What Is Natural Peanut Butter? — Healthy Tip Of The Week!

Yo!  In this Healthy Tip Of The Week, I’d like to answer a question I get asked a lot and that’s about peanut butter – what makes it natural and what to look for when buying clean peanut butter.

P.S. Did I mention I LOVE peanut butter?  Because I do.  It’s creamy amazingness.  

Okay, I’m glad I got that off my chest.

You may have noticed in my recipes that I call for “natural peanut butter,” like in my no-bake chocolate peanut butter energy balls and my dark chocolate peanut butter cups.  <— BTW you should totes make those 🙂

Natural peanut butter is basically peanut butter in it’s simplest form: just peanuts.  Sometimes, this can also include some form of salt, but a very small amount of it.

Unfortunately, a LOT of the peanut butters out there contain a lot of added (and refined) sugars, added (and uneccesary) oils, and salts, among other unneeded ingredients which make them not a clean peanut butter option. 

When I look at peanut butters at the store, I look at the ingredients list and the first thing I look for is a very short list of ingredients.  If there are 4 or more ingredients, I put it back.  I make sure the ingredients are just peanuts and possibly a very small amount of added salts, depending on my options at the store.

Tip: if you see any added hydrogenated oils, put it back – that’s NOT a healthy option for you. 

Unfortunately, this means putting back some of your favorite brands if you’re wanting to choose whole, real foods.  I know…I had a hard time with this at first, too.  BUT I promise – it will be okay – clean peanut butters are super delicious and make a great addition to a clean lifestyle.  (If you don’t believe me, just check out the list of recipes I’ve got for you below…)

I use natural peanut butter all the time to make energy balls, protein shakes, quick snacks (like these protein bars), and more to add that additional healthy fat, liquid, and protein.  You can also make your own homemade peanut butter if you’d like…it’s shockingly simple 🙂

So, next time you’re at the store and trying to figure out which peanut butter to grab, look for the ones with the simplest, smallest amount of ingredients, and that will be a great start to removing unnecessary added fats and sugars from your food.

Some of My Favorite Recipes That Use Natural Peanut Butter:

• No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls
• Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
• $850 Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Chocolate, Banana & Peanut Butter Protein Shake
• No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
• Honey-Roasted Peanut Butter (if you want to make it for yourself)
• Green Protein Smoothie

If you’d like to learn more about clean eating, make sure to download my free guide to clean eating to get started eating clean today!

Have an idea for future Healthy Tip Of The Week?  Share in the comments below and I’d love to help ya out!