If You Love Peanut Butter, Pick Up This Lower-Calorie $5 Miracle From Trader Joe's

There are three great things about this peanut butter powder! One: it's organic. Two: it's unsweetened (many brands contain sugar). And three: it's affordable at just $5; other brands I've seen are always a few dollars more.

If you've never heard of peanut butter powder, registered dietitian Stephanie Ferrari, RD, with Fresh Communications explained that peanut butter powder is created when roasted peanuts are pressed, and the oil and fat are removed from the peanuts. She added, "most of the calories in peanut butter comes from that oil and fat, so when you remove it, the caloric content of what's left goes way down." So if you crave that peanut butter flavour, but you're watching your calorie and fat intake, this bag will feel like a tiny miracle.

Look at that! Only two ingredients: partially defatted organic peanut flour and sea salt. It's not exactly a whole food, and it is processed, but at least you know exactly what these two ingredients are.

Two tablespoons of Trader Joe's Organic Peanut Butter Powder has 70 calories, two grams of fat, five grams of carbs, two grams of fibre, and offers seven grams of protein.

For comparison, two tablespoons of regular peanut butter has 200 calories, 17 grams of fat, four grams of carbs, two grams of fibre, and offers eight grams of protein.

Stephanie said that just because peanut butter powder is lower in calories and fat, doesn't mean that it's healthier, or that there's something wrong with eating regular peanut butter. Which one you choose to eat depends on your nutritional needs.

Now's a good time to mention that the fat in peanut butter comes from monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), which are healthy fats your body needs. Eating MUFAs can lower bad cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Including nuts like peanuts in your diet can also help with your weight-loss goals because the fat is digested more slowly than other nutrients and makes your food more filling and satisfying. If you get plenty of healthy fats from other sources and you're actually trying to cut down, then using this peanut butter powder would be a great option.

How can you use your new peanut butter powder? On the package, there are instructions for how to mix it with water to make peanut butter, which you can spread on toast or fruit slices. Peanut butter powder can also be added to smoothies (try this low-carb peanut butter protein smoothie recipe). Or mix it into yoghurt, oatmeal, or chia pudding.

You can also bake with peanut butter powder by adding it to pancake and waffle mixes, muffins, and energy bar recipes to increase the protein and to add a peanut butter flavour for fewer calories and fat. One of our editors loves mixing peanut butter powder with soy sauce and other ingredients to make a peanut sauce perfect for stir fries.