I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!

So you're walking down the butter isle and it's a little overwhelming on the many different choices...butter, margaine, butter substitue, vegetable spread. In the past,  butter was a NO-NO and Vegetable-oil-based margarines surged in popularity as doctors began to understand the dangers of saturated fat. But the butter-versus-margarine debate is a slippery subject. Some margarines have unhealthy trans fats, while others have confusing health claims. Meanwhile, some say butter is an "all-natural" choice. Well, here is the bottom line on butter and its alternatives and what are the best and worst products for your heart.
What's Good For Your Heart?
According to the American Heart Association buying soft, trans-fat-free spreads instead of regular butter or stick margarine is the "Heart Healthy Choice." What to look for when doing your grocery shopping is a blend with the least amount of saturated fat and zero trans fats. Look at the ingredients: If it says partially hydrogenated oils, it still has some trans fat (less than 0.5 gram per serving), even if the label says trans fat free. Having more than one serving, which is easy to do can really add up.

Is Butter Better?
Growing up on a farm I can attest that nothing tastes better that Real Homemade butter. Regular butter is made with one ingredient: cow's milk or cream, churned or shaken until it reaches a semisolid state. By definition, it contains at least 80% milk fat by weight.  So you don't have a cow to make your own butter.  In the store, butter comes in salted and unsalted varieties, and it can be found in solid stick form or whipped and packaged in plastic tubs.

Margarine...What is it?
Margarine has had its ups and downs.  It's been called a healthier, plant-based alternative to butter, but it also faced a backlash for being artificial and having trans fats, which help keep oil-based ingredients solid at room temperature. Margarine is any vegetable-oil-based, butter-flavored spread that contains 80 percent oil; anything with a lower oil and fat content is called a "soft margarine spread." Another vegetable-oil based spread is yogurt butter.  I've never tried it but has about 1/2 the calories and about 75% less fat! 
Are There Healthier Options?
Your healthiest option may be to skip both the butter and the margarine. I recommends using monounsaturated fat instead: olive oil for dipping bread or vegetable oil for cooking. "If you must using butter when cooking, I'm not going to say you can't do it, but maybe try using a little less butter and a little more oil." Try using avocado and nut butters in place of butter on sandwiches.  This will help get you daily fat intake the healthy way. Watch the portion size,  calories from any source of fat can add up quickly.
Don't Overdo It
So bottomline, whatever product you select, limit your consumption overall. When baking, use a hard stick of trans-fat-free margarine in place of butter. Regardless of what you use, portion size is key.

Any questions feel free to contact me justin@yourfitnessedge.com