My Love For Almond Butter
I found out not too long ago that I have a love for almond butter after discovering the most delicious brand ever – Justin’s Nut Butter. I find it difficult not to devour the entire jar in a few days 🙂
Unfortunately Justin’s doesn’t always love me back – with aches and pains resounding through my body as I gobble it down spoonful by spoonful. I think the culprit ingredients are the palm oil and of course the sugar.
In looking into this further, I found that palmitic acid (found in palm oil) significantly relates to the development of endometriosis. Sounds like its not all that great for the heart either as it’s been shown to raise bad LDL cholesterol levels in the blood.
There are some advocates for the benefits of palm oil, but sounds like a lot of these benefits are lost in the production process. So overall, palm oil is a no-no (my body already told me that) 🙂
Make Almond Butter at Home
After a little You Tubing I found out that making your own almond butter is super easy, and dare I say – as delicious as Justin’s? The best part about making it at home is having control over the ingredients.
This is what I included:
- about a cup of organic almonds
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup of organic coconut oil (depending on how creamy you want it)
- sea salt to your liking
- dash of cinnamon
- organic honey to your liking (optional)
To make, put the almonds in a food processor and grind them up to powder, then add the coconut oil and the rest of the ingredients to your liking and re-mix until it is a creamy texture.
That’s it – super simple! I whipped mine up in my magic bullet so I’m able to store the right serving in there. You may have to get more creative on storing it with a regular food processor…
Benefits of Almond Butter
In addition to being delicious, my homemade almond butter has a host of health benefits:
Almonds – Unlike palm oil, almonds lower bad LDL cholesterol, they contain a good amount of magnesium and potassium (great for cramping), manganese and copper (maintain healthy reproductive and immune systems), and they are alkalizing in the body.
Coconut Oil –  Boosts the thyroid (great for endo gals who often suffer with hypothyrodism), and has anti-fungal, anti-viral properties so it supports the immune system. The good fat from coconut oil converts to fuel in the body and it boosts metabolism.
Sea Salt – Also boosts the immune system and is alkalizing in the body.
Cinnamon – Also anti-viral and anti-microbial and is warming in the body.
Honey – Another with anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, and boosts immunity (in small doses)
You can also add maple syrup instead of the honey, or a dash of raw cocoa to give it a delicious chocolate flavor 🙂
On the Positive Side?
Making almond butter at home allows me to control the ingredients that go in and to make the correct portion, as I have a tendency to pig out on it 🙂
I really like the coconut oil base. It gives it just the right sweetness and often times cures my sweet cravings.
The good fats in the almonds and coconut oil help to keep me full. My homemade almond butter was the staple of my dinner tonight 🙂
It’s very easy to make and the freshness factor of freshly ground almonds can’t be beat. Why not try it out?
Peace to you.
