Hello friends, and welcome to this month’s Joyinmovement newsletter.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like getting the year off to a NUTTY start!
Do you eat nut butters? Do you eat nuts? I sure do. These days nut butters seem to be all the rage.
Here’s something interesting, though. When I ask people why they eat almond or cashew butter rather than peanut butter, it’s often because they think those nut butters are a better source of protein. But that’s not the case. Cashew butter has the least amount of protein per serving, and almond and peanut have the same.
It is true, however, that all nuts, and yes I know peanuts are legumes, have similar amounts of fat and calories, though they each have different health benefits. For instance, cashews have more copper, and almonds are rich in vitamin E. The research does support that adding any kind of nut to your diet provides health benefits. And from the research I’ve read, nuts and nut butters offer similar benefits.
Remember that nuts are high in calories, so that’s one drawback. The recommended serving for nuts is 1 1/2 ounces a day or 2-3 tablespoons of nut butter.
I prefer almond butter! I realized I rarely spread it on bread, which I would imagine is the most popular way to eat nut butters. Here are some of the creative ways I eat my almond butter. See what you think.
1. Spoon a tablespoon or two into a smoothie. It adds protein to your smoothie and helps thicken it.
2. Use it in soups or stews to thicken them.
3. Add some to oatmeal. It adds protein power to your meal.
A client of mine has two interesting ways of using nut butter.
He mixes almond butter with water and Sriracha sauce as a dip for veggies. He likes spice!
He also uses peanut butter to create a Chinese sauce for noodles by mixing the peanut butter with soy sauce, sesame oil, a bit of sugar, a little hot water, and some red pepper flakes.
So get your year off to a nutty start, and don’t forget to add nuts and nut butters to your diet. And if you have any particular recipes or ways of adding nuts to your diet, let me know. I’m always looking for suggestions.
Until next month, keep finding your JOYinmovement,
shelli
p.s. Looking to jump-start your fitness? Let me know!
p.p.s. Have you listened to our newest podcast? It will change the way you think about “getting into shape.”
Comments are closed.