Why I Prefer Peanut Butter to Almond Butter

When I first purchased the PB2 peanut butter powder, I did some research online and came across this article. I disagree with the author’s opinion on PB2. While I don’t eat it all the time, it works great in smoothies and as a spread on pancakes when regular peanut butter would just add too many calories. I actually really like the taste and consistency of it, even though it’s different from regular peanut butter. I definitely plan to continue purchasing and using PB2.

In addition to discussing PB2, the author discusses regular peanut butter and adds reasons she prefers almond butter to peanut butter. In the past I never had a preference for one over the other. I kept jars of both and used them with sandwiches, sliced bananas, on pancakes, and in other ways. I loved them both. However, I no longer buy almond butter, although I know Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Spread contains almonds. I now prefer peanut butter to almond butter for several reasons.

1. Peanut butter is lower in copper and has a better ratio of zinc to copper. According to the Nutrition Facts Android app, a two-tablespoon serving of peanut butter contains 15% of the RDA of copper and 10% of the RDA of zinc. Almond butter, on the other hand and according to the same app, has 34% of the RDA of copper and just over 13% of the RDA of zinc. This makes peanut butter much easier to balance with simple zinc sources like maple syrup and string cheese and should even be safe to eat without another balancing zinc source. Almond butter would need something higher in zinc in order to balance it. A cup of whole milk plain yogurt, according to the app, has about 18% of the RDA of zinc which should balance it out nicely.
2. Peanut butter is lower in vitamin E. Two tablespoons of peanut butter have 19% of the RDA of vitamin E according to the Nutrition Facts Android app. Since it has a little iron in it as well, it’s relatively easy to add iron-fortified breads, cereals, etc. to help fill the gap between the iron and vitamin E percentages. Almond butter, on the other hand, has 52% of the RDA of vitamin E in two tablespoons. It has a little more iron than peanut butter, but with the whopping amount of vitamin E, it doesn’t help much if at all. The vitamin E content of almonds and almond butter is one reason I rarely consume them now unless it’s in small amounts. It seems too easy to deplete iron with this amount of vitamin E. I’m not sure of the exact amount of vitamin E in Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, but the cocoa adds a bit more iron. I’ve been able to make a meal out of it with iron-fortified bread, to make a sandwich, and a cup of yogurt. I can also spread some on some rice cakes to have with sliced banana and sausage.
3. Peanut butter is less expensive. I buy MaraNatha organic peanut butter, and for it being organic, it’s actually reasonably priced. I’ve seen organic almond butter products on the shelf at the same store that can cost two to three times as much. As of this writing, I can find a two-pack of the MaraNatha creamy organic peanut butter on Amazon for $14.58. A two-pack of the MaraNatha creamy almond butter, not even organic, sells for $31.16. Comparing the crunchy peanut butter to the crunchy almond butter yields prices of $12.84 and $18.73, respectively. Of course, these products are sold by different merchants, and the prices will vary. Generally speaking, from what I’ve seen, peanut butter is quite a bit less expensive than almond butter.

Food Babe is no longer allowing comments on the article linked above, so I wanted to share my own personal reasons for preferring peanut butter over almond butter through my blog. Both of these are great options to include in a healthy diet, but for me, it’s just easier to incorporate peanut butter. Almond butter is actually delicious, but it’s more difficult to incorporate into my diet due to its higher copper and vitamin E content, especially relative to zinc and iron. Also, buying peanut butter instead of almond butter saves me money.

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