5 Ways Almond Butter Beats Peanut Butter

I'm not above sticking a spoon in a jar of peanut butter and calling it breakfast — in fact, it's one of my favorite guilty pleasure snacks — but there's a new nut butter that's stolen my heart. I will always love a classic PB&J, but I've decided there is more than one way almond butter is better than peanut butter. I know you're questioning years of your school lunches, if not your entire childhood, but hear me out.

I'm not saying that Reese's should abandon their signature peanut butter-filled cups in lieu of almond butter — although, if they did, I would be the first to stock up on them — but almond butter has peanut butter beat in more ways than one. A product of the world's most perfect snack food, almond butter is a delicious and nutritious alternative to plain old peanut butter. Its smooth and creamy flavor is the stuff of snacking dreams. Whether you need a protein boost for your post work-out smoothie, a yummy topping for your morning oatmeal, or a new sandwich spread, almond butter has you covered.

Move over peanuts, because there is a new spread in town. Here are five ways almond butter is better than peanut butter. Your snacking game will never be the same again.

1. Almond Butter Helps Improve Your Immune System

While both peanut and almond butter are a great source of vitamins and minerals, almond butter is the better of the two. Compared to peanut butter, it contains triple the amount of Vitamin E, an important antioxidant that aids your immune system and might even help prevent heart disease and certain types of carcinogens from forming. Those are some pretty great health benefits from a pretty great food.

2. The Fat In Almond Butter Is Heart Healthy

Peanut butter and almond butter have virtually the same amount of calories per serving. However, peanut butter contains more Omega-6 fatty acids, which has been linked to inflammation and acne, whereas almond butter has more monounsaturated fat, which actually can help lower cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. When deciding between pimples and a longer life, I think the choice is simple.

3. Almond Butter Provides More Much-Needed Fiber To Your Daily Diet

When you think of fiber, you might think of older people, but the truth is fiber is an important part of everyone's diet. Fiber's benefits include lowering cholesterol levels, normalizing blood glucose and insulin levels, and the most obvious, regularity. It's a close call, but in the end, almond butter wins, containing over 30 percent more fiber than peanut butter. The nutritional comparison does not lie.

4. There's More Calcium In Almond Butter — A Lot More

Nutrition is important on all scales, small or large, micro or macro. Almond butter has you covered on all fronts, more so than peanut butter. When compared side-by-side, almond butter contains more iron, potassium, and zinc than peanut butter. The biggest difference between the two, however, is calcium, which almond butter contains four times more of. Essential for building and maintaining strong bones, calcium is especially important for women's health, and luckily, almond butter provides plenty of it.

5. No Additives, No Problem

Peanut butter has been a household staple for a lot longer than almond butter, which means there are a lot more brands on the market. Unfortunately, this also means that there is a higher chance of finding additives like sugar and trans fat in store-bought peanut butters. Almond butter, on the other hand, hasn't been around as long, and typically has less unhealthy and unnatural ingredients in it. In the end, though, the most important thing when buying your nut butter, no matter the nut butter, is to read the ingredients, and buy natural.

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Images: the little red house, Martijn van Exel, Breville USA, Harsha K R, storebukkebruse, Edsel Little /Flickr