Changing food choices....natural peanut butter

cloneme_losehalf
cloneme_losehalf Posts: 356 Member
edited October 2 in Food and Nutrition
I did my grocery shopping today. I hope the bill gets less as I start filling the pantry with the better foods. But anyway, before I go out there and try the natural peanut butter over my tradition normal jar. Can anyone tell me if there is a taste difference to expect? I tried FF Mayo and it just tastes too rubbery to me. FF salad dressings seem to taste too bitter. I also bought Almond Vanilla Breeze as suggested to use in a recipe in a cookbook I have (Its a Hungry Girl cookbook). I am assuming this is in replace of milk when cooking? (Needed it for a pumpkin oatmeal parfait...sounds good to me anyway..LOL)

Replies

  • CronoCX
    CronoCX Posts: 59 Member
    You can try Adam's Natural Peanut butter you have to mix in the oil stuff floating on top when you get it but, taste great. Not much diff at all but its pure and no sugar added only has natural sugars.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    Try skippy natural! Tastes just like normal PB. The ones with the oil on top are good, but hard to mix! Another good brand is Parker Farms. No mixing involved.
  • jrreed1
    jrreed1 Posts: 57 Member
    I've switched to natural peanut butter. Starting out, it was a little peanuttier tasting, not as sweet as the regular stuff. Now I prefer it to the sugary tasting regular peanut butter.
  • Meh I just eat good ole JIF xD it really doesnt make that big of a difference. The kinds you have to stir there is a definite taste and texture difference
  • mkallie
    mkallie Posts: 110 Member
    Not a big difference... just remember to stir if you're going for the kind that separates, otherwise the stuff at the bottom gets kinda dry.
  • phlumpet
    phlumpet Posts: 106 Member
    I've always been hooked to Teddy Natural Peanut Butter so I can't speak to that lol. However, have you ever tried Vegenaise? It's a soy based mayo replacement. I like it. I'm not sure what the calorie difference is, but you might try it.
  • fallenangelloves
    fallenangelloves Posts: 601 Member
    My opinion on FF is stay away from it. It's not worth the bad taste and if you don't like what you are eating you won't stick to eating better. Natural PB is amazing... I buy it in the bulk section at Central Market. I'm a big fan of Cooking Light And Clean Eating Magazines.... Check them out!
  • Stephanie08
    Stephanie08 Posts: 1,023 Member
    I've been eating natural peanut butter for years now. You will notice a difference, first, it's not creamy like other peanutbutters because it only contains 2 ingredients peanuts, salt. All the others are loaded with sugar and other ingredients to make it creamy.

    You do have to mix in the oil, but once you do that, it's best to keep it in the refrigerator. Lastly, it tastes like peanuts, nothing but peanuts, no sugar, no additives, just good old fashioned peanuts.
  • AmandaCG
    AmandaCG Posts: 46 Member
    JIF Natural peanut butter is soooooooooo good!!!! Totally worth the xtra and way better for you.
  • fastbelly
    fastbelly Posts: 727 Member
    Any new taste you introduce requires getting used to, so the key for me was to stick with it for a while and after the "getting used to" phase you do start enjoying it and when you go do your shopping you don't even look elsewhere anymore, it just become second nature.

    I used lighter then light mayo now and yes its not the same as normal mayo but for 1/10th of the calories is pretty darn good, I use light dressings on my salads and I must say they are delicious, I use light spread cheese and in fact I've recently discovered Philadelphia spring onion & black pepper and it is amazingly good, yes it took some getting used to but in the end the change was well worth it and now I actually enjoy those tastes and I wouldn't go back.
  • Pettygirl
    Pettygirl Posts: 23 Member
    Definitely get off the regular peanut butter and switch to natural. Keep it in the fridge after stirring the first time to keep it from re-separating. if it gets dry toward the bottom a short time in the microwave softens it up. Krema is the best imo because it's creamy, not grainy. yummmy!!
  • LisaCFSF
    LisaCFSF Posts: 258 Member
    I now use Marantha (usual brand) No-Stir Natural ALMOND butter. Healthier fat than PB and tastes great! I add a little agave nectar or honey to a Tbsp of AB for added protein to use as a delicious apple or fruit dip for a healthy snack!
  • dlovesjimma
    dlovesjimma Posts: 39 Member
    I tried a couple, and my taste buds decided that Jif Natural was as natural as they were willing to go. As far as mayonnaise goes, I ended up with Hellman's olive oil mayo, a little better for you, and still tastes good.
  • McSnoozle
    McSnoozle Posts: 24 Member
    I love Maranatha organic peanutbutter! The old regular stuff now tastes too.... processed or something! You have to keep it in the fridge, because it has no preservatives!

    Fat-free dressings and mayo are loaded with other stuff that is not good for you. Try a light version or even full flavor --- you may find, like me, that the flavor and "feel" is so good, you can use less! Your body needs fats, esp the good fats, so look for olive oil in the dressings (or make your own --- experiment with vinegars, mustards and spices added in).

    I'd rather have the real thing in moderation and cut my calories elsewhere! Hope this helps.
  • Emmadennewitz
    Emmadennewitz Posts: 106 Member
    My new favorite peanut butter is white chocolate peanut butter. So good and all natural. Made by peanut butter & Co.
  • walkdmc
    walkdmc Posts: 529 Member
    I get the all natural PB at a local farmer's market. I've also seen it at a whole foods-type of grocery store. It doesn't separate, no need to mix. It only has ground up peanuts (I've also tried the almond butter-good) so the sugar content is less than the processed PB jars. It's not sweet and it's chunky but it's really good.
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    we've been using Jif Natural for the last couple of months and love it! Less sodium than reduced fat PB and I think better flavor too. And the price really isn't much more than some of the other name brand PB's.
  • toniRAD
    toniRAD Posts: 196 Member
    I love it! I prefer a natural taste more than a processed taste any day lol. Even if you don't like it as much, at least you know you're eating something that's a lot better for you.
  • cloneme_losehalf
    cloneme_losehalf Posts: 356 Member
    Thanks for all the replies. I got the JIF natural since I used JIF. I know it is simple enough to make at home after helping my daughter do a peanut butter and jelly project.

    I am going to do as suggested and give time to adjust to the "new" flavor. I got turkey bacon, turkey pepperoni and last time I tried turkey stuff it just was not right. Also bought Boca flame grilled burgers, greek yogurt, tilapia and the Almond Vanilla Breeze stuff. This should be an interesting week of changes. For the past three years I have pretty much lived on eating out or quick fix processed foods. I hope my body handles the change well.
  • I find the Jif and Skippy and what not "natural" peanut butters funny, when I think of natural I think of peanuts only (maybe salt) yet they still contain sugar and oil. Just get the regular stuff if you are still going to eat it :p

    As for real natural peanut butter, I find it to have no flavor. I've tried to like it, but I just can't do it. Plus, I hate the consistency. I like the thick creamyness of hydrogonated oil and sugar filled pb ;)
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    I eat Jiff natural, tastes good. Only like three ingredients
  • I bought a jar of the Skippy Natural... not really surprised that it tastes like regular peanut butter...it has equal amounts of sugar and fat as regular.....sometimes they'll put 'natural' on the label to fool you into thinking you're feeding your body the good stuff....when in reality, it's just the regular stuff with a different label.
  • LisaCFSF
    LisaCFSF Posts: 258 Member
    I bought a jar of the Skippy Natural... not really surprised that it tastes like regular peanut butter...it has equal amounts of sugar and fat as regular.....sometimes they'll put 'natural' on the label to fool you into thinking you're feeding your body the good stuff....when in reality, it's just the regular stuff with a different label.

    What she said...
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    It depends what you mean by "natural" peanut butter. If you mean peanut butter that is made from peanuts with no salt, sugar or other additives, then yes, there is a difference in taste. You'll get used to it, but it is quite different.

    If you buy something that is called "natural" but still has sugar, salt and who knows what else added - then it is much more likely to taste pretty similar, but will probably have similar nutritional value too.

    My new favourite alternative to peanut butter is almond, brazil and cashew buttter. Is doesn't have anything in it besides the ground up nuts and is delicious!
This discussion has been closed.