I've recently added peanut butter to my diet. The kind I got is called Fifty 50. It has 6g of carbohydrate per 2 Tbsp. 2g are from fiber and 2g are from sugar. This was the lowest amount of sugar I could find. Are there other peanut butters out there that have zero sugar, or it this the lowest I'll likely find without spending a fortune?
I'm not a HUGE peanut butter fan, so I don't use it that often. That's why I'm not too worried about it.

Try a health food store. They usually have 2 kinds...

one is made fresh right there, and is nothing but ground up peanuts. it is a bit gritty. You won't see the smoothness of brands like Kraft of Skippy.

You might also find pre-made no sugar added peanut butter in the refrigerated section.

I've been told that either of these types should be kept in the fridge, since there are no preservatives in them.

One thing you will notice is that fresh ground or sugar free peanut butters are surprisingly sweet tasting. They aren't at all salty like the normal commercial brands.

Read the back of the Fifty 50 tub...it has hydrogenated oil in it. Those are the trans fats that Dr. Atkins warns about. I'd recommend fresh ground peanut butter from the health food store. You can make it from any nut, actually. Almond butter or cashew butter is amazing.

You don't have to get fancy. Laura Scudders, just peanuts and salt. Unfortunately peanuts themselves have a small amount of sugar in them, so you just have to take that into consideration. This reads 6 grams carbs per 2 Tbsp., 2g fiber, 2g sugar, and now there is a label on the front that says, "Made Without Hydrogenated Oils."

-Shelly

Most supermarkets carry at least one kind of "natural" peanut butter, usually with salt, like Smuckers, since they are sealed airtight they are on the shelf next to "regular" PB. Here in FL Publix carries "fresh", no salt or anything else in plastic tubs near the Deli section.

and in washington I know you can get a "sugar free" peanut butter called Adams, it only has peanuts and salt, but it still has 7g carbs, so I don't know if you will be able to get away from it even by grinding your own.

Good luck,

t

Peter Pan. Yep.

Jiff is nasty.

Creamy Skippy. I'm not going to spend more money to save 1 or 2 carbs. Not worth it! I like Skippy.

Try a Tbsp in your protein shake with a little cream and a Tsp or 2 of Splenda. You'll think you are in heaven!

How do you keep the peanut butter from clumping in a protein shake? It just seems like you'd end up with a big lump of peanut butter on the bottom of a glass. I'd really like to try it, if I knew how.

Jiff, Peter Pan, Skippy and all those "creamy" types have, besides the sugar, hydrogenated oils (trans fats) which render the fatty acids useless for health purposes and leaves them only good to be deposited right under the skin which is precisely what we are trying to avoid. Please remember that doing L/C is not just a quick fix for losing weight but a chance to improve our health overall (if done right), so why cheat your body in order to save a little bit? I'm on a very tight budget being a single mom of two teenagers but I don't skimp anymore when it comes to my health, doing that for years got me right where I am today!

Misty, I have one of those Braun hand held blender wands. Or, you could use a regular blender.

I put some water into my big plastic glass (20oz size) add 2 scoops of vanilla shake mix, some heavy cream, 2 tsp of Splenda, a little vanilla and a Tsp of peanut butter. I blend it for a few seconds and then add crushed ice and blend until it is smooth.

It is a meal replacement for me and it is really great! I've even done it with a Tsp of Hershey's cocoa added to it, but that is 3 more carbs, so I usually skip that.

I don't let it sit long enough to get settled.

Raquel, I've read that even though they have to list the presence of the hydrogenated oils, there really aren't enough in there to make that much difference. I think it's sort of like listing the side effects of meds. They must list it just because there are some present.

I consider this a woe and I can't be so caught up in this diet that it takes over my life. My bloodwork shows great improvement and I feel much better. I know it may take me years to lose weight, but I am learning to live this woe and that is what is important to me. I don't worry about the amount of sugar in my vitamin pills or the small amount of hydrogenated oil in my PB.

Carol

Hi there.

Both the main grocery chains around here (Sentry and Pick-N-Save) offer low-cost "store brands" of "natural"--as in, just peanuts ground-up--peanut butter. The oil separates, and must be reintegrated, and after that the best place for the jar is in the fridge as there's no BHA or BHT or any other preservative added. However, it's *delightful* spread on a Granny Smith apple half.

/me dont touch peanut butter


too many carbs for such a little amount....I do like sweet things from time to time but to me thats a little too much carbs for something like peanut butter.

But thats me though

I don't know where you heard that it's only "a little bit" of hydrogenated oil (maybe the makers of those brands?) and the comparison with meds side effects, well, let me tell you, they don't even list all of them and some can kill you if you ignore them...

If the hydrogen is enough to fill the fatty acid chains and turn it into trans saturated fat (which is what happens when the PB turns solid) it's TOO much. If you indeed don't eat it all the time and the rest of your diet is truly healthy, it's no worse than any other indulgence, which most of us have of one kind or another. If you're only seeking to lose weight, well, that's one thing, but it you want to do what's right for your body that's another and you don't have to "worry" about it when there's an healthier alternative. At most stores down here regular PB is about $1.39/18 oz., natural in the jar is $1.69, fresh in tubs $1.99/lb. not bad at all.

Maybe it seems too little to concern yourself with but remember that it all adds up and although you can't always see the effect right away it does catch up with you. For years I ate pretty much what I liked even though I was interested in nutrition and thought I was doing " pretty well" as I was skinny and seemingly healthy. Throw in a lot of stress, hormonal changes and now I'm neither and I wish I had started making better choices earlier in my life because at 49 I still feel (and look) too young to have the problems Ihave slowing me down!

I buy Teddie (it's a local brand, very good), no salt and no sugar added. I have a teaspoon or two as a treat once in a while.