Natural Peanut Butter vs. Commercially Prepared

I'd like to make the switch. I eat reduced fat Jif creamy at the moment. I'm sure the natural pb tastes phenominal... care to comment?

I've never had natural PB before, but I do know that people switch over to the natural stuff not because of taste, but because of the hydrogenated oils in the regular. Regular PB has trans fats which is the worst fat for health. Some people may say that trans fats will make you gain even when you try to lose weight. =/ (I'm not sure if that's true or not).
But trans fats should be avoided when possible.

Go and make the switch! I bet it IS more delicious.
I do know that with natural PB, the oil accumulates to the top and you have to stir it.

I eat natural peanut butter that comes in a jar and is made by Stop and Shop so it's not too expensive (more than Skippy but less than fancy brands). You can also get natural peanut butter fresh from a grinder in tubs, but that is more costly. By using natural peanut butter, you're skipping hydrogenated oils and trans fat, plus it does taste much better. The natural oils do separate out, so you'll either have to stir them back in or pour it off when you open the jar. I dump the oil; I like the peanut butter better when it's a bit dry. If you get unsalted, you might not be used to it and might feel like adding salt, or you can get it with some added salt. If you don't want it salty, all the better! I don't eat a lot of salt in my diet so I do get mine with added salt, and I find that I enjoy it better that way, but no salt added is even more of a health benefit.

Natural peanut butter certainly has a lot of fat in it, being a nut product and all, but in moderation that's not an issue. I eat just under 2 tablespoons of peanut butter on light bread almost daily and I've been able to lose weight anyway but eating low fat foods for my other meals. Better to eliminate hydrogenated oils and have a little more saturated fat from the nuts than have that "reduced" fat be as unhealthy as it gets.

Thanks for the feedback! I'm actually making the switch to avoid the additives and the hydrogentated oils. I'm sure the natural will taste better also. Thanks again, gonna go buy me some!!!

I love natural PB. It's not all sugary like the other stuff. Trader Joe's has really good natural PB. I think it's like $1.99. It so good. Just make sure to stir it really well and refrigerate it.

i love natural peanut butter! whenever i find myself out of natural and have to eat non-natural, it just tastes so strange! i'm not used to it anymore. natural peanut butter all the way, in my opinion! it's great stuff. :) 

I eat Smuckers natural pb...it does taste different than the other kinds..but you get used to it and now I love it...much better for you too!

Do it!  Natural, no-salt-added peanut butter is probably my favorite food ever, but it did take some getting used to in the beginning... Now, though, I can't eat "normal" peanut butter without feeling like I'm eating some kind of salty peanut frosting.

I started off with Smuckers, but switched over to some cheaper no-name brand and it tastes the same, if not better. 

And about the oil, I just stir it right in.  I've heard that pouring it out has pretty negligible effects on calories, and if you keep the jar in the fridge to keep the oils stirred-in, I've found that it keeps a "drier" consistency.

Aw man, I'm craving some now!  Time to hit up the pantry.

Happy PB-ing :D

I agree with the natural PB and while it may not reduce calorie amount I still pour out the oil (mental thing).  Sunflower butter is also a good one, and if you want to lower your fat intake, Better N Peanut Butter or Peanut Wonder is pretty good too (2tbsp for 100cal) although its not 100% the same as real PB its good for us folks (myself) who have a problem with portion controlling PB.

I bought the Smucker's brand last night. I have a tiny bit left of the old processed stuff.... probably should just throw it away!!!

I discovered a GREAT recipe last night for homemade peanut butter cups guys!!

Put a cupcake liner in a cupcake pan.... one tablespoon of lite hershey's chocolate syrup on the bottom, one tablespoon of peanut butter on top of that, top off with one tablespoon of syrup and freeze. I did this last night and came home to a yummmmmy treat after my son's baseball game. My version was 145 calories! And it's the size of a Reese's Big Cup (well over 200 calories and not as good imo)! With the Smucker's pb, it'll add about 10 calories to it...... someone else probably has already done this but I don't care, it's delicious!!!! Make just one at a time so you don't have the urge for more, not that you'll need it, it's so satisfying! You can eat it within an hour. Next time, before I eat it I'm going to put it in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to take the frostiness off. Unlike the fake reese's, it will actually freeze up. Also, you can try to melt your own chocolate down to make it completely natural, organic, what have you!! I think I'll post this in the recipes forum!

http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/userite m/60791836.html

Here's the nutrition info when using the Jif Reduced Fat Creamy! I tried to do the "recipe" but it wouldn't grab the right syrup, lame!

Like virtually everyone else here said, GO WITH THE NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER!  (I'd highly recommend the fresh-from-the-grinder route.)  In addition to being much healthier, you'll notice that it actually tastes like peanuts!!!  And if you like the natural peanut butter, try some almond butter too, mmmmm yummy.

If you have a food processor, you can make your own peanut butter. Toss in some peanuts (ideally unroasted unsalted ones) and grind like crazy.
You can also add other flavorings easily - a touch of cocoa powder or chili powder, for example. You can add salt or sweeteners as well, if you like. And other nuts grind up easily, too. Almonds, cashews, etc.

So fresh and delicious!

personally, i go with the reduced fat processed stuff. lecture me if you want, but when it comes down to it it's about calories in/out and reduced fat has less calories. i also like the taste of processed foods better. :T

the only exception is this new, all-natural stuff i discovered. it's cinnamon raisin natural peanut butter and it has less calories and fat than reduced fat. it's great, but not for EVERYTHING.

I love my smucker's natural pb!  hint -- after I weigh it -- if I'm spreading it on something - or mixing in a smoothie -- I micro it for about 15 seconds to loosen it up if I forget to get it out early enough to warm to room temp!

Original Post by jcackler:

I love my smucker's natural pb!  hint -- after I weigh it -- if I'm spreading it on something - or mixing in a smoothie -- I micro it for about 15 seconds to loosen it up if I forget to get it out early enough to warm to room temp!

 i love it too!! my brother got me hooked on it. regular peanut butter tates too sugary to me now. It is so good but stop and shop doesnt carry it or its in the organic sec. but  maybe I will try the stop and shop natrual pb

The Smucker's natural peanut butter tastes pretty good... but if you can find a store that makes/sells their own it's even better. Peanut butter with sugar in it is vile... but somehow a little salt just makes it taste better. I never drain the oil off though - I mix it all in so that I'm not eating peanut-butter-concrete by the end of the jar! 

The Smucker's natural peanut butter tastes pretty good... but if you can find a store that makes/sells their own it's even better. Peanut butter with sugar in it is vile... but somehow a little salt just makes it taste better. I never drain the oil off though - I mix it all in so that I'm not eating peanut-butter-concrete by the end of the jar!