A favorite of kids and adults alike, the PB&J sandwich is delicious, but not necessarily healthy. When PB&J sandwiches are made, they usually contain peanut butter that has a lot of salt and sugar, jelly that has a lot of sugar, and white bread that’s very low in fiber. There’s a way to make this sandwich healthier, while also keeping it delicious!

Making a Healthier PB&J Sandwich

Adjusting the three main ingredients in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can greatly decrease the amount of sugar intake, while also increasing the amount of fiber in the sandwich.

• Look for high fiber whole grain bread that comes with 3-4 grams of fiber per slice.
• When choosing peanut butter, get natural peanut butter. You’ll know it’s natural, because it will have oil that’s floated to the top of the container.
• When choosing jellies, get jellies that are made with all fruit, and don’t have any added sweeteners.

Try Almond Butter & Agave Nectar

The healthiest version of a PB&J sandwich doesn’t actually use peanut butter or jelly. Instead, it uses Almond Butter and Agave Nectar. Almond butter has significantly more fiber and nutrients than peanut butter, and still maintains a creamy, rich flavor. Agave nectar, which is similar to honey, is sweet like honey or jelly, but has less calories and actually has fiber in it.

If you couple high fiber wheat bread (3-4 grams of fiber per slice) with almond butter (4 grams of fiber per serving) and agave nectar (1 gram of fiber per serving), one sandwich can yield up to 18 grams of fiber. That’s a lot more fiber than a typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which usually only yields about 2-3 grams of fiber.