Win More and Perform Better with Nut Butter!

Shelf-stable, adaptable, and tasty. What’s not to like?

Notice: if you’re allergic to nuts, don’t eat nuts or nut butter! If you think you’re allergic to nuts, don’t eat nuts and go get an allergy test. Now. 

What is a nut butter? Nut butters are nuts ground into a spreadable paste, similar in consistency to dairy butter. The high (healthy) fat content of nuts forms the base of the paste. Nuts and seeds can be made into butters of various thicknesses, with some being more stiff and some being more like cream.  

What nuts are we talking about here? Peanuts (really a legume) are the old standard, but you can make a nut butter out of walnuts, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, pistachios, pine nuts, almonds and even acorns. Chestnuts have more starch than other tree nuts so end up as more of a stiff paste and require a little added water. 

Are they healthy? Assuming you’re not allergic to nuts, and you’re not talking about nut butters full of sugar, added fats, and artificial flavorings, yes. A resounding YES! Every nut is different, but they’re all full of a wide variety of nutrients. Some, like walnuts, are high in omega-3 fatty acids – potent precursors to anti-inflammatory compounds. Others, like pecans, are known for their high levels of antioxidants. Almonds and sunflower seeds are two of the best sources of vitamin E. Brazil nuts are known for their high selenium levels; selenium is required for a couple of strong antioxidant enzymes.  

Nut Butter Uses

• Add a nut butter to hot cereal, overnight oats or chia pudding
• Use them in sandwiches, on pancakes/waffles, or in quesadillas with fruit
• Spread them on top of sturdy fruit, like apples or bananas
• Add them to smoothies for flavor, calories or a thicker, creamier texture
• Use them as a base for cookies, in place of or with butter, as in peanut butter cookies
• Swirl your favorite nut butter into baked goods, like brownies, muffins or quick breads; use as a base for filling in cinnamon buns; or add into puffed rice cereal or popcorn treats 
• Use the butters as base for a sauce or salad dressing. Think an Asian peanut sauce, cashews for plant-based Alfredo sauce, Romesco sauce from Spain, made with almonds. Italian pesto, made with pine nuts. See below for a base recipe for pesto that is endlessly adaptable!  
• Use them as a base ingredient in homemade bliss balls, protein bites and bars
• Add them to soups for flavor and body. Think African peanut stews!
• Mix a nut butter with yogurt, hummus or a variety of flavorings for a dip 
• Create a marinade for poultry, meat, fish or tofu
• Use as one ingredient in a coating for roasted chickpeas, mixed with sugar/spice or just spice (sweet or savory!)
• Layer in parfaits with yogurt, fruit, and granola. 
• Swap nut butters for eggs in your baked goods (1 egg = 3 T nut butter) but be aware that the flavor will change as well. 

Advantages of using a Nut Butter

• Nuts contain a variety of healthy fats, fiber and a wide variety of nutrients. Nut butters will also contain these nutrients. Win!
• Nuts and nut butters can be sweet or savory, so the range of applications is endless.
• If you are so inclined, you can make your own nut butters. This requires time, patience and a blender or food processor. 
• Nuts and their butters fit into any meal or snack
• Nuts are shelf stable (although it’s good to store them long term in the freezer), as are nut butters for a couple of weeks. It’s possible to buy nuts and nut butters in single serve packages unless you’re talking about homemade butters. For food safety reasons, keep those in the fridge and use within a couple of weeks. If you know you’ll need them later, freeze them. 
• Some butters, especially cashew cream/butter, is an excellent substitute for cream or whole milk.
• There are seed butters for those allergic to nuts. Try pumpkin, sunflower, sesame (tahini), watermelon, poppy, hemp seed butters, as well as mixes w/chia seeds and with nuts. 
• Here is a very short list of the many brands that provide nut and seed butters: 88 Acres, RXBar, Justin’s, Soom, Nuttzo, Dastony, Once Again, Betsy’s Best, Gopal’s, Seedible, Beyond the Equator, SunButter, Seed + Mill. No doubt you will find more! 

Disadvantages of using Nut Butters

• Nut butters can have a lot of calories in a very small volume. Two tablespoons of nut butters can run 160-200 calories, more if they’re sweetened. If you’re working on body comp change, are injured and not training as much as usual, or are in an off season, you might not need nuts or nut butter in your menu. 
• Avoid nut butters with added sugar. If you want your final product sweeter, you can add your choice of sweeteners to the level you prefer. It’s probably less than what a pre-mixed butter would contain!
• Different butters have different textures. Some are stiffer, more like marzipan or a lump of wasabi on a sushi platter, while some are more liquid, like cashew cream. As a result, you may have to adapt recipes that don’t translate well from one texture of nut butter to another. 
• Some people may find walnut butter bitter. No harm, no foul. Just swap it out for a different nut butter! Same with acorn butter. It’s not an entry-level option. 

Handy Links for Base Recipes

Base recipe for pestos from Bon Appetit: http://bit.ly/3fabVts

Base recipe for nut butters from Epicurious https://bit.ly/3tRGuIa

Cashew Cream recipe from Epicurious http://bit.ly/3vVyWWM

If you’re interested in fitting nuts or nut butter into your training menus, reach out here to find out how to work with Dr. Schubert!

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan athlete, find out what you need to do for complete nutrition to fully support your training and competition.