Peanut Butter - Natural vs. Skippy?

[GearTripper]

ok so i'm in the grocery store tonight and decide to read labels compairing the two. other then the "natural" PB mentioning "No Trans-Fat" on the label... the Skippy brand actually seemed healthier. less sodium, only 1 gram more fat per serving, and less calories overall. the two were equal in all other areas.... so what's the deal that makes the "naturals" soo much better?

[pudgy]

were the carbs and calories close too ? protein ?

i eat smuckers all natural and ive compared it , if i remember correctly the bad fat , overall calories per serving, and carbs were significantly better. What brand natty were you looking at ?

[speedracer59]

Ihave always at the smuckrs also. I tried the power butter the other day. It was awsome and blow the rest out of the water as far as nutrition but it costs an arm and a leg.

[GearTripper]

i'm not sure of the exact brand-name of the "natural" PB, it just said Natural in linke big cursive along the top. i compaired it to Skippy. other then the trans-fat that Skippy doesn't mention, the Skippy actually turned out better overall. the Skippy has less sodium, less calories, same sugar, and only 1 gram more of fat... but at a much cheaper price. i'm not sure i'm willing to sacrafice the taste for the price and only 1 gram less of fat.

[psyko1]

i did the same before and didn't see much of a difference label wise.

[sana]

the main difference is the hydrogenated oils. that's what keeps the non-natural stuff mixed - and the lack of the hydrogenated oils is what seperates the natural stuff.

we bought chunky skippy - at least we're getting the real peanuts :p

[candle25]

I like a brad called Carb Choice. It has very little carbs and the fat is fine IMO. It tastes good too.

[Cory]

Ok here is the deal....major difference between the two. In a nutshell, if you look at the actual ingredients and not the numbers on the nutritional facts, the natural nut butters are essentially just that--the nuts, and salt. The skippy and jif brands are basically crisco with a small amount of peanut flavoring and sugar added in. Even though the numbers may be similar as far as protein, carbs, and fat, what they do in your body is dramatically different. Shit, bacon and salmon have very similar numbers when it comes to nutritional facts, but everyone knows that salmon's nutritional profile is superior to bacon. You guys need to learn about good fats and bad fats. Trans fats have been linked to many neuro-degenerative diseases and saturated fat clogs your arteries and cause heart disease. Mono- and poly- unsaturated fat are great for cardiovascular health by attaching to and removing cholesterol from the arteries and actually help to upregulate and burn fat from the body. And of major importance, they are also responsible for testosterone production. Go for the natural nut butters, guys. They taste much better and the health benefits are phenomenally better in the long term.

[GearTripper]

i got some nut-butter for ya! :D

[GearTripper]

in all seriousness though, i understand what you're saying about the trans-fats. i also understand about the mono and poly's... but damn that skippy taste good. i'm gonna try some "naturals" over the next couple months and see how they taste. i always heard they were kinda "dry" tasting.

[candle25]

Very "dry" and gritty.

[Cory]

The skippy type nut butters simply don't have any nutritional benefits for bodybuilders at all. They are typically loaded with sugar and bad fat and the protein is not complete. If you are really busting your ass in the gym and trying to change your body composition, it would be of great benefit to switch.
With the natty butter, you have to thouroughly mix all the oil that rises to the top completely or it will be dry. If you are use to the junk peanut nutters like skippy, they will initially taste better, but if you like the pure taste of plain roasted peanuts, then the natty will taste better to you. I am so use to the natty, that when I try to go back and eat skippy, it just tastes like plain old crisco to me. Yuck!!

[Primal Instinct]

I bought natty peanut butter from a health food store called Feel-Rite. It's called Arrowhead Mills 100% Valencia Natural Peanut Butter. It's a 1-3/4 lb jar and it cost $5.79 but it tastes great! I didn't like it as much at first but when I tried Jif/Skippy again, it beat the crap out of them for taste.

2 tablespoons of this PB has 6 grams of carbs, 9 grams of protein, 15 grams of fat (3 grams saturated fat), 200 calories, 1 gram of fiber and 1 gram of sugar, and no sodium. You have to mix it up because the natural oils seperate just sitting there in the jar. It's not too dry if you mix it up well. YUM! :drool:

[GearTripper]

Does Skippy peanut butter contain trans fats?

What are trans fats?

Trans fatty acids occur naturally in meat and dairy products. Trans fatty acids are produced during the hydrogenation of vegetable oil, a process that adds hydrogen to unsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oil in order to change the fat from a liquid to a solid state.

By U.S. FDA definition, Skippy peanut butter is a trans-fat free food.

Most commercial peanut butters contain small amounts (typically less than 2%) of a partially hydrogenated fat, which prevents oil separation by helping the peanut butter "set up" a fat structure. This partially hydrogenated fat is almost totally saturated and contains only an insignificant trace amount of trans fats.

with this being said; AND-

according to my own research over the last two days, Skippy (compaired to two other "natural-brands") has less overall calories (only 10 more calories from fat), less sodium, less sugars, and only 1 g more of sat. fat...why go "natty"?

[GearTripper]

What is aflatoxin?
Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring substance produced by a mold that can grow on peanuts and other crops, especially under unfavorable growing or storage conditions. Strict quality control measures, such as those Bestfoods practices, are effective in eliminating aflatoxin from finished products. Peanuts used to make Skippy peanut butter are tested for aflatoxin and must comply with Bestfoods strict standards, which meet or are more stringent than the U.S. government requirements. Finished products are also tested before they are released for sale.

i could NOT find any notes regarding this issue on ANY of the "natty" PB's that i checked out.