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Margarine or Light Butter?


MickinMD

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I'm trying out a butter/canola oil spread - because it's a spread - instead of the margarine I've eaten for decades, at the urging of relatives who claim butter tastes better.

Any recommendations of a butter-based spread that tastes great?

I've been buying Country Crock "Shedd's Spread," mainly because it tastes like "Tastes Like Butter"-type margarines and it's only $2.00 for the 15 oz. container, which lasts me a month unless there's some unusual recipe that requires a lot of it.

Some relatives have told me I'm missing out by not using real butter, arguing I wouldn't be eating enough to harm my health.

So, yesterday in the supermarket, I saw Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil spread, "50% less calories than butter."

It was $3.99, but I decided to try it once.  I'm NOT going to try old-fashioned hard-out-of-the-refrigerator butter.

Both "Original" Country Crock and LOL Light Butter have 50 Cal. per tbsp and all is fats.  They are very similar in Sodium (100mg CC, 90 mg LOL) Calcium, etc.  The only major difference is that the LOL has 2 g of (unhealthy) saturated fat (10% of daily "safe" amount) and CC has 0 g.  Both have NO (unhealthy) trans fat.

Country Crock Light is 35 Cal, but not always in stock where I shop and the 15 Cal difference is not something I worry about considering the little I use.

One the one hand, a quick Google search revealed:

"Is Country Crock a margarine or butter?
It is more natural and healthier than margarine or any other vegetable-fat based product. Hydrogenation is not part of making butter but it is part of making some of the imitation butter spreads like Country Crock. Hydrogenated oil is thought to be harmful to your health in the long run.
Country Crock has allegedly removed hydrogenated oil but " So "0 grams trans" really means 0.3 grams of trans fat in a tablespoon of Benecol Light or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Original, 0.4 grams in Blue Bonnet or regular Country Crock, and 0.5 grams (0.47 grams, actually) in Land O'Lakes Fresh Buttery Taste spread."
 
On the other hand:

The Mayo Clinic says: "Margarine usually tops butter when it comes to heart health. Margarine is made from vegetable oils, so it contains unsaturated "good" fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These types of fats help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol when substituted for saturated fat.

Butter, on the other hand, is made from animal fat, so it contains more saturated fat.

But not all margarines are created equal...Trans fat, like saturated fat, increases blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fat lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol levels. So skip the stick and opt for soft or liquid margarine instead.

Look for a spread that doesn't have trans fats and has the least amount of saturated fat."

Actually, the LOL Light Butter fits that last line.  So I'm going to enjoy the Light Butter with confidence!

 

 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

The Mayo Clinic says: "Margarine usually tops butter when it comes to heart health. Margarine is made from vegetable oils, so it contains unsaturated "good" fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These types of fats help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol when substituted for saturated fat.

This sounds like 30 year-old advice.  I am not saying it is wrong, but I am saying it is probably the wrongest thing that could ever be said knowing what we know now.

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Just now, Dirtyhip said:

Seriously, buy some really good olive oil and dip your toast in it. Olive oil courses through my veins and I am healthy as heck.

That is one thing I never picked up, I will ALWAYS prefer butter with bread to dipping it in oil, and I love olive oil.  Butter tastes better for that application.

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5 minutes ago, BuffJim said:

Did you not see Ralph’s comment this morning about processed food. Real butter is healthier than either of the products you are talking about. 

Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants. 

Don't make the mistake of thinking "real" butter comes out of the cow as butter!  It's not "separated" and a "natural" food.  It is churned - PROCESSED - and its chemical composition changes.

For example, CH3CH2CH2COOH is known by IUPAC offically naming as butanoic acid, but has the common name of "butyric acid" because it comes from butter - it does NOT come from cow's milk or cream.

Note that the canola oil, that's mixed with the butter, is not processed! It's extracted or pressed like orange juice. So it's a more natural "real" food than butter!

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8 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

This sounds like 30 year-old advice.  I am not saying it is wrong, but I am saying it is probably the wrongest thing that could ever be said knowing what we know now.

I agree with you to some extent, but what we know now is that margarines have greatly improved in health content while butter is mostly stuck with being butter.

30 years ago margarines were full of saturated and trans fats.

The quote is from a registered dietitian who has worked for the world-class Mayo Clinic since 1999: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/butter-vs-margarine/faq-20058152

The date at the bottom of the article is June 29, 2018.

 

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I don’t see the need to spread grease on my bread. If I did I would use butter. I have churned my own butter, it’ snot processed in the way margerine is. You take the cream off the top of the milk and shake or churn it until you have butter. I wouldn’t touch margarine with a ten foot butter knife.

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3 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

We use some kind of Smart Balance with olive oil.  WoKzoo is  in charge of healthy eating.  I do what I’m told.

I’m a feared I wouldn’t live long if I left health eating to my wife. I think she is catching on though. I do ninety percent of the cooking. Mostly when she cooks I figure in moderation it’ snot likely to kill me.

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15 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

I’m a feared I wouldn’t live long if I left health eating to my wife. I think she is catching on though. I do ninety percent of the cooking. Mostly when she cooks I figure in moderation it’ snot likely to kill me.

I wish I was a good enough cook and had the energy and time to pull that off. 

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1 hour ago, MickinMD said:

Don't make the mistake of thinking "real" butter comes out of the cow as butter!  It's not "separated" and a "natural" food.  It is churned - PROCESSED - and its chemical composition changes.

For example, CH3CH2CH2COOH is known by IUPAC offically naming as butanoic acid, but has the common name of "butyric acid" because it comes from butter - it does NOT come from cow's milk or cream.

Note that the canola oil, that's mixed with the butter, is not processed! It's extracted or pressed like orange juice. So it's a more natural "real" food than butter!

Ok, there is a lot wrong here.  Canola oil not processed?  What?  Pressed, are you sure?  Heated?  There is a shit ton of processing going on, I feel pretty safe in that. 

Butter is in no way more unhealthy than margarine.   There are many, many nutritionists who stopped the clock when they graduated from Roberto's Mall nutrition academy. Many doctors stop researching early on, too, plus that date might just be a reprint date.  Lots of variables, but it is sensible to look at how things are made and an ingredient list as a general guideline.  

At the base of this, though, neither food is a health food.  Olive oil is probably way healthier than either, but I am convinced that margarine is deadly, based on how I feel after I eat it and the triple-bad reflux I get from it as compared to butter. 

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3 hours ago, Road Runner said:

This is what I use.

Related image

Likewise, but yesterday was out of stock

Looked two shelves up and on sale. This morning finished the Land of Lakes on one piece of toast, and the Kerrygold on the other. OMG! while not as spreadable, the taste is unbelievable.

 

Kerrygold Canola Oil.jpg

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3 hours ago, ChrisL said:

My recommendation is real butter but just eat it less.  I'm like DH in that we use a lot of olive oil but in the rare occasion we use butter it's the real stuff. I buy a package of 2 sticks about every 6 months...

This. 

The list of ingredients in my olive oil is olive oil. My butter is made from cream. 

Mick-the food you are eating is made in a factory. Jimmy Dean, Country Crock, Stouffer's. It scares me. It doesn't matter how much you pay for it. It matters what is in it. Think about the health cost of this food. Type II, high blood pressure, dr visits, meds. Real food tastes better.

Eat food, not too much, mostly vegetables. 

 

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" People have a hard time believing that weight control isn’t just a matter of calories eaten and calories burned. But there is an alternate hypothesis about obesity, which is what my group studies. The carbohydrate-insulin model argues that overeating isn’t the underlying cause of long-term weight gain...

Here’s how this hypothesis goes: Consuming processed carbohydrates (especially refined grains, potato products and sugars), causes our bodies to produce more insulin. Too much insulin, one of the most powerful hormones, forces our fat cells into calorie-storage overdrive. These rapidly growing fat cells then hoard too many calories, leaving too few for the rest of the body. So we get hungry, and if we persist in eating less, our metabolism slows down."

 

 

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-ludwig-carbohydrate-insulin-study-20181114-story.html

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3 hours ago, Tizeye said:
6 hours ago, Road Runner said:

This is what I use.

Related image

Likewise, but yesterday was out of stock

Looked two shelves up and on sale. This morning finished the Land of Lakes on one piece of toast, and the Kerrygold on the other. OMG! while not as spreadable, the taste is unbelievable.

 

Kerrygold Canola Oil.jpg

These two seem good. I've had the first and liked it.  Generally, I just use whipped butter, but that isn't spreadable straight out of the refrigerator. I'll often place it on the counter a while before I need it so it softens.

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7 hours ago, MickinMD said:

 

So, yesterday in the supermarket, I saw Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil spread, "50% less calories than butter."

It was $3.99, but I decided to try it once.  I'm NOT going to try old-fashioned hard-out-of-the-refrigerator butter.

 

 

Dang, you need to find a different grocery store.!

Publix isn't exactly known as a discount grocery store, but...Land of Lakes $2.29 if they had in stock like the other varieties with the same price. Kerrygold was $2.89 but on sale 2 for $5. The discount stores such as WalMart and Target wouldn't have been worse.

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3 hours ago, dennis said:

This. 

The list of ingredients in my olive oil is olive oil. My butter is made from cream. 

Mick-the food you are eating is made in a factory. Jimmy Dean, Country Crock, Stouffer's. It scares me. It doesn't matter how much you pay for it. It matters what is in it. Think about the health cost of this food. Type II, high blood pressure, dr visits, meds. Real food tastes better.

Eat food, not too much, mostly vegetables. 

 

Of course Country Crock is made in a factory - just like butter is.  I repeat: butter is NOT a "real food." You say it's made from cream. MADE, not extracted! Don't you realized that means cream is PROCESSED to make butter? The act of churning creates new compounds that are not naturally occurring.

Note that canola oil is NOT a processed food.  It is pressed or otherwise extracted.  It is a natural food. Butter is NOT!

It may help if I said I took a nutrition course for diabetics last summer that described all kinds of food and their preparation.  Butter was NOT one of the winners!

The only advantage to butter is that it is 100% fat and is processed more slowly through the intestines so it doesn't cause a spike in diabetics' blood sugar.

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On 11/17/2018 at 6:00 PM, MickinMD said:

Of course Country Crock is made in a factory - just like butter is.  I repeat: butter is NOT a "real food." You say it's made from cream. MADE, not extracted! Don't you realized that means cream is PROCESSED to make butter? The act of churning creates new compounds that are not naturally occurring.

Note that canola oil is NOT a processed food.  It is pressed or otherwise extracted.  It is a natural food. Butter is NOT!

It may help if I said I took a nutrition course for diabetics last summer that described all kinds of food and their preparation.  Butter was NOT one of the winners!

The only advantage to butter is that it is 100% fat and is processed more slowly through the intestines so it doesn't cause a spike in diabetics' blood sugar.

Breakfast? I had oatmeal with some fruit. 

These items frighten me. If your nutrition course said these are okay, go for it. 

https://www.landolakes.com/products/butter-spreads/light-butter-with-canola-oil/

Water*, Butter (cream, Salt), Canola Oil*, Buttermilk*, Contains Less Than 2% Of Food Starch-Modified*, Tapioca Maltodextrin*, Salt, Mono And Diglycerides* And PGPR* (emulsifiers), Lactic Acid*, Potassium Sorbate* And Sodium Benzoate* (to Preserve Freshness), Natural Flavor*, Xanthan Gum*,*beta-Carotene* (color). *Ingredients Not Found In Regular Butter

https://www.jimmydean.com/products/delights/bowls/delights-turkey-sausage-breakfast-bowl

PRECOOKED SCRAMBLED EGG WHITES, (EGG WHITES, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, NONFAT DRY MILK, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CARRAGEENAN, SALT, NATURAL EGG FLAVOR, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM), DICED POTATOES (POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL [CANOLA AND/OR SOYBEAN], SALT, DEXTROSE, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE [TO PROMOTE COLOR RETENTION]), COOKED TURKEY SAUSAGE CRUMBLES CARAMEL COLOR ADDED, BHT AND CITRIC ACID ADDED TO HELP PROTECT FLAVOR (TURKEY, SEASONING [SALT, DEXTROSE, SUGAR, SPICES, BHT, CITRIC ACID], CARAMEL COLOR, COOKED IN BEEF FAT), REDUCED FAT SHREDDED MILD CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT ENZYMES, ANNATTO COLOR, VITAMIN A), WATER. CONTAINS EGG AND MILK.

 

 

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8 minutes ago, dennis said:

Breakfast? I had oatmeal with some fruit. 

These items frighten me. If your nutrition course said these are okay, go for it. 

https://www.landolakes.com/products/butter-spreads/light-butter-with-canola-oil/

Water*, Butter (cream, Salt), Canola Oil*, Buttermilk*, Contains Less Than 2% Of Food Starch-Modified*, Tapioca Maltodextrin*, Salt, Mono And Diglycerides* And PGPR* (emulsifiers), Lactic Acid*, Potassium Sorbate* And Sodium Benzoate* (to Preserve Freshness), Natural Flavor*, Xanthan Gum*,*beta-Carotene* (color). *Ingredients Not Found In Regular Butter

https://www.jimmydean.com/products/delights/bowls/delights-turkey-sausage-breakfast-bowl

PRECOOKED SCRAMBLED EGG WHITES, (EGG WHITES, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, NONFAT DRY MILK, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CARRAGEENAN, SALT, NATURAL EGG FLAVOR, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM), DICED POTATOES (POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL [CANOLA AND/OR SOYBEAN], SALT, DEXTROSE, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE [TO PROMOTE COLOR RETENTION]), COOKED TURKEY SAUSAGE CRUMBLES CARAMEL COLOR ADDED, BHT AND CITRIC ACID ADDED TO HELP PROTECT FLAVOR (TURKEY, SEASONING [SALT, DEXTROSE, SUGAR, SPICES, BHT, CITRIC ACID], CARAMEL COLOR, COOKED IN BEEF FAT), REDUCED FAT SHREDDED MILD CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT ENZYMES, ANNATTO COLOR, VITAMIN A), WATER. CONTAINS EGG AND MILK.

 

 

Mick is a chemist. I don't think he is as afraid of chemicals as many folks might be.

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2 minutes ago, dennis said:

Not yet. Maybe when my teeth fall out. 

You're just keeping your recipe to yourself, eh?  Sort of rude. :(

At least post a picture of your T-Day fixings so we can all be in awe of your cooking skills.  Food posts are popular - especially with pictures. 

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On 11/19/2018 at 10:40 AM, dennis said:

Breakfast? I had oatmeal with some fruit. 

These items frighten me. If your nutrition course said these are okay, go for it. 

https://www.landolakes.com/products/butter-spreads/light-butter-with-canola-oil/

Water*, Butter (cream, Salt), Canola Oil*, Buttermilk*, Contains Less Than 2% Of Food Starch-Modified*, Tapioca Maltodextrin*, Salt, Mono And Diglycerides* And PGPR* (emulsifiers), Lactic Acid*, Potassium Sorbate* And Sodium Benzoate* (to Preserve Freshness), Natural Flavor*, Xanthan Gum*,*beta-Carotene* (color). *Ingredients Not Found In Regular Butter

https://www.jimmydean.com/products/delights/bowls/delights-turkey-sausage-breakfast-bowl

PRECOOKED SCRAMBLED EGG WHITES, (EGG WHITES, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, NONFAT DRY MILK, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CARRAGEENAN, SALT, NATURAL EGG FLAVOR, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM), DICED POTATOES (POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL [CANOLA AND/OR SOYBEAN], SALT, DEXTROSE, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE [TO PROMOTE COLOR RETENTION]), COOKED TURKEY SAUSAGE CRUMBLES CARAMEL COLOR ADDED, BHT AND CITRIC ACID ADDED TO HELP PROTECT FLAVOR (TURKEY, SEASONING [SALT, DEXTROSE, SUGAR, SPICES, BHT, CITRIC ACID], CARAMEL COLOR, COOKED IN BEEF FAT), REDUCED FAT SHREDDED MILD CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT ENZYMES, ANNATTO COLOR, VITAMIN A), WATER. CONTAINS EGG AND MILK.

 

 

These things would bother me if they were ingested in large quantities. Since I eat 15 oz. of butter or margarine in a month, I'm sure I'm getting more carcinogenic stuff in my system by breathing the air in a supermarket parking lot.

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