Make your own nut butter

By Dr Megan Chircop

There is nothing more satisfying than having control over your health and enjoying the produce that you make. This nut butter is the epitome of just that. No added preservatives, added salt or sugar. Just al-la-natural nuts turned in to a wonderful spread.

Besides the fact that nut butter tastes absolutely delicious, there are many other benefits to making your own:

1) Saves money - the average jar of your favourite 'posh' almond or cashew butter costs about $34 per kilo (i.e. about $8 for a 250g jar). Whereas, you can make your own for the cost of just the raw nuts - buy in bulk and you will save even more. For example, a kilo bag of almonds will only set you back about $13. That is a whopping $21 per kilo saving on your favourite nut butter. If you go through it like our household does, you could save yourself hundreds per year.

2) Time-saving - You make a large batch of nut butter in less than 5 minutes. You could not even put your shoes on and pick up the keys to the car in this time to head toward the shop.

3) No additives - By making your own nut butter you have full control over what you are eating. Compared to store-bought peanut butter, your own version will only contain nuts!

INGREDIENTS in STORE-BOUGHT PEANUT BUTTER

Standard peanut butter:
ROASTED PEANUTS (90%), SUGAR, VEGETABLE OILS, SALT, STABILISER (mono and diglycerides).

'light' peanut butter:
ROASTED PEANUTS (63%), MALTODEXTRIN (FROM TAPIOCA), SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL (CONTAINS ANTIOXIDANT (320)), SALT, EMULSIFIER (471)
It might contain slightly less fat and calories but what about the amount of nuts. Only a little over half of this spread is nuts and the rest is filler.

Scary isn't it!

3) Control over your nutrition - By making your own nut butter you can choose your nut of choice based on (1) flavour preference as well as (2) the nutritional profile of the nut.
Nuts are a good source of dietary fibre and provide a wide range of essential nutrients, including several B group vitamins (including folate), vitamin E, minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium, antioxidant minerals (selenium, manganese and copper), plus other phytochemicals such as antioxidant compounds (flavonoids and resveratrol) and plant sterols.

Each nut variety contains its own unique combination of nutrients and is generally rich in a few nutrients such as:

• Almonds: protein, calcium and vitamin E
• Brazil nuts: fibre and selenium: just two brazil nuts a day provides 100% RDI for selenium for an adult
• Cashews: non haem (plant based) iron and a low GI rating
• Chestnuts: low GI, fibre and vitamin C (although much vitamin C is lost during cooking)
• Hazelnuts: fibre, potassium, folate, vitamin E
• Macadamias: highest in monounsaturated fats, thiamin and manganese
• Pecans: fibre and antioxidants
• Pine nuts: vitamin E and the arginine amino acid
• Pistachios: protein, potassium, plant sterols and the antioxidant resveratrol
• Walnuts: alpha linoleic acid: plant omega 3 and antioxidants
  

4) Improved heart health - Studies suggest that consuming about 30g of nuts (or 2 tablespoons of home-made nut butter) per day may reduce the risk of developing heart disease by 30-50% and reduce the risk of death from heart disease by around 20%. These healthy heart benefits are due to the nutrients (as well as the high proportion of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and the low proportion of saturated fats) found in nuts which:

• help regulate blood cholesterol;
• reduce cholesterol re-absorption from the gut;
• aid in keeping blood vessels elastic, thereby reducing the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries);
• reduce oxidation and inflammation;
• and because nuts are low sodium and high potassium levels they maintain healthy blood pressure

Nuts can also help reduce the risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome – a cluster of metabolic measures that include obesity, high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides, low levels of HDL cholesterol and insulin resistance), that if left untreated can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension (high blood pressure).

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References:
http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/

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Now that we have provided you with some very good reasons as to why you should make your own nut butter, here is our favourite version...

ABC nut butter

INGREDIENTS
400   grams   equal amounts of Almonds, Brazil nuts and Cashews
50     grams   canola or other vegetable oil (about ¼ cup)

METHOD

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Place nuts on a large tray. Roast for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. You can also do this step in a dry non-stick frypan. This will only take about 3-4 minutes. Toss nuts regularly to prevent them from burning. Skip this step if you are short on time.
2. Combine warm nuts in a food processor and process for 1 minute until very fine.
3. With the motor running, gradually add oil and process for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl several times. Add a little more oil if the mixture is too thick. Add salt to taste (optional).
4. Spoon mixture in to a sterilised jar, seal and store in the fridge for several weeks.

Servings: 20
Yield: 20 Tbsp about 20g each)

NUTRITION
Nutrition (per Tbsp): 137 calories, 4.2g protein, 1.9g net carbohydrates, 2.4g fiber, 12.4g total fat

In addition to eating this lovely spread by the spoonful (be careful of the calories), you can use it in so many of our favourite recipes. Here are a few available on our personalised weight loss meal plan program: 

5 week Personalised meal plan

Learn more

ABC Smoothie

ABC Chocolate protein balls

Don't forget to post pics of your version of our recipes on Facebook (@bodysculptorsaustralia) and Instagram (@BodySculptorsAu) and tag us - we love to see our creations reinvented.

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It is not a diet, but a healthy way of life

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