Finally, we add a sprinkling of sea salt to enrich the naturally nutty flavours. For our experimental, batches this is also the stage where we add other natural ingredients, like coconut or agave. Every single batch we make is then tasted by our team of supertasters to ensure we are maintaing our ‘top nut’ standards. More than anything the pandemic emphasised the importance of community and we decided we wanted to use Pip & Nut to directly help our community in East London. With a high calcium and copper content, almond butter helps keep your brain sharp and your skeleton strong. There have also been a number of studies linking almonds to a reduced risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke– so consuming almond butter as part of a healthy, balanced diet is no bad thing!

It is especially important that you eat your recommended daily allowance of protein if you live an active lifestyle and like to do lots of exercise. Crunchy peanut butter is very similar to its smooth counterpart but with chunks of crushed peanuts included in the spread to give it its crunchy texture. The simplest peanut butter recipe involves food processing roasted peanuts (which you can do yourself to ensure no extra salt is added) until they form a smooth spread.High-oleic peanuts are only found in certain places, and Pip and Nut source their peanuts from Argentina. Pic’s Peanut Butter also contains high-oleic peanuts, which they source from Australia, and produce in New Zealand. Its saturated fat content is a little higher than Pip and Nut: 6.3g per 100g, compared to 5.8g. This is still much lower than normal peanuts, which have an average of 8.2g saturated fat per 100g. Here’s a list of the healthiest peanut butter brands we could find on the market in the UK. We looked for brands that met our criteria of having high peanut content, no added sugar or vegetable oil, and being low in salt.

During the blending process, you could add a little salt or even honey to help get the spreadable consistency of a smooth butter. You could blend it for less time to leave you with a crunchier texture. Peanut butter is generally considered to be healthy in moderate amounts, but there are some potentially harmful effects of eating too much. Almond butter is my personal favourite, a few mornings each week I top up my oatmeal with one tablespoon! Much like peanut butter, almond butter contains plenty of protein, but it also contains more fibre, which not only satisfies hunger, but also improves digestions. In terms of nutrients, almond butter is healthier than peanut butter and is also a good alternative for anyone who is allergic to peanuts, but would like to still have a nutty butter as part of their diet."

Smooth peanut butter

Many peanut butters add in vegetable fats and extra salt, which can take away from the healthy elements of the nuts, but more recently, more health-conscious brands have been competing to create the healthiest peanut butter on the market. Although the fat content of high-oleic peanut butter is higher, the high levels of mono-unsaturated fat mitigate the higher fat content and has little effect upon weight gain. This was found in a study of participants who consumed high-oleic peanuts for 12 weeks. Despite the 60g peanut butter increase in calories, it contributed towards minimal weight gain. Cashew nuts also contain a high carb content, which is why if you are on a low carb diet you should monitor how much of it you consume. High-oleic peanuts are peanuts with a higher healthy fat content, compared to non-high-oleic peanuts. They also have a lower saturated fat content.

Peanut butter is very calorie-dense and is often consumed by bodybuilders trying to gain weight. However, eating moderate amounts of it can be quite helpful if you’re looking to lose weight, as long as you’re eating it as a substitute for even higher-calorie foods.So, with such a wide range of nut butter to choose from, how do you go about deciding which to eat and when? Here, Frida Harju – in-house nutritionist at Lifesum– helps us break down the health pros and cons of each.