Almond butter, peanut butter or tahini? What the nutritionist says

In recent years I am sure that you use more and more vegetable fats in your diet. If you are a fan of healthy or vegan diet, you have definitely included them in your daily diet.

Vegetable residues come either from the grind of nuts such as almond butter, peanut butter and others or by grinding ingredients such as sesame, from which tahini is derived.

Before analyzing the differences between the two, it is important to note that both nut butters have similar nutritional value. Almond butter is slightly “healthier” than peanut butter because it has more vitamins, minerals and fiber. Both nuts are about equal in calories, but peanut butter has a little more protein than almond butter.

Calories

Most nuts and nut butters are about the same in terms of calories per 100 grams. Two tablespoons of peanut butter or almonds contain a little less than 200 calories, so if your main concern is calories, it makes no difference.

However, all nut butters are considered high in calories compared to other foods, so be careful how much you spread on the slices of toast in the morning!

Good fats
Almost all nuts contain a large amount of “good fat”. Both almond butter and peanut butter are high in monounsaturated fats, which have been linked to reduced heart disease and better blood sugar control.

However, a 2 tablespoon serving of almond butter contains about 25% more monounsaturated fat than the same amount of peanut butter.

Vitamins and minerals
Almond butter excels again, as soon as you look more closely at its content of vitamins and minerals. It contains almost three times more vitamin E, twice as much iron and seven times more calcium than peanut butter.

As an antioxidant, vitamin E helps stop plaque from growing in the arteries, which can cause heart attacks. Calcium promotes bone health and iron is essential for red blood cells.

Peanut butter, on the other hand, is not devoid of essential vitamins and minerals. It also has plenty of vitamin E, calcium and iron. It just does not have as much as almond butter. Both peanut butter and almond butter contain high doses of potassium, biotin, magnesium and zinc.

Fiber
Fiber is the one that gives you the feeling of satiety faster, something that can help you maintain a healthy weight, while also helping to reduce cholesterol levels and good bowel function. Fortunately for us, all nuts contain fiber. In terms of fiber content, almond butter is again at the top compared to peanut butter. Two tablespoons of almond butter have about 3.3 grams of fiber, while 2 tablespoons of peanut butter have just 1.6 grams.

Protein
Nut butter is an excellent source of vegetable protein. As it turns out, peanut butter has a slight advantage in this case, over the almond in terms of protein content. There are 6.7 grams of protein in a serving of almond butter and 7.1 grams of protein in a serving of peanut butter.

Sugar
This is where it becomes difficult to choose the right nut spread. This is because natural almond butter and peanut butter are both quite low in sugar overall. But what you should know and be careful in the market of such products are the various impurities with sugar, cocoa, honey, syrups or fruit flavors, where of course they make nut butter rich in calories and sugar. Whatever nut butter you decide to have in your daily routine, aim for its natural version. In other words, check the label of the ingredients and make sure it says “no added sugar”.

Tahini
Last but no least! Tahini is a common ingredient in popular foods around the world, such as hummus, halva, various sweets and more. Favored for its soft texture and rich taste, it can be used as a spread, salad dressing or seasoning.

Tahini is relatively low in calories but high in fiber, protein and a variety of important vitamins and minerals.

One tablespoon (15 grams) of tahini contains the following nutrients:

• Calories: 89kcal
• Protein: 3 grams
• Carbohydrates: 3 grams
• Fat: 8 grams
• Fiber: 2 grams
• Copper: 27% of the Daily Value
• Selenium: 9% of the Daily Value
• Phosphorus: 9% of the Daily Value
• Iron: 7% of the Daily Value
• Zinc: 6% of the Daily Value
• Calcium: 5% of the Daily Value

Tahini is a very good source of copper, a trace element necessary for the absorption of iron. It is also rich in selenium, a metal that helps reduce inflammation and promotes immune health, as well as phosphorus, which is involved in maintaining bone health.

Certainly, all herbal ointments have a lot to offer you, especially if they replace various ointments such as commercial hazelnut pralines, which contain large amounts of saturated fat and sugar.

However, you should be especially careful with various fruit butters and tahini that contain additional flavors, fruits, cocoa or syrup, because these too can turn into calorie bombs and sabotage your effort for a healthy diet or weight loss.