Grocery guru Our dietitian checks out the new nut butters

Love peanut butter? Now you can take your tastebuds on a culinary tour of new nutty flavours. Our dietitian Melissa Meier shows you the healthiest ways to butter up.

If you have a hankering for a slathering of peanut butter on toast, maybe you think of it as a guilty pleasure. After all, a hefty smear can be high in kilojoules. But this is where good health is all about more than looking at the kilojoules. These are the kinds of kilojoules you want in a healthy diet.

Nuts – and therefore nuts butters – are seriously good for you. Not only are nuts full of valuable nutrients, they’ve been linked to a raft of health benefits, from heart and brain health, to weight management and protection from diseases too. What’s more, they’re incredibly satiating – so they can keep the urge to snack at bay.

And when it comes to nut butters, no longer are your only choices smooth or crunchy. There are new varieties, like almond and cashew butter, alongside the traditional peanut kind. So which is best?

Let’s start with the basics. Peanuts are rich in heart-healthy fats, muscle-building protein and

gut-loving fibre. Grind them up into a paste and you’ve got a dietitian-approved spread for wholegrain toast or crackers. There’s a lot of variability between brands, however, so it pays to check the label and opt for a natural peanut butter with no added sugar, salt or oil. The good news is that some brands of peanut butter now come with added goodies, like chia seeds, hemp seeds and cacao.

Then there are nut butters made from tree nuts, like almonds, cashews and Brazil nuts. These also offer satisfying healthy fats, protein and fibre, and by mixing it up, you’ll get a range of different micronutrients as well. Again, it’s important to read the label and opt for a “natural” variety that’s close to 100 per cent nuts. Chocolate hazelnut spread is one nut butter that fails to hit the good-health benchmark, with usually just 10 per cent hazelnuts and a lot of added sugar and fat.

To help you pick the best nut butters, here are some that score high points for good health.