Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter

Reduced-fat peanut butter falls short on taste

Editors at Cooking Light magazine recommend avoiding reduced-fat peanut butter because they fall short on flavor, "offer little calorie savings, and you're ditching good-for-you fats." In addition, reduced-fat peanut butters are identified as spreads, because they don't contain the 90 percent peanuts required by the Food and Drug Administration to be labeled as peanut butter. The essential problem is the corn syrup and other additives that replace the peanuts, albeit lower in fat (about 12 grams versus 16 grams), aren't necessarily lower in calories or carbohydrates. Hence, you are really better off just eating a smaller portion of regular peanut butter.

Because reduced-fat peanut butters aren't included in blind taste tests, we were unable to find expert endorsements. Therefore, we've highlighted an exceptionally low-fat product that has garnered some serious online attention from dieters. PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (*Est. $16 for four 6.5-oz. jars) is exactly what it sounds like: finely ground roasted peanuts (plus added sugar and salt) that you mix with water to the desired consistency. Detailed product information is provided by TheNibble.com, which recommends it for dieters and in recipes. Editors say the roasted peanuts are pressed to remove 75 percent of the fat, but removing the oil also eliminates the mouth-feel and flavor found in regular peanut butter.

In a blog post by vegetarian chef Emily Malone at DailyGarnish.com, she says she is a longtime user and prefers it over two other brands she has tried. PB2 contains only roasted peanuts, sugar and salt. A 2-tablespoon serving of mixed PB2 contains only 45 calories (compared to 190 in regular peanut butter), 1.5 grams fat (compared to 16 grams in regular peanut butter), no saturated fat, only a single gram of sugar and 94 milligrams of sodium (compared to 150 in regular peanut butter). One drawback is the protein is 5 grams compared to 7 grams in regular peanut butter. Critics say the amount of water you add can also impact the nutritional value of 2 tablespoons of PB2.

PB2 is only sold in a four-pack by the manufacturer, Bell Plantation, which says each jar is roughly equivalent to an 18-oz. jar of regular peanut butter. Their other product, Chocolate PB2, also contains cocoa powder and costs the same. Amazon.com sells PB2 in single jars where about 75 reviewers give it a good overall rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. Some consumers say it tastes as good as the real thing on PB&J sandwiches, while others are mixing it into protein shakes.