What Nut Butter Is Healthiest - Peanut, Almond, or Cashew?

Nuts are healthy and nutritious and add a dash of flavor to your dishes. There's nothing major to distinguish one nut butter from the others in nutritional value, and it comes down to your preference for the flavor each nut butter offers.

While peanut butter has long been the most popular choice among nut butters, it’s not the only option. Other nut butters, such as those made from cashews and almonds, are also interesting and delicious choices. They’re healthy and nutritious and add a dash of flavor to your dishes. We look at some of the health benefits of these butters to help you decide which is the healthiest.

While all nut butters are excellent protein sources, peanut butter has the highest protein content at 24 grams in 100 grams. Peanut butter is relatively lighter in calorie content than almond, but it’s higher than cashew butter. It also has the lowest fat content, along with cashew butter. One hundred grams of peanut butter contains:

Energy: 632 calories

Nitrogen: 4.39 grams

Total lipid (fat): 49.4 grams

Protein: 24 grams

Carbohydrates: 22.7 grams

Fiber: 6.3 grams

Among the three nut butters, almond butter has the highest calcium content, more than five times the amount compared to peanut and cashew butter. It has the highest fiber content among the three nut butters. Dietary fiber adds bulk to your stool, normalizes bowel movements, and improves digestion. It improves sugar absorption to keep blood sugar levels in check. Since foods rich in fiber are more filling than low-fiber foods, you’re likely to feel satiety sooner and avoid overeating. One hundred grams of almond butter contains:

Energy: 645 calories

Nitrogen: 4.01 grams

Total lipid (fat): 53 grams

Protein: 20.8 grams

Carbohydrates: 21.2 grams

Fiber: 9.7 grams

Cashew butter contains more than twice the amount of copper compared to peanut and almond butter, but a fiber content that is considerably lower than the other two. Copper improves iron absorption and is a vital component of enzymes that produce energy. It is critical for synthesizing neurotransmitters that relay information within the brain and from the brain to other body parts. One hundred grams of cashew butter contains:

Energy: 587 calories

Total lipid (fat): 49.4 grams

Protein: 17.6 grams

Carbohydrates: 27.6 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Al nut butters are rich in essential amino acids – histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

Nut butters have long been considered healthy due to their protein content, but it’s not just proteins that make them a good choice. Most nut butters contain several micro- and macronutrients that support essential physiological functions. Macronutrients like fats, fiber, and carbohydrates make for a wholesome treat. Micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, and isoflavones support many vital processes.

Research indicates including nuts in your daily diet reduces the risk of fatality. A study involving around 120,000 participants who took roughly one ounce of nuts daily found that it reduced their risk of fatality due to any cause by 20%. The study also found nuts reduce the risk of fatality due to cancer by 11% compared to those who didn’t eat nuts regularly. Some studies have linked eating nuts to a lower risk of obesity.

Nuts are the richest plant sources of fat after vegetable oils. The fatty acids in nuts are healthy as they usually contain low amounts of saturated fatty acids and are high in unsaturated fatty acids.

Nuts are excellent sources of many other micronutrients, such as folic acid, selenium, magnesium, tocopherols, and phytosterols, believed to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties. The antioxidant content of nuts helps reduce oxidative stress. Research has found that the outer shell of nuts contains a majority of the antioxidants.

Research suggests eating nut butters lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. A study involving 83,818 women found that eating nut butters five or more times per week compared to those who never or rarely ate nut butters reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes. According to the study, nut butter can replace refined grain products and processed meat to keep the calorie intake in check.

Studies have shown that regularly eating nuts reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) levels, commonly known as bad cholesterol, by 12% and 18%, respectively. Another good thing is that the cholesterol-lowering effect of nuts does not impact good cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), levels.

Eating nuts improves your heart health. A 2010 study found that nut intake reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by up to 37%. The study also revealed that people who ate nuts at least twice a week lowered their risk of sudden cardiac death by 47%. Based on the analysis of four separate studies, this figure includes data from following up with the participants for six to 18 years to monitor their health.

Studies have revealed the protective effects of nuts on the gallbladder. One such study tracked the health of over 80,000 women for 20 years. According to the study, those who ate nuts at least five times a week were 25% less likely to have their gallbladder removed than those who didn’t eat nuts. A separate study involving 1,833 participants indicated eating at least five servings of nuts every week lowered the risk of getting any gallstone disease by 30%.

Today, your nut butter options are no longer limited to creamy or crunchy peanut butter, and you can select from an eye-watering variety of nut butters. There’s nothing major to distinguish one nut butter from the others in nutritional value, and it comes down to your preference for the flavor each nut butter offers. But it’s critical to choose the healthier nut butters, especially when it comes to packaged and branded foods.

Before you decide upon one, make sure to read the list of ingredients. Some nut butters typically contain too much salt or sugar, while others have sodium and hydrogenated oils, which you should avoid. You can identify nut butters containing hydrogenated oils by looking for a “no-stir” disclaimer.

When you store some nut butters, the oil from the nuts rises to the top of the container, which means you usually have to stir them before use.

Some manufacturers add rapeseed oil, palm oil, or palm fruit oil to make spreading easier and give the butter a creamy texture. But these hydrogenated oils are not heart healthy and can increase cholesterol levels. To answer the question of which nut butter is healthiest, choose any butter you like as long as it's a natural butter, without added sugar and salt, that needs stirring.