Done with “Healthy” Peanut and Nut Butters

I recently decided to stop buying and using the “healthy” peanut butters. In addition to being more expensive, they were extremely hard to stir and would harden over time. I’ve found that the cheaper and more popular brands are tastier and easier to use. Unless something changes, I definitely plan to stick with them.

For several years, I’d buy the natural peanut butters that just contain peanuts and salt. The food police all said that these were the healthy options and that the usual supermarket brands were unhealthy, bad for the environment, or were negative in some other way. I stopped buying the Natural Jif I enjoyed and began buying the healthier natural brands that didn’t have the extra ingredients. These were just okay to me. At times, I would spoon out a serving that was a bit too oily, and at other times the serving would be dry and hard. Thinking that a lack of good mixing might be the reason, I would spend a lot of time stirring the contents of a new jar I’d just opened to make sure I mixed it well. Over time, I noticed that it was actually hurting my wrist and hands. I decided to seek out another brand of healthier peanut butter that was no-stir. While I found something decent, it still got hard over time. I finally decided just to go back to the Natural Jif. Not only did it differ very little in terms of ingredients and nutrition to the healthier brand, it was also cheaper. I didn’t recall it getting hard when I used it before, so I decided to give it another try. I’ve used several jars since. It has never gotten hard, and it’s absolutely delicious. It tastes so much better than the more expensive and healthier versions I was using previously. I’ve not regretted returning to Natural Jif and plan to continue getting it as long as it’s available and as long as nothing else changes.

Along with the healthier peanut butters, I was getting Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut spread. I switched to it from Nutella when I cut dairy from my diet back in 2013. I loved Nutella and wanted an alternative. I started eating dairy regularly about a year and a half later, and I actually stayed with Justin’s rather than switching back to Nutella. Justin’s was delicious and didn’t have all the sugar that the Nutella had. It did, however, have some of the same problems of the healthier peanut butters. It would get hard, and at times I remember having to stir it until my hands and wrists hurt. I tried to find alternatives to the Justin’s but decided just to go back to Nutella. I figured I didn’t eat it enough for the high sugar content to matter much. Nutella is also more readily available. While it does tend to harden, at least when it’s stored in the refrigerator, it softens once you spoon out a serving.  I just try to spread it after it’s been out for a few minutes. The Justin’s spread I don’t believe ever softened. Nutella is very sweet, but compared to the Justin’s, it’s softer and easier to spread, at least after it’s left out for a short time. Nutella is also one I will continue to use and buy as long as nothing changes.

After switching back to Nutella and Natural Jif, I will probably never go back to the “healthier” brands. They are less expensive and are easier to use. The Natural Jif definitely has a better flavor than the other peanut butters I’ve used over the past several years. Nutella and Justin’s are both delicious, but the fact that the Nutella doesn’t need to be stirred and that it softens and spreads more easily once taken out of the jar give it an edge over the Justin’s. “Healthier” doesn’t always mean “better”, and this is particularly true when it comes to peanut and nut butters!

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