Is PB2 certified vegan? That’s a great question, but first, what is it? If you have never heard of it, PB2 is simply powdered, dehydrated roasted peanuts with most of the oil removed.
Though it may carry the disadvantage of not being a whole food, it has a very simple ingredients list that is completely free of chemicals and additives. PB2 has seen a lot of popularity recently among health and fitness circles.
But, why would someone buy powdered, defatted peanuts when they could just buy regular peanut butter?
PB2 carries a number of advantages over regular peanut butter. Two tablespoons of this food have just 45 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 1 gram of sugar, plus 5 grams of protein, perfect for the health and wellness consumer.
For comparison, two tablespoons of your average traditional peanut butter have about 190 calories, much more fat, and sugar, and not very much more protein. As you can see, PB2 is not meant to be a decadent treat, but rather a health food.
You can make PB2 into low-calorie peanut butter just by combining it with water. If you like to eat a lot of peanut butter, switching to PB2 can be very useful if you are trying to shed a few pounds.
It is said to have the same nutty taste as any regular peanut butter. PB2 is also favored by people trying to build lean muscle. It has a lot of protein for its calorie content. In fact, PB2’s calorie-to-protein ratio is better than most commercial protein bars.
You may still be wondering, why buy this weird peanut powder when there are plenty of other vegan protein sources, including those that might be cheaper, like lentils and beans?
Well, PB2 is non-perishable, doesn’t require cooking, and doesn’t require heating. It’s also super versatile.
You can put prepared PB2 on:
- sandwiches
- apple slices
- put the powder straight into a nutritious smoothie
- protein shake with peanut flavor
- protein pancakes
- protein mug cakes
- plant based beverages
- oatmeal
- pancake batter
- and any baking recipe
PB2 is so much easier to blend with vegan protein powder, smoothies, or a delicious protein shake than traditional peanut butter, which is thicker.
Many experts agree that eating a vegan diet is beneficial to the environment. Plant foods are much less resource-intensive than animal foods, plus the production of plant foods does not exploit and harm animals.
To illustrate this, producing one pound of animal protein takes 12 times the amount of land, 13 times the amount of fossil fuels, and 15 times the amount of water as it does to produce one pound of vegan soy protein.
Adopting a vegan way of life is a powerful way to do your part in saving the Earth. But, is PB2 vegan? Yes! It fits perfectly into a vegan diet and can help you get the protein you need.
Not only is it certified vegan, but PB2 is also certified gluten free, kosher, free of preservatives, artificial flavors, and void of any GMOs.
Curious to find if Reese’s are vegan? Find out here!
PB2 Ingredients
Ingredients
- Roasted peanuts
- Sugar (a pretty small amount, it seems)
- Salt
There is also a variant of PB2 that has added chocolate. This is great for chocolate fans, though it should also be said that it’s a little less nutritious than original PB2.
It has a little more sugar, a little less protein, and a little less dietary fiber. However, it’s still very healthful compared to a full-fat, full-sugar chocolatey peanut butter. The PB2 chocolate ingredients are:
- Roasted peanuts
- Cocoa powder
- Sugar
- Salt
As for conventional peanut butter, it sounds like something that should be vegan. However, this may not necessarily be so. If you opt for regular peanut butter instead of PB2, stay on the lookout for the many non-vegan food additives that could be on the ingredients list.
Also avoid any peanut butter with added palm oil, as the palm oil industry is responsible for a lot of large-scale rainforest destruction that harms many species, including the endangered orangutan. The fact that the palm oil industry indirectly harms animals makes it non-vegan friendly, in many vegans’ eyes.
If you’re looking for a complete plant based protein that has zero added sugar, has low calories, tastes great, and naturally flavored, you may also check another PB2 variant called PB2 Performance.
Summary
PB2 is certified vegan and one of the many great sources of all plant based protein. It’s versatile and convenient to use and can help you with your diet, weight loss, and fitness goals.
If you’re vegan and are looking for powdered peanut butter, and a delicious protein source, you should give it a try next time.
Images via Oregon Tale.
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