I love Nutella (at least I used to, haven't had it in a while) - but - it does have partially hydrogenated oils (aka trans fats) and lots of sugar. It might be comparable to some peanut butters, but definitely not to the peanut butter I use. You can, however, make your own "Nutella" just like you can make your own nut butters. I haven't done it yet, but I will some day. I just don't want it around right now.

Hmm...
 

Really? I don't have some expensive super organic all natural peanut butter because I think it's nasty, but I've got a jar of Peter Pan and JIF in front of me and they're identical on the nutritional info, plus my jar of World Market Hazelnut Cocoa Spread -- aka Nutella.

Peanut butter: 200 Cals per serving (2 tbsp), 140 of those Fat Cals
16g Total Fat
3g Saturated Fat
0g Trans Fat
0 Cholesterol
140mg Sodium
6g Total Carbs
2g Fiber
3g Sugar
7g Protein


Nutella: 170 Cals per serving (2 tbsp), 90 Fat Cals
10g Total Fat
3g Saturated Fat
0g Trans Fat
0 Cholesterol
15mg Sodium
17g Total Carbs
1g Fiber
15g Sugar
2g Protein

They're nearly the same save for the salt, carbs, and sugar content, but even with more sugar it has less calories and WAAAAY less fat. It's the perfect dip for fruits or added in moderation as an ingredient when you want something chocolately, but not too much of a diet killer. HOWEVER it depends on your diet. I don't process protein well, it makes me sluggish. I eat a high carb, low fat diet instead and I eat it twice a day and i'm fine. *Shrug.*

Not all things with hydrogenated oils contain trans fat...it's just one of those weird little things. I'll look into some nutella later. Maybe I can find a sample online or something to taste it first, make sure I'll actually eat it. I'm extremely picky.

OK, we just have different ideas of "nearly the same," and that's fine.

From a nutritional point of view, I would agree that even a highly processed peanut butter is going to have more nutrients than Nutella (basically a liquid candy bar).

But, unless you're eating only Nutella, if the rest of your diet is balanced, and you aren't insulin resistant or carb-sensitive, it's probably relatively harmless.
And for weight loss, some people (maybe even most people) may process a calorie as a calorie.

However, for me the carb count makes a huge difference. I'm insulin resistant, and my doctors recommended restricting carbs, especially high sugar ones. I don't buy a health food peanut butter (I love it, but it's too expensive and doesn't last in the cabinet as long). I just buy a store brand of PB with no added sugar.

Anything very high in carbs makes me hungrier, and sugar I have a very difficult time with portion control. With the Nutella-like Spreads (Jif used to have, don't know if they still do, a Snicker bar spread that was heavenly) I start out with a thin spread on an apple, and end up sitting in front of the tv with the jar and a spoon.

If you can control yourself, it's a nice indulgence. But for me, I can keep PB in the house, but not Nutella. Though I know people who can't control themselves with PB, so they keep that out of the house, too. Ya do what ya gotta do.

Kaplods, keep the peanut butter in the fridge. And if the health food peanut butter comes in a really big container you know will take a while, put half in another tight sealing container and the other half in the fridge. Anything high in natural oils, like peanut butter, is prone to "spoiling" faster because the fat goes rancid. The same goes for nuts themselves, delicate oils like sesame oil, and wheat flour. Cold helps protect the fat. Nuts actually do better in the freezer tightly sealed. The whole tightly sealed this is the most important because the fats also pick up other flavors and oders. I keep nuts and wheat flour in the freezer and my sesame oil in the fridge, and I've had my oil for at least a year.

My husband is a freak. He doesn't like peanut butter or peanuts either...no beans other than lima or green, no peas, no popcorn, no peanut butter or peanuts...he wrote he didn't like peanut butter in japanese when he was taking that in school and the teacher asked him if he was american. But the weirdo eats sushi and puts applesauce on pizza. :rolleyes: men...

Thanks Tracy, good tips. Usually, hubby is the peanut butter fan in our hose, and he prefers the store brand (the whining he does about how hard the fresh peanut butter is to spread and how "grainy" it is, you'd think I was trying to poison him - well, maybe if he keeps it up).

Our health-food store has grind-you-own almond butter and peanut butter, and I usually grind out just a quarter of a pound (the almond butter is $15 a lb, the jarred version is cheaper, but the fresh ground is pure heaven), as a treat now and then. Hubby doesn't get it.

Cashew butter is probably my favorite.

I wonder if I could find almond butter here. Technically I could make it if I could find some almond oil I guess. He likes tree nuts, just not peanuts.

Your husband's texture issue is like my sister's. She can't do lasagna or certain macaroni and cheese dishes because they have "chunky" cheese. Seeing cottage cheese makes her gag, but then again so do garden peas :lol:
Tell him to put the peanut butter in a little bowl or something and microwave it for a couple seconds to make it more spreadable. They act like simple tasks will kill them...mine doesn't seem to understand the edge to 6 inches from the sink isn't the same as IN the sink.

I also used to have to make his ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch with honey mustard on blueberry bagels :barf:

I don't get the meat and fruit thing. Hubby loves Monte Cristo sandwhiches, and grape jelly on his grilled cheese - but still pretty mild compared to my dad who put fruit jams on his cold cut sandwhiches. My dad would eat the strangest combinations, you started to wonder if he even had tastebuds.

He's eaten apple slices on ham sandwiches at delis before. I can kinda see some fruit spreads on them. I'll put leftover cranberry sauce on turkey sandwiches after thanksgiving. I think some fruits would enhance a meat flavor, just not for me personally except the thanksgiving thing. I mean, I eat orange chicken and chicken and pork with citrus in the marinades. Now my uncle didn't have tastebuds...no lie, mayonnaise sandwiches.

It's really funny isn't it the food taboos you can pick up. There are very few fruit/meat combos I like, but there are some (like you mentioned). In college, our cafeteria ladies were always cooking meats in canned fruit, peaches, pineapple, but especially fruit cocktail - ham, turkey, salisbury steak, and even fish. Thankfully there were always two cooked options and as a last resort breakfast cereal.

I have a bit of a canned fruit phobia anyway (about all I can stomache is pineapple and mandarin oranges - I used to like pears when I was little, but the texture of canned pears makes me gag, now). I love nearly all fresh fruits, but canned just gives me the heebee jeebees for some reason. They feel slimy to me. Frozen is better, but I don't like frozen peaches, only fresh peaches.

I think canned fruit reminds me too much of cooked fruit, which I also hate, even cooked pineapple (it's ok in a chinese sweet and sour if the pieces are tiny, but if they're huge cubes, I have to pick around).

It's funny, because I really will try nearly anything, but I have some weird food issues too. Like I like cottage cheese in lasagnas and stuff, but hate it cold and plain. If it's in a jello salad, it "might" be ok, depending on if the texture is relatively smooth.

I have to admit I'm as weird as anyone regarding what I like and what I don't.

Oh yeah, I'm weird too. I can't stand the look of cottage cheese so I won't try it, but I can eat it cooked in stuff. I hate raw tomatoes and onions, but I eat chunky tomato sauce like I'm dying and cooked onions if it's small enough. And no seafood...I refuse to eat anything from water. I don't mind canned fruits, but cooked fruits are a little off to me, except blueberries. I'll eat blueberry pancakes and dried blueberries, but fresh are just nasty.

My uncle and cousins like peanut butter and mayonaise sandwiches. Yech!

Gross! My grandpa did banana and mayo. As a kid, I actually ate a few. That might have a bit to do with why I hate bananas now haha.

So other than smart ones meals, are there any others you guys would recommend? I can barely find South Beach at a decent price anymore. I've never done that diet, but the meals, pizzas and wraps are really good.