In the old days, peanut butter was made by simply grinding peanuts and perhaps adding a dash of salt. The only problem with this approach is that the natural oils in the fresh ground peanuts separated and formed a pool of peanut oil on top that had to be stirred before first use.

When hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated (trans-fatty) oils became more widely used by the food industry, manufacturers began adding these unhealthy oil alternatives to stabilize the peanut butter so that the oil would no longer separate. The peanut butter became lighter and creamier in texture, was easier to spread on bread, and more importantly, its oil did not separate. However, its taste changed significantly with the exchange of natural peanut oils with manufactured ones.

With today's focus on healthy eating along with proven health risks associated with hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated oils, we see a move back to natural peanut butters. But buyer beware -- not all peanut butters marketed as "natural" are made with healthy ingredients. In this article, we'll look at some natural peanut butters currently on the market and how they stack up.

You can always tell if a peanut butter is really natural by reading the nutritional label. Essentially you should only see two ingredients: peanuts and salt. If you see any other ingredients such as palm oil or sugar, it's not truly natural in the sense of being good for you.

Peanut oil contains healthy monounsaturated fats which studies have shown lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise good cholesterol (HDL) in the body. When it is replaced with other oils in peanut butter, you're losing out on the health benefits of this timeless treat.

Another factor in determining whether a peanut butter is natural is oil separation. If the food manufacturer claims the peanut butter is natural yet at the same time there's no need to stir, the peanut butter is in fact not truly natural in the strict sense of the word.

Many people believe you must use your muscle power to stir natural peanut butter every time you take it out of your pantry or refrigerator. Not so. Your initial stirring takes about five minutes; thereafter, you need only lightly stir if at all.

Major food manufacturers have added so-called "natural" peanut butters to their line of products. Do they live up to their promises? Let's take a look at three natural peanut butters: Smart Balance, Skippy, and Smuckers.

Smart Balance Omega Natural Peanut Butter. Is Smart Balance natural peanut butter really smart? Yes, it's made without refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, and trans-fats. Yes, it has lots of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. However, it adds molasses (unrefined sugar) and a natural oil blend of flaxseed oil and palm oil to stabilize the peanut butter so you don't have to stir it. Per flaxseed oil, it's a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids; but then again, so is natural peanut oil. The palm oil is recognized as a vegetable oil high in saturated fats. And the need for added sugar, albeit unrefined in the form of molasses, is questionable.

Skippy Natural Peanut Butter. While the texture may be lighter and creamer with no need to stir, Skippy's natural peanut butter offering is a bit suspect in terms of being truly natural. Its ingredients consist of roasted peanuts, palm oil, sugar, and salt. Again, palm oil is recognized as a vegetable oil high in saturated fats; thus healthy peanut oil is being replaced with unhealthy palm oil to prevent natural oil separation. Furthermore, one must question whether refined sugar is really necessary to include in the product since peanut butter is most often paired with sugary companions (e.g., peanut butter and jelly sandwiches).

Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter. If you read the ingredients on the nutritional label, Smucker's Natural peanut butter is made with only two ingredients: peanuts and salt. This makes Smucker's Natural the winner of our natural peanut butter taste test. Yes, you have to stir separated oil before you use it the first time. But after that, it's a simple light stir (if any) and you're good to go. All healthy Omega 3 fatty acids from monounsaturated peanut oil are preserved, and there's no exchange for potentially unhealthy oils.

Natural peanut butters (i.e., those containing only peanuts and salt) area generally a bit heavier and pastier in texture than their counterparts. But once you try it, you'll appreciate the all-natural peanut flavor and its numerous health benefits.