As I was at the checkout one day this past week, Jessie thrust a container at me and said: “here, buy this and try it.” I am always game to try anything once, maybe twice. I took the jar, agreed without hesitation, and added it to my checkout. Then I took a peek at what I had agreed to. 5 Seed Butter!  

Nut and seed butter are one of my favorite foods. I love the dense creaminess of fat and protein that I can enjoy in so many ways. This “diversity of ways to enjoy this new 5 seed butter” then led me to the need to review several items available at the Coop. 

5 Seed Butter is completely scrumptious as snack number 1, straight off the spoon

5 Seed Butter Benefits: 

• nut-free for those with allergies
• peanut-free, peanuts are legumes
• delicious taste
• spreads easily
• no added sugar
• nice balance of poly & mono-unsaturated fats
• reasonably priced
• goes well in yogurt, with fruit, on toast, as a 5 seed butter & banana sandwich, on crackers, and right off the spoon for a quick snack.

Which leads me to more reviews as I began taste testing this 5 Seed Butter on a variety of food canvases. 

Snack number two

After eating directly off the spoon (which I highly recommend), was 5 Seed Butter slathered heavily on the Simple Mills Sprouted Seed, Gluten-Free Crackers. 

These crackers are very crisp and hearty. I like that. They take some serious chewing, and in our smoothie obsessed culture, chewing is a good thing. Chewing works the jaw bone for wider spacing of teeth from side to side and better breathing capacity of the facial structure, keeps the facial muscles well-toned, and chewing is a very important mechanical step to prep all food for the process of proper digestion.

The taste you ask? I love the flavor of these crackers. Every food I have layered onto them goes well with the cracker flavor. They are even tasty alone. 

Simple Mills Sprouted Seed Cracker Benefits:

• The perfect pairing for butter, cheese, nut & seed butter, hummus, dips of any kind, sour cream & chives, sausage, scrambled egg scooping, herbed goat cheeses, and probably anything you enjoy eating that belongs on a cracker. 
• Pretty clean ingredients.
• Gluten-free, sugar-free, corn-free, and grain-free for people looking for these dietary pluses.
• Sunflower oil as the added fat, not my first choice but far better than soy or canola.

Simple Mills Sprouted Seed Cracker Drawbacks:

• After the sprouted seed blend of flax, sunflower, hemp, and chia; the next ingredient is tapioca starch. Generally, I avoid all products with any refined starch as an ingredient. Tapioca starch is the equivalent of all-purpose flour, which is wheat flour completely refined into nothing but the grain’s starch. Our bodies do best when we keep the bran and germ intact for the nourishment and fiber the whole food offers. 
• Always read product ingredients for whole food goodness. 

Snack Number three was 5 Seed Butter with apple slices

I have tried this scrumptious seed butter with both Pink Lady and Honey Crisp apples. Both varieties are available, organically, at the Coop. 

Pink Ladies have a crisp texture and sweet taste. They go well with this 5 Seed Butter or any nut and seed butter for that matter. 

Honey Crisp has a slightly less crisp texture, more like a Cortland in my opinion, and is also a tasty sweet apple. The 5 Seed Butter paired well with Honey Crisps. 

Apple Benefits: 

• They keep doctors away, Trust me on this one. ?
• Apple fiber aids digestion and moves food along the digestive tract. Bye-bye constipation. 
• Apples are loaded with anti-oxidants that may be immune boosting, cancer-preventing, anti-inflammatory, and benefit cholesterol and high blood pressure. 
• Eating apples, a whole food source of carbohydrates and fiber, is recommended in weight loss and diabetes prevention diets.

Apple Drawbacks:

• If we follow seasonal eating, apples are not available year-round. As sad as this seems, in the seasonal eating big picture, we have berries, pears, peaches, melons, apricots, plums, cherries… so many other things to enjoy until yearly apple season cycles around again.
• Follow the area’s seasonal food offerings and welcome apple season each summer and fall.

Snack Number four was 5 Seed Butter blended into plain, full-fat organic yogurt

Yogurt, with 5 Seed Butter blended into it, is my creamy, fatty substitute for ice cream. I will add fruit, maybe a drizzle of local maple syrup or raw honey, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and sometimes a dash of vanilla. This mix is great to eat as is, dipping apple slices into it, and/or topped with sprinkles of your favorite granola.

I also create this yogurt meal/snack with almond butter or any other nut or seed butter. 

In my pictures, you see Redwood Hill Farm Goat Yogurt. I order this by the case of 6 quarts from the Coop Buying Club. 

Full Fat, Plain, Organic (High Quality) Yogurt Benefits:

• No added sugar
• The healthy fat in the diet is from organic and naturally fed animals; pasture-fed cows, goats, or sheep
• If the yogurt has live, active cultures, this is a boost for gut microbial health. Good gut microbial balance benefits whole-body health. Gut health and gut microbial balance are another post.
• If you tolerate dairy products, yogurt is a nice balance of protein, fat, and milk sugar carbohydrates. With the seed butter added, you up the protein and fat content of your meal or snack for longer satiation and fat-soluble nutrients.

Full Fat, Plain, Organic (High Quality) Yogurt Drawbacks:

• Some people do not tolerate dairy well. Dairy can exacerbate sinus conditions of mucous. Dairy can be hard for some people to digest, lactose issues aside, and cause diarrhea and constipation problems. 
• Know your body and eat whole foods that best serve your health and well-being. 

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