I’ve been getting the question “What do you think about PB2?” a lot lately on my Facebook page. PB2 is a powdered peanut butter, made by squeezing natural oils out of the peanut and then dehydrating what’s left, yielding a powder in which 90% of the fat is removed from the peanut.
Photo Credit: Gym Optional
This is the truth about PB2 and why you’ll never see me eat this manufactured substitute for peanut butter:
- PB2 is Not Whole Real Food – When I talk about the foods I eat, I tell people I want to choose the most nutrient dense foods on the planet and PB2 is just not one of them. The beauty of a peanut is that it contains all of the nutrients nature intended. It has a healthy dose of fat, protein and vitamins. PB2 extracts almost all of the essential monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, leaching the vitamin E content which is fat soluble, therefore reducing the nutritional content of the whole food. The fat is what keeps you satisfied and reduces cravings making just a tablespoon of real peanut butter so satisfying. This powdered form looks pretty clean when you review the ingredients, but it’s just another way for manufacturers to trick you into thinking less calories is better for you. They have to add a mixture of sugar and salt into the powder to make it taste better without the fat. I know I’d rather have the fat vs. the sugar and salt!
- PB2 Is Not Organic – Conventional peanuts are some of the most heavily sprayed crops ever. The amount of toxic pesticides sprayed on peanuts is suspected to have caused the increase in peanut allergies. As you know, peanuts have a very thin and porous outer layer and shell that allows toxins in easily. These toxins are not something you can wash off. Remember increased exposure to pesticides are linked to birth defects, nerve damage and cancer. The President’s Cancer Panel has urged us not to consume food sprayed with pesticides and doesn’t believe any amount is safe.
- PB2 has Added Sugar – It might not be that much added sugar but knowing what refined sugar does to my mind and my body – I try to avoid it at all costs unless it’s a special occasion. I eat nut butter almost everyday so I make sure that my variety is sugar free and made from whole organic nuts.
- Peanuts May Contain Aflatoxin – The mold that is frequently present in peanuts creates a carcinogen called Aflatoxin. This chemical has been shown to cause liver cancer in developing countries where there is a large consumption of corn, peanuts and grains grown without strict regulation of the quality of soil. Here in the United States, the FDA allows aflatoxin into our food system at varying levels. This is just not something I want to consume on a regular basis, even in small “approved” doses. For people who have had cancer or already have compromised liver function, you should really consider this information. This is why I choose to only eat Jungle Peanuts if I have a choice, because they are grown in an environment and harvested in a way that does not produce this toxin.
- And… Almond Butter is Better For Your Health – According to this analysis taken from Prevention, almond butter has 69% more calcium, twice as much fiber, 86% more iron, and 169% more vitamin E than peanut butter.
And just in case you ask – This is my new favorite almond butter:
I just discovered Tree of Life Organic Almond Butter and this product has really blown me away. The oil stays nicely mixed in when kept in the refrigerator, it’s extra creamy, raw and delicious – more than any other 100% pure almond butter I’ve ever tasted. A lot of stores don’t carry this brand, but if you live in Charlotte, you can find it at Healthy Home Market.
I hope I didn’t burst anyone’s bubble about PB2… Just remember when a product seems too good to be true, it probably is!
What’s your favorite nut butter?
Food Babe
There is nothing wrong with PB2 it is simply a low fat high protien replacement to normal PB
The same thing can be done with any nut to reduce the fat content. sure you will loose some nutrients but that is true of any food that is ‘processed’ in any way BTW most all foods are processed what do you think cooking is. Fresh and Raw in most cases will get you what you need more often than not and you can eat more of it without fear of suffering from excesses.
It is amazing the lack of real information people have and use, weight loss is simple, calories in vs calories out, any defecate beyond what your body needs to function at a baseline is a loss. If you do any physical activety (‘excersise’ or not ) it is just healthier for the body.
Fats = 9 calories per gram and easier to store than anything else and harder to process into usable energy too which is why they make up your body’s stores.
Proteins and Carbs = 4 calories per gram
Protein is used in body repairs and muscle mostly at night or at rest.
Carbs all Carbs turn into sugars and that is what your body runs on minute to minute etc. Even your brain which needs about 100 grams of carbs to properly function without ‘brain farts’
There is nothing wrong with vitamins and supplements not even what they are made of, since they all breakdown to their bade compounds. Some when taken in excess can have toxic effects but most when not needed get passed through the body as waste
Whole foods are not any healther than processed your body just knows what to do with them a little more effectively since your body is getting a mix of nutrients all at once.
everything in moderation and balance.
while knowledge maybe power, True knowledge is true power.
Thank You for this comment. I agree with you!
Do you realize you said defecate and not deficit? Interesting…anyway, if you think 2+2=4 always where metabolism is concerned, you have a lot to learn.
I think your reply was maybe to Steve, but it posted in response to me.
Amber if you think that pb2 is bad for you than I believe you should stop going off of BroScience like this article and go and find some real scientific proof.
Shane, I’m sorry. Did I say PB2 was bad for me? I don’t recall saying that. I believe you are putting words in my mouth. I do believe that nature’s way of making the peanut is perfect and doesn’t need changing. I don’t have time for the back-and-forth. I talk nutrition all day long in my full-time job. Good day.
Amber is full of it. Come here to correct someone’s spelling and tell them they have a lot to learn? Who are you to assume such about others. You are a joke. Hope your not as condesending to the people you talk nutrition with all day with your full time job. Everyone is always an expert on the subject claiming to do it for a living. You are pathetic.
You are absolutely correct! I couldn’t agree with you more! Everybody eats, so everyone thinks they are a nutrition expert. It kills me. I was a bit off-putting, I admit it and for that I am sorry. I was so because I thought that other than the almond butter ad within the article, it was well written and the response by Steve seemed, to me anyway, full of some facts: fat has 9 cal/ gm and protein and carbs have 4 cal per gm. And your brain and kidneys need 75g of carbs to function, but it didn’t really seem relevant to PB2 and the fact that you are replacing a perfect nature-intended food with a overly processed one and that was the point of the article. Going into de-naturing of proteins and comparing that to processing “what do you think cooking is”–not the same. Reminds me of a company once selling peeled bananas.
Thanks for your comment and reminder of that very simple FACT that everyone is a nutrition expert (in their own mind).
Now I am off to read Steven Covey’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.
Amber Wilhoit, Registered and licensed dietitian and certified diabetes educator
Amber,
If you want to correct grammar, your comment is in need of review. “If you think 2+2=4 always where..”.. Wrong! What a hypocritical moron.
Amber,
If you want to correct grammar please review your ill comment. Shame.
Please! You kill me! I merely meant that is was a funny grammatical error; one of those no pun intended things. Sorry to get your panties in a wad. I wasn’t trying to be rude. Far be it for me to ask someone think twice about such a simplistic view of metabolism.
Dear Shane,
Thank you for your information on this product.I was wondering about PB2. I appreciate you taking your time to help others:)
Respectfully, would you kindly change “less calories” to “fewer calories” in your information? The word “less” is for non-count nouns and “fewer” for nouns that you can count. For example, “less sand” or “less peanut butter” (You wouldn’t want to count each grain) and “fewer calories” (I don’t like counting ‘em but… chubby me has to do this!)
Most Sincerely,
HLJ
I abhor peanuts. ABHOR them. They are not even nuts, those imposters!! I have never found them to be healthy and I hate when I see people obsessing over eating peanut butter with everything. What’s awesome is I actually TRANSFORMED a peanut butter lover into a screw peanut butter girl! LOL!
Great article! Why don’t people stick to some healthy spreads – Tapenades, now those are DELICIOUS and healthy!!
Technically, almonds aren’t nuts either. Closer, genetically and taxonomically, than peanuts, but not nuts.
I really appreciate your take on this product! I’m still curious about the whole powdered peanut butter thing, a little intrigued I might add. A girl I train with was raving about it because she loves peanut butter but doesn’t always want all the added fat and calories. But i have to admit I was curious about the exact same things you talked about as far as the processing and how that might affect the nutrient content. I love nuts and nut butters and nothing can replace that but I might just have to try this powder form in baking or shakes just to say I’ve tried it! Again thank you so much for the information, very detailed and made total sense to me
This is not an article about powdered peanut butter — this is a nonsensical article exclaiming the virtues of almonds (and its almond butter form) in relation to peanuts (and its peanut butter, and powder forms). This article gives me the impression that this website makes attempts to be scientific with a combination of objectivity and subjectivity; but at worst it is misleading, at best it is a bait-and-switch.
Hey Vani! So I am seriously obsessed and addicted to peanut butter. I have both regular peanut butter and powdered. Do you think it’s bad if I were to eat a serving of peanut butter per day, and some PB2 if I have the cravings again? Or just take out PB2 altogether? Thanks!
Almond butter is most definitely NOT better for your health if you’re allergic to the damn stuff.
You claim that almond butter has more than twice the magnesium of peanut butter: 89mg vs. 49mg. You might want to check your math there. Last time I checked, 89 was less than twice 49.
Just curious if you feel the same way about the brand Just Great Stuff? Their powdered peanut butter is organic and non-GMO. It still contains some added sugar and salt, but in the form of the lower-glycemic coconut sugar and sea salt. I realize this doesn’t address the aflatoxin issue; but sometimes a low-fat, pb-flavored almond milk smoothie is a nice treat…
a lot of nutrition is stored in fat. They have found that the removal of fat in milk removes nutrition. I bet it is the same with peanut butter including omega 3s. I’d much rather grind it my self and just eat less.
Whoa! Talk about a charged topic. Powdered PB, love it or hate it I guess. I have just been exploring this very topic and trying to make up my mind. I guess I’m going to have side with the Food Babe. The idea of powdered peanut butter was intriguing. So much so that I went out and bought some. I had some vague ideas about using it for baking or mixing in yogurt. But when I got it home? Ugh.. It seems a little creepy. And why the added sugar? I don’t care if it’s natural or not. A sugar gram is a sugar gram. And when you start removing things from whole foods, especially when they’re good for you (yes, I’m saying that the fat in pb is good), then you really end up with a different animal all together. And who knows what that is. Someone told me that it would be good for backpackers, but then again, don’t they need those fat calories? Lugging a backpack is hard work!
There was a new powdered peanut butter that I was introduced to recently. The brand is “Just Great Stuff” and it’s organic powdered peanut butter…what do you say about this stuff Food Babe?!
I agree with the comment that this seems to be more about almond vs peanut than a serious discussion of the powdered peanut butter. PB2 is great for baking without adding a lot of extra oil and calories. Makes a fantastic peanut butter cookie and people never know it was substituted for regular peanut butter. It is lightweight (hence convenient for backpackers) a good source of alternative protein, and has a longer shelf life for storage. Regarding the use of pesticides, you do know that peanuts grow underground, right? I have personally grown peanuts in my home garden. Any pesticides that may be used commercially would never come into direct contact with the peanut, but generally not that many are used as insects do not come into direct contact with a developing peanut either.
I don’t think you should anthropomorphize nature- “The beauty of a peanut is that it contains all of the nutrients nature intended.” Nightshade might, as well, but it also contains poison. Even your own mention of aflatoxin is telling; doesn’t “nature” intend that to be there? Of course not. “Nature” has no intentions at all.
I really don’t like almond butter though, what a shame. It tastes kind of flavorless and plain. But I do really like cashew butter
P2b is jsut as good as almond butter,all of my fritness friends use it and it a good protein.
I wish people would get their facts straight before they post
Count Chemicals, not calories! It drives me insane that people are so concerned with natural fats and yet continue to eat this processed crap. Agree that almond butter is a better alternative and you don’t even need sugar added for tastiness (although personally I prefer avocado on my toast!
Thanks for the info on PB2….definitely will be staying away!
LOVE PB2 and plan to stick with it. I do appreciate the article and comments. And, I look for healthy alternatives to the foods I love. The article had too much opinion, too many maybes and not enough science to convince me that something (Almond Butter) that tastes totally different and that I would use to complement entirely different recipes would be a good substitute. But, I hope you all find what makes you happy in your diets!!