Love It, Like It, Hate It: Butters and butter alternatives
The butter aisle can be almost as overwhelming as the selection of yogurts, with options ranging from plain old butter to margarine to olive oil and coconut oil blends – it’s hard to know what’s really a healthful option, and what’s just good marketing. In today’s Get the Skinny, we’ve got top picks for butter & butter alternatives, plus what to look for on labels.
A teaspoon or two of real butter is just fine! But cooking with sticks of butter can quickly add in unwanted calories.
Tub spreads typically melt and spread better than sticks; experiment to find what you like best
Experiment with butter replacers like avocado & Greek yogurt to boost nutritional value
LOVE IT!
Coconut Oil
Per tablespoon: 120 calories, 14 grams fat, 12 grams plant-based saturated fat, 0 sodium
Texture like butter at room temperature; can use cup-for-cup in place of butter
Try Nutiva’s Organic Coconut Oil with Butter Flavor: Organic, vegan and non-GMO, and a bargain ($7.98 for a 29-ounce jar), available at Walmart.
Avocado
Per tablespoon: 22 calories, 2 grams fat, 0.5 grams plant-based saturated fat, 1 mg sodium
Use mashed avocado in place of half the amount of butter called for in a recipe
Save 78 calories & 6 grams saturated fat per tablespoon of butter swapped out
Greek yogurt
Per tablespoon: 11 calories, 0.3 grams fat, 0.2 grams saturated fat, 4.5 grams sodium
Use plain, low-fat Greek yogurt in place of half the amount of butter called for in a recipe
Save 89 calories & 7 grams saturated fat per tablespoon of butter swapped out
LIKE IT!
Real Butter – Grass-Fed, Unsalted – e.g. Kerrygold or Vital Farms
Per teaspoon: 33 calories, 3.5 grams fat, 2.3 grams saturated fat, 0 – 30 mg sodium
Per tablespoon: 100 calories, 11 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 0 – 90 mg sodium
Ingredients: Cream/Sweet Cream
Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spreads & Sticks + Smart Balance Original Spread
Per tablespoon: 90 calories, 10 grams fat, 2.5 grams plant-based saturated fat, 90 mg sodium
Ingredients include non-GMO vegetable oil blend (canola, palm, soybean oil), pea protein, salt…
Brummel & Brown Yogurt Spread
Per tablespoon: 45 calories, 5 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 90 mg sodium
Ingredients include water, soybean oil, yogurt, palm oil, modified tapioca starch, potassium sorbate…
Half the calories of regular butter
HATE IT!
Smart Squeeze
Per tablespoon: 5 calories, 0 fat, 0 saturated fat, 100 mg sodium
Ingredients include water, modified food starch, salt, sugar, beta carotene for color, TBHQ
The preservative TBHQ is linked to an increased incidence of tumors in rats.
The following brands removed trans fat from their product, but they’re still anything but natural
Bluebonnet Light Stick Margarine
Per tablespoon: 50 calories, 5 grams fat, 1 gram sat fat, 0 trans fat, 80 mg sodium
Ingredients include: water, vegetable oil, maltodextrin, preservatives potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, and calcium disodium EDTA, plus natural & artificial flavor…
Waxy texture; doesn’t melt well at all
Parkay Stick Margarine
Per tablespoon: 80 calories, 9 grams fat, 1.5 grams sat fat, 0 trans fat, 130 mg sodium
Ingredients include: vegetable oil blend, preservatives potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate, natural & artificial flavor…
Waxy texture; doesn’t melt well at all
To catch the full segment on WGNO.com, click here.