Weekly Swap #2: Peanut Butter, Count the Ingredients

The label

The "smooth" supermarket jar

Flip over a mainstream jar and you'll often see something like this:

Ingredients (typical example, not a specific brand) Peanuts (85%), sugar, vegetable oil (canola or palm), salt.

Highlighted: the two ingredients that don't need to be there.

Vegetable oil is there for convenience. Natural peanut butter separates, with the peanut oil rising to the top. Adding a refined oil, often canola or palm, keeps it smooth and "no-stir". It also means the fat you're eating is partly an industrial oil rather than the peanut's own.
Sugar is there for taste. A teaspoon or two per jar doesn't sound like much, but it trains the palate to expect sweet in a food that doesn't need it.
The percentage tells you a lot. Australian labels must show the percentage of the characterising ingredient. If it says 85% peanuts, 15% of the jar is something else.

The swap

The one-ingredient jar

Instead of
Peanuts + sugar + vegetable oil + salt

Look for
100% peanuts (a pinch of salt is fine). Organic if you can.

These jars are on most supermarket shelves now, usually labelled "natural" or "100% peanuts". The test is simple: the label should say 100% (or 99% plus salt).

Oil on top is a good sign. Stir it back in the first time you open it, then keep the jar in the fridge and it won't separate again.
Grind your own. Many bulk wholefood stores have a peanut grinder. Fresh, cheap, and you bring your own jar.
Try roasted almonds or macadamias for variety. Same rule: nuts and maybe salt, nothing else.

Browse Bulk Staples and Oils & Sauces in the directory for options.

The lifestyle tip

Walk 10 minutes after your biggest meal

After you eat, your blood sugar rises. Working muscles soak up glucose, so a gentle walk soon after a meal is linked with a smaller, smoother rise than sitting on the couch. Even 10 minutes at an easy pace helps.

It's Dr. Movement working for Dr. Diet. Many people also find it settles their digestion and takes the edge off that heavy, sleepy feeling after dinner. If you can, walk with someone. That makes it Dr. Happiness's job too.

Make it stick: leave your shoes by the door and make "dishes, then walk" the rule. On rainy nights, a few laps of the house or some slow stretches still count.

General holistic-health education — not personalised advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Ingredient lists are typical examples to show what to look for, not a review of any particular product, and brands reformulate, so always check the label. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, managing a diagnosed condition, or taking medication, get guidance matched to your situation from a practitioner who knows your full history before changing anything — you can book a 1:1 consult.

Get the next issue in your inbox