The breakfast spread that can be good for men’s prostates

No longer is it just a choice between crunchy or smooth peanut butter on your toast — supermarkets are now full of all manner of healthy nut and seed ‘butters’.

‘like the nuts and seeds they are made from, nut butters are rich in vitamins and minerals, and are also a good source of satiating protein and fibre,’ says dietitian gemma renshaw.

‘However, they’re also high in calories, so you do need to exercise portion control. Up to two tablespoons or a golf ball sized portion (30g) per day is about right.’

Here, she assesses six nut butters, which we then rated for their health value . . .

RAW HEALTH ORGANIC HAZELNUT BUTTER

£5.79 for 170g, ocado.co.uk. Per 30g: 188 calories, 1.4g saturated fat, 1.3g sugar, 4.5g protein, no salt HAZELNUTS are high in vitamin e — 30g supplies nearly t wo- thirds of t he recommended daily amount.

‘that’s really useful as there aren’t many rich sources of this important vitamin,’ says gemma. ‘It acts as an antioxidant, so protects cell membranes and helps maintain healthy skin and eyes, and strengthens the immune system.’

a serving also supplies 75 per cent of your recommended daily amount of manganese, which is important for bones. TASTE: rich and satisfying, like nutella but less sickly. HEALTH RATING: 6/10

MERIDIAN COCONUT AND PEANUT BUTTER

£2.49 for 280g, Holland & Barrett. Per 30g: 183 calories, 6.6g saturated fat, 2.5g sugar, 6.7g protein, no salt a 30g serving, which is 69 per cent roasted peanuts and 23 per cent coconut, supplies more than half your daily intake of biotin (for healthy skin and hair), one-sixth of your daily niacin (for releasing energy from food) and nearly a fifth of vitamin e — but pure peanut butter would give you more of these nutrients.

the coconut also bumps up the saturated fat to 6.6g per serving, nearly three times what ordinary peanut butter might provide.

However, gemma says: ‘ It’s possible the saturated fats in coconut may be metabolised differently from other saturates and might even benefit weight,’

Your daily saturated fat intake shouldn’t exceed 20g per day for women or 30g for men. added honey gives half a teaspoon of sugar per serving. TASTE: overwhelmingly coconutty and sweet, like a korma curry. HEALTH RATING: 4/10

PIP AND NUT ALMOND BUTTER

£3.50 for 250g, Sainsbury’s. Per 30g: 188 calories, 1.2g saturated fat, 1.4g sugar, 7.8g protein, 0.4g salt a serving provides as much protein as a boiled egg, and the same fibre as a thick slice of wholemeal bread.

‘and 30g of almond butter gives 60 per cent of your daily vitamin e,’ says gemma. It also provides 20 per cent of your daily magnesium — ‘that’s more than in a whole head of steamed broccoli’.

research suggests we don’t absorb up to 30 per cent of the calories from chewed whole almonds (and maybe other nuts), as their fibrous structure makes them hard to digest. Milling almonds to a smooth butter means more calories and fat are absorbed, but may also make fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamin e more available, too. TASTE: Mild, with a slight natural sweetness, but very runny. HEALTH RATING: 8/10

BIONA PUMPKIN SEED BUTTER

£2.99 for 170g, ocado.co.uk. Per 30g: 178 calories, 2.6g saturated fat, 0.4g sugar, 9.1g protein, no salt Made from milled pumpkin seeds and nothing else, this looks more like pesto than peanut butter.

a serving has more protein than a large boiled egg. ‘It would be a good, quick choice on whole grain toast for breakfast,’ says gemma. this spread may be particularly beneficial for mature men, as research suggests components in the pumpkin seed oil may help block the conversion of testosterone i nto a compound l i nked to prostate enlargement.

TASTE: grassy and slightly bitter — an acquired taste.

HEALTH RATING: 9/10

WHOLE GOOD WALNUT AND CHIA BUTTER

£5.99 for 170g, ocado.co.uk. Per 30g: 181 calories, 1.6g saturated fat, 0.6g sugar, 4.8g protein, 0.2g salt ‘WALNUTS are unusual among nuts in that a high proportion of the unsaturated fats they contain are omega-3, which many of us lack,’ says gemma.

Chia seeds are higher in omega-3. this is a good option if you don’t eat oily fish. omega-3s in walnuts and chia seeds may be diminished by heat, so it’s probably better that the nuts are ‘raw’. TASTE: a satisfying crunch, but slightly bitter and salty. HEALTH RATING: 7/10

M&S CASHEW BUTTER

£2 for 227g. Per 30g: 194 calories, 2.7g saturated fat, 3.7g sugar, 4.8g protein, 0.27g salt ‘CASHEWS score well for iron and zinc, and a serving of this spread — 65 per cent roasted cashews and 4.6 per cent peanuts — supplies 10 to 15 per cent of your daily amounts of both,’ says gemma — more than from peanut butter.

sugar and salt are also added — a serving has 5 per cent of your daily salt allowance, which is Ok, but just under a teaspoon of sugar. TASTE: Mild and creamy, if slightly too sweet. the most similar to conventional smooth peanut butter. HEALTH RATING: 6/10