Contrary to what you might think, fats are essential to a healthy diet and body. Healthy fats provide energy, assist with vitamin absorption, and even support the brain, hormones, and cells overall. Clearly, it’s essential to have fats in your diet, though not all of them are created equal. Butter is a perfect example of that.
Butter doesn’t have to be a dirty word. Even the yellow, dairy variety of butter can be healthy in moderation (but if you overdo it, it could contribute to heart disease). Nut butter is incredibly popular and easy to eat. There’s a version made from practically every nut out there (peanut may be the OG, but almond, cashew, and sunflower are incredibly popular), though one question remains: Which is the healthiest? We take a look at the two most popular.
Nutritionally, both almond butter and peanut butter have similar amounts of calories, protein, carbohydrates, potassium, and zinc per serving. But beyond that, there’s a clear winner. Almond butter is higher in fiber, vitamin E (good for the immune system), magnesium (good sleep), iron, and calcium. And while both butters are rich in monounsaturated fats—which are healthy fats linked to reducing heart disease and better glycemic control—two spoonfuls of almond butter have 25% higher concentration of monounsaturated fats than the exact same amount of peanut butter. It should also be noted that the same serving of peanut butter has two times the amount of saturated fat (one that is decidedly unhealthy for the heart) than the same as almond butter. Therefore, almond butter is the healthier choice overall, especially when it comes to cardiovascular health.
