In a nutshell, nut butters are any creamy spread made from crushed nuts. Your best choices are peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, and pistachio butter. On the South Beach Diet, natural nut butters with minimal added sugar are the healthiest option.
How to Use Nut
Butters
As with peanut butter, other nut
butters are also a rich source of high-quality protein and monounsaturated fat.
That said, like peanut butter, nut butters can be diet busters if you overdo
it. When adding a nut butter to your daily diet, you can choose to treat it as
a protein (including it in a recipe or on its own as part of a meal) or enjoy
it as you would a nut (eating it as a snack). Limit yourself to one serving per
day, and avoid eating whole nuts on the same day. Your Meal Plan allows for 2
tablespoons daily of any nut butter beginning on Phase 1.
Where to Find Nut
Butters
Peanut butter and some other nut
butters can now be found in many grocery stores, but some of the best can be
purchased in specialty groceries and health-food stores. You can also make your
own by grinding up whole nuts in your food processor (it will take about 15
minutes to get creamy). Natural nut butters should be stored in the
refrigerator to prevent spoilage. If the natural oils separate from the solids,
simply stir them together before use.
Enjoy nut butters as dips for vegetables like cucumber, celery, or jícama on all Phases. On Phase 2, use as a spread on whole-grain or whole-wheat bread, pita, or crackers.
