Friday, September 17, 2010

Soy Butter. My New Peanut Butter?

I'm a big fan of soy, despite some of the scary information that can be found online. I still believe it's good to consume soy, whether it's for heart health, cancer prevention, or just as a way to get some vegetarian protein. And as I've said before, eating soy may help prevent some of the dreadful side effects of PMS.

My mom introduced me to this SoyNut butter a few weeks ago. At first I wasn't a huge fan, and to be honest I still don't love it (and no, it's not my new peanut butter!). However, I discovered it works really well in recipes, and it mimics the taste of peanut butter in my Low FODMAP granola recipe, and even my lower fat/lower calorie buckeyes.



And yes, it looks just like peanut butter!
(it comes in crunchy too)




They say this soy butter has "1 Net Carb" because if a product has 5 or more grams of fiber, per serving, you can subtract those grams from the total carbohydrates. This is mainly important for diabetics who have to count their carbs, so I'm not particularly interested in this.

The real reason why I think this is a great alternative to peanut butter is..........

.....what do you think by looking at this label?



More protein than most nut butters


More fiber than most nut butters


Less saturated fat than most nut butters


Even though it's not written out, I would assume this product is a good source of Omega-3 fats (alpha linolenic acid).


Less sodium than most nut butters (almond butter typically has even less)


Less sugar than most nut butters (especially the reduced fat varieties)


It contains 1/3 of your soy for the day (~25 grams of soy is recommended for heart health)


Contains isoflavones, which may help prevent certain cancers




Question: Have you ever tried any type of soy nut butter? What about sunflower butter?



Stay tuned for a cookie recipe, which includes soy nut butter, coming up on Sunday!


Also check out these past soy-related posts;

Video blog about soy yogurt

What the heck is soy protein isolate?

What the soy research indicates

Soy and breast cancer

20 comments :

  1. I've never tried this before - great to know about it!

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  2. I've never tried this before - great to know about it!

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  3. I've had chocolate soy butter before from the same brand-- it was pretty tasty! It had a weird aftertaste...but eventually I started to really like it, ha!

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  4. I've tried soybutter and sunflower butter. Bought them for my peanut/tree nut allergic 2 year old. I like the flavor of sunflower butter a little better I think (he didn't care for either, but he basically lives off Cheerios!) It's great to know that I can substitute soybutter in recipes - I've only used almond butter (which he can't have either). I definitely see some faux "peanut"butter cookies in our future :)

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  5. I'm not a big fan of soy because of all the info out there. I'm not 100% convinced either way, so I believe in moderation when it comes to soy. I'll eat it occassionally, but personally i think I'll stick to almond and peanut butter. i do want to try sunflower butter though. That's on my list.

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  6. I've never tried soy nut butter, but I'm pretty satisfied with pb and almond butter. :-)

    If I eat soy, I'd much rather have tofu!

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  7. I'vr tried soynut butter. Its okay, although I like peanut and almond butter better. In a sandwich with banana or jelly, I bet I wouldn;t notice the difference though.

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  8. I think I've tried that because my mom buys that kind. I think it was okay! It is good to hear it is so healthy! Right now I am hooked on Coconut Peanut Butter! It doesn't have much protein but I think the coconut oil really keeps me full in the morning when I add it to oats.

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  9. Nope, never tried soy butter before or sunflower butter, but I have seen the sunflower stuff around before we moved.

    As for my sugar post, I agree that cutting out added sugar is easy to tell someone to do and when they start they have no idea it will also eliminate a bunch of undesired things from the diet too, so it's a win-win with keeping the educational message simple.

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  10. I have never tried a soy nut butter and to be honest it doesn't really sound all that tasty to me.
    I would like to try the sunflower butter. I would go get it now but my husband would kill me if I brought another nut butter into the house.

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  11. The only other nut butter I have tried besides peanut, is almond. I always want to try new nut butters but I am worried to buy a whole jar of it and not like it.
    I want to try Nutzo..supposedly it is a number of nut butters mixed together.
    Have a great weekend, Gina!

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  12. ANy nut butter, especially crunchy kinds, and I am there...any chance there is a crunchy edition you can nab up for me?
    Wait...any butter and I am there. Pear, apple, peach, pumpkin. Love it.
    I just ground up lightly toasted seasame seeds with peanuts and then added some agave and nutmeg...DIVINE!

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  13. But how much protein and fiber do we need? I think the most important thing is still taste, for me...I'd rather have a tablespoon of natural Almond Butter on top of a loaf of whole grain bread, which would provide enough protein and fiber.

    I'd like to see that recipe, though! :-)

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  14. I've never tried soy butter but I like roasted soy a lot, so I might try this! :)
    looking forward to read your recipe!

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  15. You know, I see that soy butter on the shelves every time I go to the grocery store, but I still haven't tried it - mostly because I'm lucky enough to be able to enjoy PB, and also I've never gotten used to the idea of soy having the same texture as PB. Is there any taste of soy? I'd like to try it someday, maybe in someone else's kitchen so that I don't have to buy a whole jar! I can see how this would be a great alternative for someone who is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.

    Have a great weekend, Gina!

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  16. I have tried soybutter and don't really care for it, I like almond butter more and it is healthier. If you are looking for one just like peanut butter I think Barney Butter is the best.

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  17. Thank you for being the first blogger to post about soy nut butter! Its the only nut butter for me and I use it in substitution for peanut butter - although my husband thinks its gross!

    Thank you again!

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  18. Many moons ago, I traded in peanut butter for soynut butter. I really loved having something slightly different to eat in place of PB. I didn't remember that it had so much protein. Maybe when my nut butter supply runs out I'll pick up a jar.

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  19. I didn't know the soy butter would have that much protein. Definitely a huge plus! I've tried sunflower seed butter and love the taste of it.

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  20. I am in the states and just went to Whole Foods...and got everything to make your granola back home...have you seen coconut butter? I am wondering what the heck it is.

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