Peanut Butter: Regular Vs. Organic

Let me start with some of the health benefits of peanut butter very briefly.

- Most of the fats (about 47 percent) in peanut butter are monounsaturated fat. This is the fat that lowers bad LDL cholesterol.
- Peanut butter also contains polyunsaturated fat (about 27 percent). This is the fat that raises
good HDL cholesterol.
- Peanut butter contains about 8 percent dietary fiber.
- Contains micronutrients such as Vitamin E, Niacin, etc.
- Contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, etc.
- Contains Resveratrol, which has natural anti-microbial, anti-inflammation, and anti-aging properties. It helps body to effectively fight off bacteria and various types of fungi.
- Contains folic acid, phytic acid, and phytosterols.

But Beware of Peanut Butter That Is Not Organic

Some of the benefits I mentioned above look really good. However, these benefits will be shadowed by the adverse effects – if your peanut butter is not organic. Consider the following facts –

- Peanuts are grown on the ground and have have soft and porous skin. Non-organic peanuts have very high counts of pesticide residues, as it is a crop that is heavily treated with pesticide. These carcinogenic pesticide residues can cause cancer and other harm to health.
- Non-organic peanut butter has added hydrogenated oil, added sugar, and added salt.
- Organic peanut butter may have higher nutritional value than traditional peanut butter.
- You will feel the difference in taste in organic peanut butter. It does not taste as good as regular peanut butter (because of no added sugar, salt, fat, etc). It will take some time to get adjusted to its taste.
- You can easily check what foods have what types of pesticides here easily: What’s On My Food?

And I Made Up My Mind

After researching on the pluses and minuses of organic and regular peanut butter, it was not hard for me to do the switch as all the positives outweigh all the negatives. What will be your decision? I suggest you to do some reading and research before you enjoy your next serving of peanut butter.

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