What is Nut Butter?
Nut Butter can be a slightly misleading name. Although Nut Butter is made from nuts [defined in a culinary sense as opposed to a botanical sense], it has no relationship with the butter we know and love made from dairy.
The butter element of the name only serves to relate the product to how it can be applied, like a butter! That is because nut butter happens to be a spreadable foodstuff made by grinding nuts into a paste.
What we get is a high fat spread, which is dairy-free and vegan friendly!
In fact, grinding and crushing nuts into a paste has a pretty long history and almond paste or marzipan was highly prized by the caliphs of Baghdad. And they say that during the Napoleonic wars as well as World War 2, due to shortages in supplies, hazelnut butter was often mixed with chocolate to overcome such problems.
Heard of Nutella!? Well, it was actually invented a long time ago, and is direct descendent of Giandujuja, the original Nutella!
There are endless nut butters that exist and it all depends on what type of nut you plan to crush up! Not all nuts are created equally, and not all nuts create the best nut butter, but here are some of our personal favorite nuts to crush!
- Cashews
- Almonds
- Macadamia
- Pistachios
- Brazil nuts
Crushing and grinding up these nuts can create some really awesome tasting nut butters which can be consumed in a variety of different ways! But how to eat nut butter!?
How to eat nut butter?
There are a variety of ways in which you can eat your favorite nut butter. Nut butter can be perfect for baking, cooking or simply spreading on toast over a cup of coffee.
Why not try blending a nut butter into your favourite smoothie to not only add nutritional value but to add some awesome tastes and new textures. In fact here at Local Boom we highly recommend taking a few of your favourite nut butters, blending them up and mixing them into smoothies, it will change your world!
Check out an awesome nut butter smoothie recipe here, but before you do, read on, as we are going to delve into the benefits of nut butter and some awesome nut butter products made in Canada we can highly recommend!
What are the benefits of nut butter?
Well, we have already established that nut butter tastes great but what are the benefits of nut butter?
Well, the great news is they are super-nutritions and packed with essential vitamins and minerals. Not only that, but they serve as a great source of protein and perfect for that daily protein boost (especially vegans or vegetarians) which will help you build muscle mass, so super handy in helping you achieve your workout fitness goals and supporting your workout routines.
Nut butters are very convenient and can be prepared and stored for a very long time. That means that they are a really great food to eat as a quick snack, either in a sandwich or on some toast, and for an individual who doesn’t have enough time to be cooking all the time, you will find that nut butter can help you keep energized throughout the day!
So are nut butters healthy?
From a simple ‘nut point of view’, nuts are generally pretty healthy! They have a high content of protein, fiber and essential fatty acids, which our body needs on a daily basis. This means that nut butter can actually be used to replace more fatty and dairy-based products like normal butter or margarine. This is particularly beneficial for vegans or individuals who are lactose intolerant and cannot consume dairy products.
But it is not just nuts that can be crushed and blended. You will find that similar spreads can be made from seeds. Our favourite seed spreads? Check some out here:
Macadamia butter
Delicious! These seed spreads are also very much packed with a lot of protein and have great nutritious value, so get experimenting!
Are They Good For you?
The American Heart Association recommends eating about four servings [a serving defined as around 1.5 ounces or two tablespoons of nut butter] of unsalted nuts a week. They also recommend that you better choose raw or dry-roasted buts as opposed to buts coiled in oils.
So if you stay within these guidelines then sure nut butters can be a great addition to your diet.
Nut Butter Vancouver: Local Boom
Here at Local Boom we love Nut Butter products and we sell one of the best nut butter products on the market here in Canada.