Peanut butter is a thick spread made from ground dry roasted peanuts. It is often used on toast or crackers, but has a number of different uses, most notably in the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My son may be the number one consumer of peanut butter in the world. Peanut butter goes well as a dip for pretzel sticks, as the binding agent in cheese cracker sandwiches, and as a topping for apple slices.

Peanut butter is also used in different types of granola bars, cookies, pancakes, and in candy bars such as Reese’s peanut butter cups. You can probably find other varieties of nut butters at your grocery store as well. Almond butter and cashew butter are two popular alternatives to peanut butter. Not that anyone asked, but cashew butter is absolutely worth trying out. It’s a bit more expensive but definitely worth it.

One common misconception about peanut butter is that it’s unhealthy because it has a lot of fat in it. And while it’s true that many of the store bought brands contain additional ingredients making them unhealthy, fresh peanut butter is actually pretty darn good for you. Peanut butter contains more unsaturated fat than saturated fat. In reality, it’s actually a very good source of “healthy fats”. Just like avocados and olive oil, peanut butter is a friendly fat food.

In addition, peanut butter is a great source of protein and it also contains a good amount of potassium. Potassium can go a long way in helping to counteract the damage to our cardiovascular system caused by the excessive amounts of sodium found in our Western diets.

As with everything though, moderation is important. It won’t do you any good to eat a whole can of peanut butter in one sitting. But a 2 tablespoon serving of peanut butter will pack in not only 7 grams of protein, but also 2 grams of fiber. Fiber plays an important role in the healthy functioning of your body by helping to lower cholesterol levels, keeping blood sugar levels under control, and keeping you “regular”.

You can also just simply make your own homemade peanut butter from home. It probably a lot easier than you might think. However, I personally find that purchasing it from the health food section of our local grocery store is more convenient and it doesn’t cost that much anyway. But if you want to try making some fresh peanut butter from your home, you should definitely give it a shot. I’ll add a link to a recipe here: How To Make Homemade Peanut Butter