Butter Verses Margarine
Recent news about artery-clogging trans fats in margarine and
many processed foods, has left spread lovers confused about
the best choice for heart health. The winner is tub margarine.
Studies now tell experts that margarine lowered LDL, or bad
cholesterol, by an average of 10 percent in both adults and
children. This is important, because hardening of the arteries
begins in youth. However, as with many good news, there is a
“but”. Switching from butter or stick margarine
to tub margarine is not a cure-all for high cholesterol. Genetics
play a factor as well as reducing your total intake of saturated
fat, which means also paying attention to how much cheese, ice
cream, full-fat milk and fatty meats you eat.
There are more than 54 margarine products on the market.
Choices include: stick, tub, light, trans-free, fat-free –
how do you choose? Here is how you can get the most flavors,
best cooking results and heart-healthy benefits.
In Baked Goods
Replace butter with a stick margarine that contains at least
60 percent oil products. Avoid tub spreads and modified margarine,
which contain too little fat and too much water.
For Dinner
For pan-frying and sauteing, use olive oil to eliminate trans-fats.
Replace butter with a margarine that contains 50 to 59 percent
of oil.
On Bread
Love the taste of butter? Choose a tub margarine that contains
whey protein for close-to-the-real-thing butter taste. If
you are like me, really hooked on having “REAL”
butter on your bread, use whipped butter in tubs. There is
less fat and calories due to the “whipping” process.
To Lower Cholesterol
It is worth it to buy cholesterol-lowering margarine. Three
servings a day lower LDL by 10 percent. Let's take it! |
