Which Butter (or Spread) Is Better?

By Amy Campbell The world of nutrition is often confusing, even for dietitians and other nutrition experts. Debates (and bickering) rage on about which diet is best for weight loss, how much carbohydrate a person with diabetes should have, and what kind of fat is best to eat. It's not so easy these days to choose a spread for your morning toast or your baked potato. Years ago, folks had pretty much two choices: butter and margarine. Today, we have butter, light butter, whipped butter, stick margarine, vegetable oil spread, margarine with phytosterols, margarine with yogurt, and vegan margarine (just to name a few). How do you possibly choose? First things first Most people know that butter and margarine are not the same. There are distinct differences between the two, even though they're often used for the same purpose. Butter • Made from churned cream (so it's an animal product) • Contains cholesterol and saturated fat (1 tablespoon has roughly 30 milligrams of cholesterol and 7 grams of saturated fat) • Does not contain trans fats (an unhealthy type of fat formed when oils are partially hydrogenated) • Contains vitamins A, D, E, and K • Good choice for baking • Healthier options are whipped butter or butter blended with canola or olive oil • "European-style" or "rich" butter contains even more fat and saturated fat than regular butter Margarine • Made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil • Some brands contain trans f...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs