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.
Also, this sugar could be made from genetically modified sugar beets.(The company recently confirmed they do not contain GMOs.)
- 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 according to this study 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 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 – I like Tree of Life Organic Almond Butter and Once Again Organic Almond Butter. In both these products, 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 these brands, but if you live in Charlotte, you can find them both at Healthy Home Market.
If you still like to eat regular peanut butter – always choose one ingredient organic peanut butter like this one.
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
P.S. If you know someone who’s eating PB2, please share this post with them.
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.
Please transform me too! I have a ridiculous obsession with peanut butter but I want to have the screw peanut butter type of attitude haha
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 🙂
I just ordered it and love it. My main reason for wanting this was to be able to have peanut butter without the fat content. My diet is very healthy, and I’m also trying weight watchers. One serving of this stuff is only 1 point. This lets me have the great taste of Peanut Butter without having to take up 5 or 6 pts for my daily. Right now it’s about getting my calories down and anything helps! I get plenty of nutrition in my diet – this stuff is a treat!
I LOVE this PB2 as I also am trying to keep fat and cholesterol at reasonably low levels and also not eat meat. So this is great for peanut butter sandwiches. I also use it in a fat free small shake I make using 1/2 cup fat free ice cream, mixed with a little milk. I mix up 1-2 T of PB2, blend it in the ice cream mix. Then I take 1 T of chocolate syrup, swirl in bottom of small flute or desert glass, add ice cream mixture, top it off with remainer of chocolate sauce left in Tablespoon and drink with straw. Yummy, satisfying, and only 200 calories.
Sara,
If you don’t mind bananas, you can sub a couple of frozen bananas for the ice cream and blend it all up in the blender. We use almond milk as well – it’s a great way to enjoy a frozen treat without the dairy. We love our peanut butter shakes! (we use organic peanut butter but I wish I didn’t love PB so much. Tough addiction! Ha!)
To Valerie, Sara and Amanda,
Low fat to lose weight is a concept from the 1980s that unfortunately doesn’t work for most people and didn’t work for me. Carbs are actually the problem. I can see in the conversations talk about bread (high carb), bananas (high carb), fat free ice-cream (if it has loads of sugar then high carb), chocolate sauce (unless it is raw cacao that you have sweetened with a little maple syrup then likely to be high carb.) To get a weight loss effect the approximate carb level a day should be about 20g – do me a favour and add up the carb count in what you eat for a day and see the number you come up with. When I did this it was mind blowing for me. I thought I was eating healthy food like rice milk, chickpeas, beans, brown rice, bananas, potatoes but it was all carbs and keeping the weight on. Don’t be afraid of the good fats, they actually help with weight loss.
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.
well said!!! i agree
Bait and switch? What bait and switch? That doesnt make any sense….
It’s a bait & switch because they offer an alternative to peanut butter?! Who cares? If you don’t like almond butter, don’t eat it. It doesn’t change the facts listed about PB2.
It’s because the article starts off talking about why PB2 is “bad” because it doesn’t include all of the good things that are naturally in peanuts, then goes on to basically say, “Well, peanuts suck anyway. Almonds are better!”
This isn’t a medical journal. It’s a blog, and subjectivity is inherent. She explained why pB2 is not the health food its purported to be and then offered an alternative, which many of her readers would appreciate.
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.
Now you’re just nit-picking.
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…
I don’t know about all the chemical content and all that stuff but i have used the Great Stuff and it is wonderful…i even used it to make the chickpea pb cookies from pinterest and they turned out great…i am also following weight watchers and this shaves a point off here and there…i don`t eat PB every day..maybe once or twice a week…i think it is a great alternative when the rest of what you are eating is whole real food….IMO
I was wondering the same thing, looking forward to hearing her thoughts.
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 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
Just because “fitness people” take it does not mean all of them are educated on the matter. Their focus is a lttle dfferent from those more purist or concerned about the nutritious benefits of products. I know a lot of Fitness professionals who still use products that are not “healthy” (i.e. certain protein powders are filled with fillers; most supplements for mass gain are processed and made from chemical compound). They also love to use almond milk which contains sugar and salt. (i have been looking for pure almond milk but non existing on the market so i make my own: almonds + water).
Anyway, butter is a texture. If one want natural benefits of the nut, buy the nut and grind it to the butter form (like the machines found at health store, no added anything!).
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!
Why does the fact that other people prefer powdered peanut butter drive you nuts? (no pun intended). How do their personal choices affect you? You can eat what you want to eat, and I’ll eat what I want to eat, thank you very much.
It drives me insane because this country is getting sicker and sicker, medical costs going up and up and we are surrounded by misinformation and lies about what is good and not good for our bodies. I believe everyone has an absolute right to eat what they want/how much etc. etc. etc. But I also think that we need to start educating this country on nutrition. There should be warning labels on “diet” foods…Caution; may cause weight gain, increase your risk of premature death.
That’s all I am saying…
Stress is pretty unhealthy for you as well, and you seem to be stressing out a bit too much about what other people do.
For the record, while I don’t eat perfectly, I eat better than the average person. I’ll continue to enjoy my PB2 in my smoothies a few times a week, and I’ll take my risk of weight gain (even though I’ve been losing weight) and my risk of premature death.
One more thing – I was just making my peanut butter banana smoothie and glanced at the label of my PB2. The ingredients are: peanuts, sugar, salt. That’s it. No chemicals. Yes, there’s added sugar and salt, but it’s a whopping 1 gram of sugar per serving, and 94 mg of sodium (which is about 50 mg less than what’s in my natural peanut butter). The only thing that could be considered “bad” about PB2 is the fact that most of the oils have been removed. However, if you get your healthy fats from other sources, the loss of fats in the PB2 won’t hurt you at all.
Exactly!! Most intelligent thing stated here…..this blog article included. If you have to rely on peanuts and almonds for your only source of good fats/certain nutrients(which is not good)…this Food Babe article would make sense. It does seem like bait and switch to put almond butter on pedistal. Considering that not everyone can eat pb or almond butter…AND no mention of avocados, coconut oil(and coconut butter),other available alternatives.
PB2 ingredients don’t seem any more dangerous than regular..natural pb or almond butter. It has its uses when you want pb taste…without extra calories…AND still getting good fats from rest of (keywords) your diet. The only truth is that if you don’t want to eat PB2 for whatever reason…DON’T.
Jen,
You might need to learn a thing or two about what to look for when looking at labels.
First of all, anything not organic is sprayed with many forms of pesticides and chemicals. They won’t list them on the label. You might also want to read this article, it might give you a little more knowledge so that next time you don’t sound
like a peanut for brains.
http://drlwilson.com/articles/MSG.htm
This is just one, but you might also look up on YouTube and watch Food Matters.
I completely agree with you on this! I shared your information on my page this morning as I think people are very misinformed about what “healthy” truly is. They think low fat and low in calories=healthy sadly..Great post, thanks!
Not gonna lie, it did totally burst my bubble and I’ve been getting all of my friends to try this pb2 too… Doh ! I’m curious to know some more healthy alternatives as far as Almond butter and peanut butter! ?what are some good ones I can try and find in the store ? Thanks ! 🙂
We buy Sunbutter, the sunflower seed spread. It is delicious and my son does not complain. Win-Win.:-)
Because almonds are naturally very nutritious, almond milk doesn’t need to be fortified. You can make almond milk yourself at home, and it will have the same nutritional value as the almond milk available commercially.
I have the Chocolate PB2 and it is DELISH!!! I dip a banana in it for breakfast some mornings or just eat a small bowl of it as a snack. I LOVE peanut butter so being able to eat more is a plus. I recommend!!!
Amen. I will continue to eat my pb2
I love PB2 & I think it is a great alternative as I am obsessed with peanut butter and wanted less fat.
I love it with celery at work or in a PB & banana low carb, high fiber wrap on the week-end. YUM!! 🙂
Totally overlooks the point of powdered peanut butter for most people. Powders mix great with other powders. My husband can mix a tbsp or two of powdered peanut butter with his protein powder(primarily as a flavoring agent) in a bottle and throw it in his gym bag. When he adds milk or water to it after his workout, the small wire ball or sifter is enough to make a homogeneous consistency when he gives it a quick shake. Regular butters don’t, because we all know how easily a thick fat stirs into water. You end up with clumps of nut butter floating in your drink. He needs the protein fix quickly after his workout, so waiting until he has time and access to a blender doesn’t work. Plus, there’s no worries about forgetting the mixed powder in his bag, only to find a glob of rancid nut butter. We get our healthy fats elsewhere in our diets.
Exactly! That how I use this product – in my protein shakes for a bit of flavor and a protein boost. I eat plenty of whole almonds and such for my good fats. Not every single thing you eat has to be perfect.
Just an FYI, you can buy a blender shaker, that is battery operated, and is the same size as a regular shaker, so you point about a blender is not totally valid, except for the fact you use a regular shaker. The point of the article is about natural/organic vs processed and pesticide sprayed products.
If you want arsenic and anthrax come in powder forms too, and they will give you a much quicker and painless death than the cancers and disease pesticides and processed food will give you.
Thanks designed for sharing such a fastidious thought, post
is nice, thats why i have read it fully
I think there’s a point people are missing about PB2. The whole purpose of it is to be an alternative to peanut butter. You can go to the Bell Plantation website and see it’s never compared to anything else, but peanut butter. As far as people hyping it up as a good protein supplement, that’s all it is- hype. I use it, but don’t claim to be packing a diet full of protein, it’s just better than using regular peanut butter- especially if you’re an individual like myself that has insulin resistance. This product CRUSHES regular peanut butter and that’s all it’s intended to do.
I don’t think anybody called it a “good protein supplement.” It does add a small amount of protein though ( 4 or 5 grams, depending on which kind it is), so it WILL give you a small protein boost. It’s not hype – it boosts my protein shakes from 20 grams to 25 grams. Not a huge increase, but nothing to sneeze at either.
I’ve tried it. Yes, they add sugar, which I admit makes it taste better, but it’s still adding sugar. The thing that gets me is that they sell peanut butter powder at the emergency food supply stores and have for years. That’s all this really is, except the kind that you buy in the emergency stores is PURE PEANUT BUTTER PEWDER. No sugar added. No salt added. I use it to bake with and to make my smoothies.
I can’t have almonds, I m one of e few that are alergic to almonds and not peanuts. Go figure.
Thanks for your article. : )
You said peanuts have everything nature intended. You realize nature never intended peanuts, right? They are a human engineered food.
So is corn… just about everything is genetically modified. I think the key here is moderation. Is PB2 perfect? No. Is it a better alternative to regular peanut butter for some people? Yes. I like that it works better in smoothies, and the chocolate flavor is awesome! I also eat real peanut butter and almond butter (as well as others) and avocados to get my healthy fats. I definitely like the idea of the peanut butter powder from the emergency food supply store with nothing added. I have also purchased straight peanut powder from Asian grocery stores, and the only ingredient is peanuts… that’s it!
Speaking of organic peanuts and not recently introduced “genetically modified peanuts”….there’s a BIG difference between domesticating and hybridizing a wild plant over generations–and splicing peanut DNA with spider genes. Chemically, pesticide is a problem in non-organic peanuts (as she states quite clearly in her article) as well as the fact that, like corn and soy, it is difficult to find mainstream peanuts that are NOT, as you say, engineered. However, you still cannot paint all peanuts with the same brush.
That said, I prefer hazelnut butter, self made from local bushes. I prefer my locally grown peanuts boiled. 🙂
Well said! I like PB2 but I never thought about why it has less calories. I just wanted something different than reg PB. Then I found almond butter and holy cow I love it!
Debbie Downer much?
Man, I just brought some PB2 the previous day. I don’t like things going to waste so I’ll finish it. But damn, I’ll be sure not to buy this brand ever agian. Btw, I absolutely adore peanuts. But I LOVE cashews and almonds even more.
I just started using PB2 this week and I LOVE it. I use it for smoothies only at this point. If I want a PBJ, I’ll use the “real” thing.
I was drawn to PB2 because peanut butter adds so many calories and so much fat to smoothies. It makes smoothies so thick you can’t get them blended. I wanted the peanut butter taste, without the oils, fat, calories and difficult to mix attributes. I don’t add peanut butter for fill, so maybe my expectations are just different.
I’m not disagreeing with your points on nutritional value of different “nuts” or nut butters. And yes, organic is best for some foods. But I can tell you that for someone who wants peanut butter flavor, and doesn’t mind conventional processing/growing, this is a good alternative.
I can’t speak about PB2 as a spread. But as a flavor, it is delicious.
I’m curious as to how this product (or any other) is dried. Any chemical, heat or freeze drying (although cheaper for the producer) kills any enzymatic activity. Check out http://www.drinklifein.com. 100% efficatious, most nutrient dense botanical on earth used on these products!!
I’d love to chat more with any questions!!
Sesame seed butter or Tahini. Sesame seed butter has one ingredient, sesame seeds. Tahini is very high in protein, fat, and very low in carbs.
I put this butter on everything from raw cabbage, raw spinach, ice cream, cereal, toast, celery, raw bok choy, raw tomatoes, a topping for Havarti and Swiss, Tahini and grape jelly, well, I put it just about on everything. It is great on a soft boiled egg.
If you have type two diabetes, this butter is a must, having very few carbs, excellent fat, and tons of protein.
I love it.
GWTW, but WHAT does it taste like? I do not allow peanut butter in my home, because it is so fattening. Do not know anyone who eats just a tablespoon. I don’t care what is in the powder, I care how it tastes. Here in the United StAtes of Monsanto the pure and healthy ship sank quite awhile ago.
I work in retail and am constantly reminded that people will jump on the latest ‘get well, get skinny’ fad with little thought as to what they are doing to their bodies. This is pure junk. Pure expensive junk. The peanut companies must be laughing themselves crazy. They sold off all the peanut oil and then marketed the leftover, worthless dust (with added sugar and salt) to people who in another life would have bought the stuff sold out of the back of a wagon. Really sad.
Peanuts make my stomach hurt so I eat Sunbutter and love it!
If you want powered peanut butter go to niblackfoods.com. Our product has no processed salt or sugar. We also have organic.
I researched this a few years ago and found the direct source. What this means to you is a product that we all can trust! It has been a big hit in our store!
Enjoy, Meg
Allergic to tree nuts and sunflower seeds…so peanut butter it is.
I work for Saratoga Peanut Butter Company and like all of the flavors that we sell, but my favorites are Plain Jane Creamy Organic and Almighty Almond Butter Organic. I sell at local farmers markets and the products are sold in local supermarkets and in 26 Whole Foods Stores in the northeast!! Thank you for all that you do!!!
I’m so in love with SunButter i’m afraid to research what’s wrong with it. lol
Well, what about peanuts that are ground. I actually get my peanut butter from the bulk section at whole foods (bringing my own glass jar container from home) and have them ground right there.
They also have the Almond option but haven’t ventured.
I wish we could do Almond butter, but 2/3 of my kids are allergic to tree nuts so PB is all we can do here.
I can’t eat almonds. What do you think about cashew butter, raw?
Do you have literature about pesticides in peanuts causing the increase in peanut allergies? Thank you.
The information about aflatoxins is the jewel in this article. Food Babe I respect you more and more as I read your articles because you see beyond the simple talking points of most groups and go deeper. If a food is good for you in everyway but it has something in it that is bad for you I want to know that so I can choose something else. Anti-nutrients are important for me to know about so I can make my choice about whether I want to eat it.
I am not a purist so a little bit of sugar is fine with me. I’ll continue to eat my PB2 but thank you for your article!
I totally agree that whole organic food is best, but PB2 is awesome on occasion for keeping calories in check some days. Some days are full fat whole nuts or nut butter for me, other days PB2 comes in handy.
And I absolutely love almond butter when I can afford the calories as well and depending on what else is in the days menu plan.
All of it is good. And it’s a good reminder that they had to add salt and sugar to make PB2 taste better, even so I find it pretty bland and prefer to mix other things with PB2 still. It’s nice to have options.
O no! I love Once Again peanut butter! Are all peanuts likely to contain that toxin???
I believe this is a better alternative to PB2.
Just Great Stuff Peanut Butter is a healthier alternative to traditional peanut butter. We use perfectly roasted, premium peanuts for superb flavor. Enjoy this Low-Fat product as a post-workout snack! Make delicious, healthy sandwiches for your kids’ lunch. Great in shakes! Take it camping or on picnics. Great with honey!
100% Organic
Low Fat, No Cholesterol, Low Sodium
Only 4 Net Carbohydrates
INGREDIENTS
Organic Peanuts, Organic Coconut Sugar*, Sea Salt.
* What is Coconut Sugar?
Coconut sugar is produced from the sap of the coconut palm flower, and does not taste like coconut. This 100% organic, sustainably harvested natural sweetener has a lower glycemic index than cane sugar and contains essential vitamins and minerals.
ALLERGEN STATEMENT
My goodness. So many food snobs. PB2 has less calories, fat, sodium and sugar than regular peanut butter. I don’t think anybody is worried about not getting vitamins and nutrients from 2 tbsp of peanut butter. The point is that it’s a nice alternative for people who crave peanut butter but are watching their calories and getting nutrients from other foods. Not everyone can afford or find “jungle peanuts” or whatever. Some people just need to get a life. Eat healthy by all means, but goodness gracious just be a normal person. You’ll kill yourself faster than the rest of us just from the stress of trying to find your specialized jungle foods.
“Like” 🙂
Whoever you are, you are hilarious. Juggle peanuts. I am laughing so hard I am crying.
I really enjoyed this post! I think someone may have copied it though, almost word for word.
http://nakedmoxie.com/2013/06/02/is-pb2-a-healthy-peanut-butter-alternative/
I had read about this product, but was never able to find it until recently. I bought it and gave it try. I have to admit, it is pretty good and the fact that it fits into my calorie budget is great! I like a wide variety of products and this one is a keeper.
Good grief people. Every body is different. Let people research and experience food themselves before saying their choices are unhealthy. Eat what you want and train how you want.
well… I like it and will continue to use powdered peanut butter though I may switch to the organic product. It makes a great addition to shakes and yogurt for dips.
I get good fats from whole nuts and other sources so I don’t need or want the extra calories.