Gone are the days when peanut butter was the only nut butter option on the market. The global nut-based market only continues to rise, with it expected to grow at a rate of around seven percent by 2025. Nut butters are a healthy option for a person of any age to eat.
With nut butter continuing to become more popular, a lot of people wonder what the different health benefits of the different kinds are. Wonder no longer. In this guide, we’ll go over five health benefits you can encounter when consuming different types of nut butters.
What Types of Nut Butter Are There?
As we said, there are more options available to you these days than simply peanut butter. Some popular types of nut butter include:
- Almond
- Cashew
- Hazelnut
- Soy nut
- Sunflower seed
- Walnut
Trying out different types of nut butters can be an exciting culinary experience. Each type has its own distinct flavor.
The Five Health Benefits of Nut Butter:
Now that we’ve talked about what types of nut butters are most popular, let’s dive into what their health benefits are.
1. Improved Heart Health:
Many nut butters contain nutrients that have been shown to improve a person’s heart health. They include:
- Niacin
- Vitamin E
- Magnesium
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)
- Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)
The proportion of MUFAs and PUFAs to the number of saturated fats in your diet is key for heart health. Nut butter has a similar ratio to olive oil. That’s also considered a heart-healthy option.
The thing to keep in mind is that many types of nut butters are high in calories. If you don’t want to put on weight, you’ll need to adhere to the suggested serving size of whatever nut butter you’re consuming. Eating more than what’s recommended will increase your sodium and fat intake, which isn’t good for your heart.
2. Boost for Bodybuilding:
Bodybuilders and other types of fitness enthusiasts will include peanut and other types of nut butters in their daily diet. Very active people require a higher amount of calories per day, sometimes up to or more than 3,000 calories. Since most nut butter has a higher amount of calories, it’s a great way to increase your unsaturated fat and caloric intake.
You can also find protein in different types of nut butters. Protein is essential for repairing and building muscles. Nut butter isn’t a complete protein, however, so it won’t count toward your daily protein intake.
3. Healthy Option for Weight Loss:
Peanuts have been shown to improve a person’s satiety, which refers to how full they feel. This is because of their higher fiber, fat, and protein content.
When making smoothies or preparing a mid-afternoon snack, add the recommended serving size of a peanut or other types of nut butters. Not only will you get to taste the deliciousness of nut butters, but you’ll feel fuller for longer after having a small amount of it.
4. Help Manage Your Blood Sugar Levels:
Nut butter is a low-carb food that has good amounts of protein, nutrients, and fat. Healthy nut butter also doesn’t contain any added sugar. That results in it not having a big impact on your blood glucose levels.
For those with diabetes, consuming nut butter is a healthy option. Nut butter is a wonderful source of monounsaturated fat, which diabetic individuals need more of.
Additionally, peanut butter has magnesium in it, which diabetic people need. If a diabetic person has a long period of high blood sugar, their magnesium levels may decrease. Consuming nut butter is a great option to adding more magnesium into their diet.
5. Good Source of Nutrients and Vitamins:
Did you know that a single serving of nut butter is filled with a variety of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins? Below are some of the wonderful goodness you can find in a variety of types of nut butter:
- Magnesium: Magnesium is essential for a person’s health as it plays a part in around 300 chemical processes in your body
- Protein: Nut butter contains protein, starting at around 7.02 grams in peanut butter
- Phosphorous: Phosphorous is key in helping your body’s cells create energy and building healthy bones
- Niacin: Niacin helps a person’s digestion, energy production, and nerve function
- Zinc: Zinc helps with DNA formation, protein synthesis, and immunity
- Vitamin B-6: This vitamin is key for the immune system and heart health
Like we talked about before, eating the recommended serving size is key to enjoying the benefits of nut butter. If you eat more than the recommended amount, you’ll be consuming more saturated fats, sodium, and calories.
Which Nut Butter Is Right for Me?
Which nut butter you prefer depends on any dietary restrictions you have, personal preferences, or allergies. Let’s talk about some of the most common types of nuts butter.
Peanut Butter:
You can get a lot of nutrients from peanut butter, but in comparison to other types of nuts, it has the lowest amount of minerals and vitamins. However, it does have a high satiety value. It also has a higher amount of protein than other nuts and seed butter.
Cashew Butter:
Cashew butter has a lower amount of fat than other types of nuts. It’s one of the best sources for:
- Magnesium
- Essential amino acids
- Monounsaturated acids
With that in mind, it doesn’t contain any omega-3 fatty acids.
Almond Butter:
Almond butter is a very nutrient-dense foods option. It has more magnesium and phosphorus than peanut butter does. Additionally, one serving size has around 50% of the daily recommended amount for vitamin E.
Start Incorporating Nut Butter Into Your Diet
As you can see, a nut is a healthy option for anyone to incorporate into their diet. Whether you prefer cashew butter, almond butter, or another type, consuming it in moderation will provide you with numerous health benefits.
For more information on other healthy foods, you can incorporate into your diet, check out one of our other articles.
