Butter/Margerine - healthy replacement

[fifi]

Does anyone know of a healthy alternative to butter or margerine?
Thanks.

[Becca Porter]

Smart Balance. Although I wouldn't use it to replace fat in baking.

I got to tell you, moderation is what I rely on. Butter is not that bad. Also, good (non-grocery store) lard is better for you than butter. Less saturated fats and all.

[today160]

My wife and I have gone at least 70% organic including organic unsalted butter. Unsalted butter allows us to control the amount of salt we use in our cooking. Also we no longer used Morton's processed or iodized salt (except to kill snails in the garden) as the processing removes the natural nutrients. Instead we use Real Salt brand because their products are mined and bagged on site without processing which retains all the natural minerals in the finished product.

[ferret]

I just read this post and am amazed at the assertion that "processing removes the natural nutrients" from salt. Sodium chloride is sodium chloride. "Sea salt" is sodium chloride with impurities. That doesn't make it more "real" or healthier.

[cherstewart]

Ditto.

Also, why do we talk about not eating processed salt, but still eating butter, which is ALWAYS processed? Butter does not occur naturally in nature, and I've yet to see a cow lactating when it sees a thirsty human.

[today160]

Sodium Chloride does remain as sodium chloride however, processing removes other vital minerals and the iodine used in processed salt is not in its natural form. Unprocessed sea salt contains not just sodium chloride but many other mineral salts besides, including valuable trace minerals such as manganese and iodine. Although unprocessed salt does not contain sufficient quantities of iodine, this mineral is found in Kelp, milk, mozzarella cheese, eggs, strawberries, bananas, and other vegetable items including asparagus, radish, mushrooms, garlic, onions, eggplant and potatoes.

http://www.wildhealthfood.com/unproce...

[alanbarnes]

Asparagus contains numerous other vitamins and minerals and trace amounts of salt. If you make salt from asparagus, you'll lose all those nutrients. But while doing so removes all the natural nutrients that occur in asparagus, it doesn't remove any natural nutrients that occur in salt. Because salt doesn't have any.

[ipsedixit]

Unprocessed sea salt contains not just sodium chloride but many other mineral salts besides, including valuable trace minerals such as manganese and iodine.
_________________________

Then you're just consuming salt+other minerals.

Whereas if you buy what you call "processed salt" you are just consuming salt+iodine.

I'm not sure there's any qualitative difference in the long run, except perhaps in your pocketbook.

[alanbarnes]

Unless you buy non-iodized processed salt. In which you're just consuming salt.

Me, I don't care for the flavor of the iodized stuff. I'll get my iodine from wakame and shellfish and my asparagus vitamins from, well, asparagus. When I want salt, Morton's plain will do just fine, thankyouverymuch.

[sedimental]

I just think the taste of salt with iodine tastes bad. It reminds me of chewing on aluminum foil. I never noticed it before I stopped using it. It think it is why some processed food tastes funny to me too (that I used to like). I also taste a weird taste in Hawaiian salt (red). You can really recalibrate your palate with salts without realizing it.

[alanbarnes]

Totally agree that you can taste the impurities / additives in salt. I loathe the flavor of iodized salt, but really enjoy the earthy taste of the red alaea salt from Hawai'i. Other impure salts can be subtle or aggressive, pleasant or offensive. But what you're tasting are the additives and/or impurities. Pure salt just tastes salty.

[sedimental]

OT but if you have never read "Salt: a World history" by Mark Kurlansky, you should! It is more interesting than the title would lead you to believe. Salt changed the world.

[ferret]

As far as "valuable" trace minerals go, Sea salt is far from the sole source. The argument is still spurious, there's no difference to the healthiness between salt+dirt and salt alone. I suspect that if the salt was removed from the "vital minerals" there wouldn't be much of a market for the "vital minerals" alone. As far as iodine goes, it again is an element, it's either there or it's not, "natural form" notwithstanding.

[sedimental]

Trace minerals are critical to the health of human and animals. You can get some trace minerals from some unrefined salts (depending on the salt). So, many people pick the form of salt that not only tastes better to them- but also has the added health benefit of giving them some trace minerals. It's a win-win.

[ferret]

Not disputing the need for trace minerals just the poster's claim that table salt as "processed" is somehow less healthy than sea salt. Salt is salt. Salt packed in dirt may have the additional benefit of trace minerals but that doesn't make table salt bad.

[sedimental]

Yes, and it is a bit of an "unanswerable question" in regard to "healthy" food items in general...isn't it? Be it butter or salt, sugar or shellfish or gluten or whatever. What is healthy for one- is not necessarily healthy for another- and could be downright unhealthy for yet another.

[ferret]

The point is that if salt is acceptable in your diet then praising "natural salt" while vilifying table salt is senseless. It's a meaningless distinction. From a flavor standpoint, sure. But it's like saying organic butter is better for you than store brands. They're both butters so there's no difference from a dietary standpoint. If you believe that organic makes sense from a lifestyle perspective then that's great but it doesn't otherwise transform the end product.

[debit]

Skip the margarine and just use butter in moderation. There really is no replacement, IMO. Nothing even comes close.

[sfumato]

Absolutely. I believe that the natural stuff, in moderation, is preferable to the substitute... unless you have diabetes and must use Splenda, of course. Situations like that are, obviously, exceptions.

[scott123]

Who's telling you that butter isn't healthy? They're wrong.

Margarine is unhealthy and to be avoided. But not butter.

Butter is healthy.

[exbrit]

Nonsense, the right kind of margarine is much more healthy than butter. For instance Becel, it is low in saturated fats and has no trans fats. On the other hand hard margarine is definitely to be avoided.

[honkman]

Why should a non-natural food (margarine) be more healthy than all natural one (butter) if you eat it in moderation ?

[taos]

I'm with you. Here are the ingredients in Becel:

Canola and sunflower oils 74%, water, modified palm and palm kernel oils 6%, salt 1.8%, whey protein concentrate 1.4%, soy lecithin 0.2%, vegetable monoglycerides, potassium sorbate, vegetable colour, artificial flavour, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3, alpha-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E).

I buy butter fresh from the farm. Its ingredients are:
Milk, water

I eat butter in moderation. Becel may have no transfat but it has a whole lot of other junk that I don't want to put in my body.

[HarryFromMarydelDE]

Because non-natural foods come from science and natural foods don't. Although right now our current science is not enough to surpass nature (ie, I agree that natural foods are better for you right now) that is only because nature has a four billion year head start. Science will eventually catch up, and fast enough that it may happen in our lifetime or soon after.

-Harry From Marydel, DE

[honkman]

"Science will eventually catch up, and fast enough that it may happen in our lifetime or soon after."
As a scientists I couldn't disagree more with you

[cherstewart]

As a scientist, I agree with Harry. Before people were milking animals, they weren't. When we combine foods together in the kitchen, is that really any different than a lab combining atoms and molecules together? Science is a part of nature and an extension of the human brain. Everything that comes from science isn't healthy for you, sure, but neither is everything that comes from nature outside of the human hand. Science will progress as it understands the molecular structures of various healthy foods and how to improve chemical compounds that have come out of nature before science.

[neverlate]

I agree that butter is healthy!

[sedimental]

I believe it is very healthy in moderation. It is easy to make in the food processor with organic cream.

[Candy]

Amen. Lard (not the stuff from meat packing companies but pure rendered pork fat) is also good fr you in moderation. It has many of the same elements as olive oil, there is some in my fridge always along with goose and duck fat.

[Candy]

I only eat butter, no synthetics in my home.

[kdljones]

Who says butter is healthy? It is 100% animal fat. Animal fat on any level is unhealthy regardless of the form its presented in.

We use olive oil in everything, we do not use butter, and our meals are fabulous. We don't miss butter at all. For bread, we use olive oil, with seasoning and sometimes a little aged sweet balsamic. Yum Yum!

[Karl S]

Animal fat in moderation is not a significant health risk for people who are not vulnerable to cholesterol or related issues. Actually, for people who are watching calories more than cholesterol, butter can be a bit of an aid because it has 80% of the calories of oil per unit of volume. And butter has qualities that oil cannot replicate: because it contains water and non-fat solids, it can do things oil cannot hope to do in cooking. That's why many people should happily continue to use buttern in moderation.

To answer the OP's question, the only solid vegetable fat product I can enjoy a bit in place of butter is Olivio. It tastes a lot better than other spreads.

[Fleur]

Butter is an all natural food, just as God intended it.

I use Olive Oil and other oils for salads and frying, and butter sparingly for the table and cooking. There is no replacement,however, for butter in baking.

Animal fat like butter,lard,goose fat etc, are not unhealthy used in small quantities in a varied diet . The French eat all of those and have a much greater life span than we do, half the heart deisease, and less than half the cancer.

Margarine is hydrogenated fat, 100% chemical and not natural at all.

[Robert Lauriston]

There are now lots of trans-fat free margarines on the market.

Personally I'd rather use something closer to a natural product, like butter, lard, or vegetable or nut oil.

[taszi]

Hey im sorry but des no way i agree wit u! Incase u never did an ounce of chemistry u should know dat margerine is hydrogenated VEGETABLE/PLANT oils!!!!

Butter has more calories dan margerine and shoots cholestrol right out of da cieling! Please tel me on wat planet is animal fat better dan plant fat?!!!! Certainly not earth!!!!!

Butter may taste nicer to some personally I dont use it at all it tastes purely disgusting!!!

If u wana kill urself go ahead using butter!

[Karl S]

Um, butter does not have more calories than most regular margarines. It does have more saturated fat, but no transfats, and transfats are now considered more of a health risk than the saturated fat in butter. And many people do not have a cholesterol problem and don't need to worry about consuming saturated fats in moderation.

As for calories, a tablespoon of butter has 100 calories. A tablespoon of vegetable oil has 120 calories. Why does butter have 20% fewer calories per unit of volume? Because it contains water, sugar (lactose) and trace proteins in addition to fat-those additional things are what give it properties oil cannot duplicate in cooking.

(!!!)

[alanbarnes]

Margarine is plant fat like kerosene is dinosaur fat.

It's not the source of the fat that's the problem, its the processing it undergoes between field and table.

[taos]

It's exactly the hydrogenization process that makes margarine unhealthy. It's through hydrogenation that trans-fats are created. Ingesting transfats have been shown to increase overal cholesterol and LDL (the so-called "bad cholesterol").

[cherstewart]

Butter is made from non-human milk. Mammals do not produce milk naturally unless they have young offspring to feed.

Butter substitutes (good and bad alike) come from science. Guess what, so does butter. Even if you milk the cow yourself and churn the butter, it isn't natural. I've never seen a cow start the lactation process when it sees a person.

[mateo21]

That's why we have veal...

[Robert Lauriston]

Butter is processed, but the single ingredient (milk) is natural, and the technology is so simple that people have been making it for at least 8,500 years.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ne...

The commercial hydrogenation of vegetable oil was developed just over a century ago, by William Proctor and James Gamble, who were looking for a less expensive substitute for lard and tallow (which were controlled by a cartel) in making soap and candles.

[cherstewart]

Butter is Milk, Water and Curd.

Curd is curdled milk (a process that is sped up using enzymes) and an acid (usually vinegar).

Vinegar is fermented ethanol and water. The water used has been processed to remove impurities.

I am a food scientist and honestly, I do not see the difference between using nature to produce something such as butter and using more advanced technologies based on the knowledge we have gained to produce something better for the human body.

Whether or not butter is simple to make is not my point. My point is that it is no way "natural" to drink another mammal's milk. Unless you modify your definition to include human adaptations based on current technology and knowledge. What was the best available adaptation 8,500 years ago is not necessarily the best today.

[Robert Lauriston]

You don't need to culture milk to make butter. Let the cream separate, skim or pour it off into a container, close the container tightly, and shake it.

Food scientists spent much of the 20th century telling people that partially-hydrogenated cottonseed oil was healthier than butter, but it turned out that the process produces molecules not found in nature that are pretty seriously unhealthy. Not to mention that the stuff tastes bad.

Personally, rather than trust the latest advice from a food scientist, I prefer to stick with foods that predate the industrial revolution, and avoid all "foods" containing chemicals not found in nature. I'm no fanatic, I like oil flavored with 2,4-dithiapentane.

[cherstewart]

I do not have the time to make my own butter. It's great if you do, but I do not know a single person that makes their own butter.

Other than the fact that humans and their brains are a part of nature, very few molecular creations are not found somewhere already on earth, in some state and abundance. Molecules and atoms that have been created solely by the human hand (again, still everything comes from things found in nature as matter cannot be created nor destroyed, only change form) are generally unstable and do not last very long.

Food scientists are not the media. They are not business owners. They weren't telling anyone anything that you claim they were. People trying to make a large profit were the ones doing that.

I prefer not to eat things that I know do not break down properly in the system, regardless of whether or not humans helped create it.

All the people I know shopping at Whole Foods and eating nothing that has been touched altered or created in a lab take medicine when they are sick. Meanwhile we are getting overcharged for produce and "natural" foods because people like you have tragically been lost to the same thing that happened that got food companies such large profit margins for creating shortcuts in the first place.

It's no different. Convince people that something that is ultimately bad for you is good for you. Convince people to pay three times as much for food that costs far less to make by scaring people into believing that humans and their inventions are not a part of nature.

[Robert Lauriston]

I'm deeply skeptical of all claims regarding food being "natural" or whatever. I just buy what tastes best to me.

The vegetables I get in my CSA box, at my local farmers market, and from our garden taste better than anything I've ever seen in a supermarket. Usually they cost more, occasionally less than conventional produce, I don't really care as it's not a big percentage of my food budget. The CSA produce averages about 30% cheaper than the same or similar stuff from the farmers market.

The relatively tasteless produce produced by corporate farms would not be so much cheaper if the corporations were not subsidized and allowed to externalize the costs of unsustainable production methods and pollution.

[cherstewart]

Definitely. Everyone should have a home garden. The cost of produce is supposed to double by the close of this summer season. Most people are shocked at the first taste of home-grown veggies.

I'm just trying to push that not everything that comes from molecular alteration is bad. Just like not everything that humans don't contribute directly to creating. You just have to know what it is and how your body will process it. But I'm with you on taste. I don't care how wonderful it is. If it tastes funky, I'm not eating it.

[Robert Lauriston]

Whose cost for what produce where?

I have no way of guessing how my body might process a chemical not found in food, or how it might interact with other non-food chemicals. There's a century-long history of people presuming new chemicals are safe and then finding out only much later that they're not.

[cherstewart]

I assumed given your relative passion for this subject that you would do the research.

People also eat/drink things that they find in nature assuming they are safe, only to find out later that they are not.

[christy319]

I'm beating a dead horse at this point, but I agree: there is absolutely nothing wrong with butter in moderation. I would never even consider using anything else in baking.

[Karl S]

I don't think it's dead enough. Too many people still labor under the hectorings of the indiscriminate demonizers of certain foods. I subscribe to the Nutrition Action Newsletter, which is among the more voluble of that group, but I also know how to separate the wheat from the chaff in what they write.

[niki rothman]

Smart Balance - and I have used it as a fat for baking and it worked fine. The fats it is made from are actually supposed to be good for your circulatory system - it has essential fatty oils like salmon does.

[Emme]

I really like Smart Balance, and it has good omega 3's in it. I even use it on my Zen Bakery healthy cinnamon buns to make a cream cheese frosting of fat-free cream cheese, a little smart balance, splenda, and vanilla.

[marietinn]

I agree. I use Smart Balance Organic and it tastes great and is healthier than butter or most other margarine. Its always worked fine when baking as well.

[sivyaleah]

Olive oil is my first choice for anything which will be fried or sauteed.

If I'm having toast - Smart Balance is the best tasting substitute for butter that I've found. If you had told me I'd ever be able to deal with any kind of butter substitute I would have laughed in your face years ago. SB isn't so bad. I can even manage it on a baked potato.

Butter, as mentioned, has no substitute in some instances. There are just some things which taste better with butter and I won't give them up such as; scrambled eggs, pastries and other various baked goods, etc. Since I eat those items in moderation to begin with, I don't feel too guilty about the occassional butter splurge these days. In fact, a stick of butter in my home could easily last a month, maybe more.

[Fleur]

Agree...everything in moderation. I keep butter in the freezer. I stock up when the kind I like it is on sale, wrap in Saran,then store in Ziploc freezer bags. When I need a TBS or so of butter for a dish, I slice it off a frozen stick.

[rokzane]

The best butters are those from grass-fed cows. The one brand I can find is Organic Valley organic butter. High levels of Omega-3s and a lot of Vitamin A, E, and Oleic (spelling?) Acid. Oleic Acid is an essential compound only found in pastured (grass-fed) meats and dairy products. It's certianly expensive, but when I can afford it's reserved for table use :). Good stuff.

Butter is not bad for you. Animal fat is not bad for you. Julia Child used animal fats for cooking and baking almost exlusively, and she lived to be 92, but she stressed and practiced moderation, and that's the key.

[fauchon]

JC also drank wine, another healthy habit which might have helped balance her butter intake...nm

[Fleur]

Very true. My Grandmother is 99. She never followed any diet regime, never worked out, just walked a lot and ate everything, including butter and chocolate.

She is still going strong, and enjoying all her food. At this very moment I am preparing Chicken Cannoli and a Gingerbread Cake to bring to her. Every week I prepare a a few dishes in large amounts so she can enjoy it for many meals just by defrosting and reheating.

Does anyone else prepare food for an elderly relative or friend?

[Karl S]

My grandmother and her sister lived into their 90s on a diet rich in animal fat. They grew up on a dairy farm, and churned butter until they immigrated to the US. My grandmother never stopped buttering her steaks and salting her ham, to her health-conscious daughter's (my mother) ire. The gleeful look on my grandmother as she stared at my mother while slathering the butter and pounding the salt is a fond memory of her grandchildren, who thus learned a lesson about obsessions over "bad" food.

[Ace_Mclean]

Butter is best for baking, and certain other dishes.

I'll often use 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil for saute and pan frying.

There are some butter blends out there that taste OK as a spread, and rice butter is a nice addition to the fridge spread on pancakes or bread.

Margarine is gross IMO. One could argue that it's better to use something that has a lot of flavor, that way you might not use as much. Of course, that could backfire!

[Chris VR]

Since I currently have to follow a dairy-free diet, I'm using Organic Earth Balance (whipped) and it's pretty good for a butter substitute. I haven't tried it in baking but the container says you can.

[Will Owen]

Smart Balance/Earth Balance has been my choice for some time, and yes I have cooked and baked with it. It works. Butter works better, and lard works better yet, but if your doctor says Lay Off The Animal Fats! at least you won't have to go without your biscuits...

[Fleur]

Have you tried Ghee? It is butter without the milk solids. It is available at Indian groceries in a jar, and keeps on the shelf for a long time.

[Chris VR]

It's not the milk solids that are the problem, it's the proteins (I am told). It's OK, it's not forever, just until I am done breastfeeding. I've got a jar of Ghee in my pantry that stares at me accusingly every time I go in there :-)

[Michele4466]

Chris, I am four weeks away from delivering so your post is of special interest to me. Is there a specific reason, beyond simply breastfeeding, that you are maintaining a dairy free diet? I assume there is a reason, better for the baby or colick (sp?) or ?? Is there something I should know that I do not. First time mom :-)

Thanks, Michele

[Chris VR]

Drop me an email- my address is in my profile. It's not really chow talk!

[Karl S]

well, the proteins are part of the milk solids. The non-fat parts of milk are (1) water and (2) solids consisting of sugar (lactose) and protein.

[Chris VR]

The list my doctor gave me looks like the list at http://www.uchospitals.edu/online-lib... and ghee's no good.

[Karl S]

I assume the reason for that is that ghee may not be fully clarified. But commercial ghee that I have says 0 grams of protein (which I know may mean less than .5 gram).

[kare_raisu]

Lard...iirc that it has less sat fat or cholesterol than butter ounce for ounce.

[KitchenAid]

I really like Olivio.

I have cooked with it and it makes as good of a grilled cheese sandwich as butter.

[benjughead]

While margarine and assorted vegetable oil spreads may be cheaper, you'd never eat them again if you knew how they were made. All margarines are made from assorted vegetable oils that have been heated to extremely high temperatures. This insures that the oils will become rancid. After that, a nickel catalyst is added, along with hydrogen atoms, to solidify it. Nickel is a toxic heavy metal and amounts always remain in the finished product. Finally, deodorants and colorings are added to remove margarine's horrible smell (from the rancid oils) and unappetizing grey color.
And if that is not enough, in the solidification process, harmful trans-fatty acids are created which are carcinogenic and mutagenic. What would you rather have: a real food with an abundance of healthful qualities or a stick of carcinogenic, bleached, and deodorized slop? Some of you might be watching your weight and be rather hesitant to add butter into your diet. Have no fear. About 15% of the fatty acids in butter are of the short and medium chain variety which are NOT stored as fat in the body, but are used by the vital organs for energy. (Fats you should watch, though, are all vegetable oils and olive oil.)
Butter is a rich source of easily absorbed vitamin A, needed for a wide range of functions in the body, from maintaining good vision, to keeping the endocrine system in top shape. Butter also contains all the other fat-soluble vitamins (E, K, and D).
Butter is rich in trace minerals, especially selenium, a powerful antioxidant. Ounce for ounce, butter has more selenium per gram than either whole wheat or garlic. Butter also supplies iodine, needed by the thyroid gland (as well as vitamin A, also needed by the thyroid gland).
Butter has appreciable amounts of butyric acid, used by the colon as an energy source. This fatty acid is also a known anti-carcinogen. Lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid, is a potent antimicrobial and antifungal substance. Butter also contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which gives excellent protection against cancer. Range-fed cows produce especially high levels of CLA as opposed to "stall fed" cattle. It pays, then, to get your butter from a cow that has been fed properly. Butter also has small, but equal, amounts of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, the so-called essential fatty acids.

[Mangogirl]

Heart disease was rare in America at the turn of the century. Between 1920 and 1960, the incidence of heart disease rose precipitously to become America's number one killer. During the same period butter consumption plummeted from eighteen pounds per person per year to four. It doesn't take a Ph.D. in statistics to conclude that butter is not a cause. Actually butter contains many nutrients that protect us from heart disease. First among these is vitamin A which is needed for the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands, both of which play a role in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart and cardiovascular system. Abnormalities of the heart and larger blood vessels occur in babies born to vitamin A deficient mothers. Butter is America's best and most easily absorbed source of vitamin A. It a number of anti-oxidants that protect against the kind of free radical damage that weakens the arteries. Vitamin A and vitamin E found in butter both play a strong anti-oxidant role. Butter is a very rich source of selenium, a vital anti-oxidant--containing more per gram than herring.
Butter is also a good dietary source cholesterol. Cholesterol an anti-oxidant? Yes indeed, cholesterol is a potent anti-oxidant that is flooded into the blood when we take in too many harmful free-radicals--usually from damaged and rancid fats in margarine and highly processed vegetable oils. A Medical Research Council survey showed that men eating butter ran half the risk of developing heart disease as those using margarine.

[JReichert]

Excellent post - hopefully this puts to rest the silly, impressed-upon notion that something artificial (as far as food goes) is 'better' than the original, natural variety.

[ferret]

Who thinks that?

[bnemes3343]

Yikes, Julia Child is turning in her grave now... Butter, in moderation (like pretty much anything else) is not unhealthy and, IT TASTES GOOD. I would guess that the negative effects on one's health from worrying about the effects of butter far outweigh any negative effects from the actual butter.

[pikawicca]

I use a lot more extra virgin olive oil than I used to, but butter in certain recipes, local non-transfat lard sometimes. Never, never margarine.

[Julia_Stepchild]

I'm for Team Butter. I'm pasting a portion of a blurb from an article from the Mercola website:

"Butter, when made from grass-fed cows, is rich in a substance called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is not only known to help fight cancer and diabetes, but it may also help you to lose weight!

Much of the reason why butter was, and continues to be, vilified is because it contains saturated fat." whole story here:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/art...

High quality saturated fat, such as that from Extra Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil, is quite beneficial!

[Kinnexa]

I like Fleischmann's olive oil blend spread on toast. If you keep it reflrigerated it doesn't separate enough to show all the water that's in it! I use olive oil on pasta and stir-fries, and generally avoid fats on cooked vegetables. Italian dressing is fabulous on a baked potato.

[Paula76]

For me, butter in baking is only reserved for special indulgent occasions as trying to lead a healthy, low-fat lifestyle doesn't agree with daily use of butter. Extra virgin olive oil is best for cooking and some desserts but for baking cakes I use low fat cream cheese or sour cream and the results are delicious.

[taos]

A healthy alternative to margarine is butter.

When you use butter you should use good quality butter made from organic milk produced from grass-fed cows.

[Soop]

I agree with pretty much everyone here. You can't replace butter, just don't eat too much.
Someone bought up transfats as well, which are bad.

[today160]

Butter can be refined to reduce the amount of fat. The process is simple. Melt butter in a sauce pan on a low heat, watch until the fatty solids foam at the surface. These solids will look like little white dots on the surface. Skim them off and throw them away or pour the butter through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to filter the fatty solids. Then let the butter solidify or use it melted depending on your needs.

[alanbarnes]

Um, those solids are milk solids. Along with water, they comprise 15-20% of butter, and are the only part of the butter that isn't pure fat.

The process you describe is commonly known as clarification. And if you clarify the butter until all the water evaporates, you will raise the fat content from 80-85% to very nearly 100%. In other words, the process **increases** the amount of fat.

[MandalayVA]

Take out all the grains and sugar out of what you eat and you can eat butter to your heart's content. In fact, the nutrients in cooked vegetables are better absorbed when combined with fat and fat is much more satiating. Just don't put it on a baked potato ...

[visciole]

Last I checked a baked potato was a vegetable.

[alanbarnes]

And last I checked, a balanced diet requires carbohydrates as well as protein and fat.

[Lixer]

We don't need nearly as many carbohydrates as we've been lead to believe. What we get from plentiful green veggies and occasional berries is all we need. Butter, or any animal fat, when eaten as part of a low-carb diet is a wonderful thing!

[pikawicca]

My Irish ancestors survived on a diet consisting almost entirely of potatoes.

[visciole]

Mm, potatoes. So many carbophobics = more for the rest of us. Poor maligned tubers!

[MandalayVA]

They survived ... but did they thrive? Did they live until their nineties, or did they die in their sixties and seventies with pot bellies and heart disease? Because that's when my potato-loving Irish ancestors all bought it.

[pikawicca]

Very, very few people lived into their nineties back then. Not many do, even today.

[maxie]

I use olive oil for savory cooking and salads, some nut oils for finishing, and coconut oil for baking (slightly modifying the recipe). I prefer the taste of butter in baking, but I can no longer eat it.

My palate rejects Smart Balance/Earth Balance, though other people love them.

[HarryFromMarydelDE]

Several people have mentioned Smart Balance. They now have a 50/50 Butter/Olive oil blend in sticks that I loved so much that it has replaced butter sticks in my house. Prior to trying this (out of curiosity) I never used anything except 100% butter. Of course since neither of the ingredients are processed it really doesn't count as a margarine.

-Harry From Marydel, DE

[LorenM]

I have both in my fridge and use them for different things. Generally if I am sauteeing something I will use a butter -oil mix or margarine as it takes the heat better. I can not even imagine dipping $17.99/ lb king crab legs in margarine though. That would be a crime- real butter only! For something like a grilled cheese, I use exclusively margarine on the bread as it spreads evenly for even browning and imparts a buttery flavor.