin and folate. These B vitamins are known to decrease the risk of certain cancers and protect against cognitive decline. Folate is extremely important for women before and during pregnancy.
Pecans: This North American native is packed with antioxidants. They are considered to be on par with antioxidant superstars cherries and cranberries.
Pistachios: This nut is extremely high in phytosterols that are know to fight cholesterol. These green nuggets also protect against breast and prostate cancer.
Walnuts: Singular among nuts in their omega-3 fatty acid content, walnuts have gotten much press of late. Omega-3s help protect against coronary heart disease, depression, and menstrual cramps.

Fit's tip: Just want to remind you that while nuts are a great food, you want to eat them only a handful at a time due to their high fat content. Sprinkle chopped nuts over salads, oatmeal, or pastas.

For a caloric breakdown on nuts check out this nut breakdown.

Source

Healthy Eating Tip: Go Nuts, But Go Raw

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Do you avoid nuts because they're high in fat? Remember, it's the saturated fat you need to worry about, and most nuts including peanuts, cashews, walnuts, and almonds have less than three grams per one ounce serving of this bad fat. The good news is that nuts are high in healthy fats your body needs - unsaturated fats. Some studies have shown that this type of fat can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol. Plus nuts are also cholesterol-free. When choosing nuts, go for the ones that are raw rather than oil-roasted, since those contain slightly less fat and calories. Remember, even though they are full of healthy fats, you still want to watch your portions. A handful of nuts is generally a one ounce serving.

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Food Review: Snacktrition Nuts

FitSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Companies have been enhancing common foods for a while now. They add calcium to orange juice, omega-3s to yogurt, and caffeine to energy drinks. I don't have a problem with any of these products, and think they're great for people who want more from their food. Just recently though I saw a newcomer to this word of enhanced foods - Snacktrition Nuts.

I have to admit that when I found out these nuts had fiber added to them, I was a little skeptical. Don't nuts contain fiber already? I guess for some people who don't get enough fiber, these would be great to add to their diet. So how does the fiber content in these nuts compare to regular nuts? To find out read more

Here's the nutritional information for 1/4 cup of nuts:

	Regular Cashews (dry roasted with salt)	Regular Cashews (dry roasted, no salt)	Snacktrition Sea Salt Cashews	Snacktrition Salt & Pepper Cashews
Calories	195	195	160	170
Total Fat	15.8g	15.8g	12g	13g
Saturated Fat	3.1g	3.1g	2g	2.5g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg	0mg	0mg
Sodium	218mg	5mg	150mg	35mg
Carbs	11.1g	11.1g	9g	9g
Fiber	1g	1g	3g	3g
Sugars	1.7g	1.7g	2g	2g
Protein	5.2g	5.2g	3g	4g

Well now you can see that these Snacktrition cashews only have two extra grams of fiber. I was expecting these nuts to have more than that since their whole marketing thing is that they are "health baked with fiber." The fiber comes from added inulin, which is an soluble fiber that usually comes from the chicory plant. I don't know if it's the inulin that made these nuts taste a little weird, but I think I'll stick to regular cashews.

Have any of you tried these nuts? Tell me what you thought in the comments section below.

Nutty For Nutritional Info on Nut Butters

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:30:00 -0800

When I was a child, I loved peanut butter. In college I experimented with almond butter. Cashew butter, which I dabble in every once in a while, is just heavenly. My girls, however, only like peanut butter, which made me curious - are all nut butters created equal? Does it matter which nut butter you choose? Is one more healthy than the other?

To see a side-by-side nutritional comparison of many popular nut butters read more.

This chart compares creamy, organic, all-natural nut butters. Essentially, the ingredients are mostly limited to nuts, just nuts.

2 tbsp.	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Peanut Butter (no salt)	190	16	2	0	7	3	8
Peanut Butter (salted)	190	16	2	80	7	3	8
Almond Butter (no salt)	190	16	1.5	0	6	4	7
Cashew Butter (no salt)	190	15	3	0	10	2	5
Soy Nut Butter (no salt)	200	14	2	0	8	2	10
Soynut Butter (salted)	200	14	2	150	8	2	10
Macadamia Nut Butter (no salt)	230	24	4	0	4	3	2

Soynut butter has the most protein, but almond butter has the most fiber and least amount of saturated fat. They're all pretty similar though, except for macadamia nut butter, which tastes so good but should really only be a splurge. So I guess it's all about personal preference when deciding which is better for smearing.

Source, Source, and Source

Weekend Well-Being: Make Your Own Mixed Nut Butter

FitSugar — Sat, 16 May 2009 03:00:00 -0700

Spreading nut butter on bread or crackers makes a great snack, but I was getting a little tired of plain old boring peanut butter. So I thought, why not make my own with all my favorite nuts and seeds? It tastes so fresh and unique, and since there are so many different nuts and seeds to choose from, the possibilities are endless.

This recipe can't be any easier. To see it read more.

Mixed Nut Butter
From my own kitchen

Ingredients

2 cups of nuts and seeds including cashews, almonds, sunflower, and walnuts (here's your chance to be creative)

Directions

Pour three to four different nuts in a measuring cup until they equal about two cups.
Place the nuts in a food processor and grind. Check the consistency periodically. This isn't quite ready yet.
After at least five minutes or so, your nut butter will look creamy.

Serve it as a dip for an appetizer with cut up fruit and crackers, or store it in a closed container to use as you please.

Print recipe with images | without images

Healthy Recipe: Soy Nut Butter Muddy Buddies

FitSugar — Sat, 02 May 2009 03:30:00 -0700

If you're a huge peanut butter lover, then you're going to love this satisfyingly crunchy snack. It's actually made with soy nut butter, which tastes a lot like peanut butter, and contains the same amount of protein, fiber, and calories, but contains less fat. This recipe comes from an old friend, and it's a healthier variation of the Muddy Buddies recipe you can find on a box of Rice Chex cereal. I omitted the chocolate chips and used a little honey and raisins instead to add natural sweetness. I also substituted Earth Balance margarine for the butter, and cut out a cup of powdered sugar. It makes a great party snack, a topping for your yogurt, or pack a small bag for an afternoon nibble.

To see my recipe read more.

Healthy Recipe: Soy Nut Butter Muddy Buddies
An old friend's recipe

Ingredients

1 cup soy nut butter
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
9 cups Rice Crunch-Ems cereal (or Rice Chex)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

In a microwaveable bowl combine soy nut butter, honey, and margarine. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute, stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla.
In a larger bowl, place the cereal. Pour soy nut butter mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
Pour into 2-gallon food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag and shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Pour into container and store in the refrigerator.

Makes 18 half cup servings.

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Here's the nutritional info of this recipe, compared with that of the original Rice Chex Muddy Buddies recipe. As you can see, this version is slightly healthier.

Ingredient	Calories	Fat (g)	Sat Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
1 cup soy nut butter	1207	78.1	10.6	0	994	71	21.3	49.7
2 tbsp honey	120	0	0	0	0	34	0	0
1/4 cup Earth Balance	400	44	18	0	480	0	0	0
1 tsp vanilla	12	0	0	0	0	.5	0	0
1/2 cup raisins	217	.4	0	0	0	57.4	2.7	2.2
9 cups Rice Crunch-Ems	990	0	0	0	1,350	234	18	36
1/2 cup powdered sugar	233	.1	0	0	0	59.8	0	0
1/2 cup serving of Soy Nut Butter Muddy Buddies	176.6	6.8	1.6	0	156.9	25.3	2.3	4.9
1/2 cup serving of Original Chex Mix Muddy Buddies Recipe	210	9	4	5	170	29	1	3

Go Nuts! Eat Healthy Fats

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:30:00 -0700

Women are scared of FAT. We think that if we eat fat, we'll become fat. It's true that certain types of fat are unhealthy for us. Trans fat should be avoided like cigarettes. Also, foods high in saturated fat like butter, cream, sausage, bologna, and bacon can clog up your arteries, so moderation is key when it comes to those fats.

Then there are unsaturated fats. Nuts, olives, olive and canola oil, avocado, and pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds all contain these healthy fats. Some people avoid nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashews, and peanuts because of their high fat content, but most of the fat is monounsaturated (a kind of unsaturated fat) - which can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol.

Besides lowering LDL cholesterol, nuts are great sources of protein, fiber, Vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, potassium, riboflavin, and selenium.

Fit's Tips: Try to include a variety of these heart healthy fats in your diet. You can replace unhealthy saturated fats with these healthy fats by spreading peanut or almond butter on your toast instead of butter. Also instead of adding chocolate chips to your cookies, add walnuts. You can also eat snacks that contain nuts such as LARABARs and KIND Fruit + Nut bars.

Source

Avoiding Peanut Butter? Try These Alternatives

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0800

This whole peanut butter recall has really put a damper on my peanut-butter-loving life. I know not all peanut butter has been recalled, but truthfully, I've used avoiding peanut butter as an excuse to branch out. One positive outcome from this salmonella scare is that I rediscovered my love for crunchy almond butter, and recently tried walnut butter for the first time.

So don't fret about losing peanut butter. To see the nutritional breakdown of some interestingly tasty peanut-free alternatives read more.

Serving Size = 2 tbsp	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Sunflower Seed Butter	185	15.3	1.6	1	8.8	3	6.3
Sunflower Seed Butter (salted)	185	15.3	1.6	166	8.8	3	6.3
Almond Butter	190	16	1.5	0	6	4	7
Cashew Butter	190	15	3	0	10	2	5
Soy Nut Butter	200	14	2	0	8	2	10
Soy Nut Butter (salted)	200	14	2	150	8	2	10
Macadamia Butter	230	24	4	0	4	3	2
Macadamia Butter With Cashews	214	21	3.4	1	6	2.23	3.7
Walnut Butter With Cashews	205	19	2	0	4	2	5
Hempseed Butter	145	9	5	10	7	1	11
Pumpkin Seed Butter	200	16	3	80	2	2	10
Hazelnut Butter	180	17	1	0	5	3	4
Golden Pea Butter	160	10	1	0	16	2	4

Tell me your favorite peanut butter alternative in the comments sections below.