Spread a Little Heart Health on Your Bread
Conflicting information exists today about whether butter or margarine is healthier for your diet. However, as a full-fat dairy product and an animal fat, butter is solid at room temperature. Animal fats can increase your risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) and heart disease. Margarine, which is plant-based and is liquid at room temperature, is better for blood pressure and overall heart health.
“Margarines can be a healthier choice because they are lower in saturated fat, which has been found to contribute to cardiovascular disease risk,” says Rachel Lustgarten, a registered dietitian at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Take a Different Path
If you’re looking for an even healthier option than your butter-alternative spread, try olive oil, hummus, nut butter, tapenades (a paste or dip made from black olives, capers, and anchovies), or mashed avocado.
For example, a tablespoon of Land O’Lakes butter has 11 grams (g) total fat and 7 g of saturated fat. Benecol original buttery spread has 8 g total fat and just 1 g saturated fat, while Benecol light has 5 g total fat and 1 g saturated fat.
Plant-based oils also contain healthy unsaturated fats, including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA interacts with proteins, is involved in cell metabolism, and can help fight inflammation.
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that saturated fat should be no more than 10 percent of your total caloric intake per day. In addition to butter, saturated fats also come from cream, milk, cheese, fatty meats, and tropical oils such as palm and coconut oil.
Understanding the Ingredients
Most margarines or spreads are a “mix” of oils—olive, soy, palm, flax, and canola—even some that advertise olive oil on the
label—so be sure to check the ingredients and know what you are getting. Also, “Watch for partially hydrogenated oils, which is a sign of trans fat,” Lustgarten says. Trans fat raises your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, while lowering your HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Even though the U.S. Food & Drug Administration banned use of trans fat in processing effective 2018, it still appears in some foods in small amounts.
Look for brands containing plant sterols or stanols. Although plant sterols exist in small amounts, they help cholesterol pass through your digestive tract without being absorbed.
Use Sparingly
All spreads have significant amounts of calories and fat and should be viewed as a condiment and used in small amounts, Lustgarten says. “Each serving should be no more than one tablespoon.”
Some fat comes from unhealthy palm oil, which became more popular as food manufacturers began cutting out trans fat. In addition to high fat content, “Concerns have been raised about the environmental implications of palm oil manufacturing, including deforestation,” Lustgarten says.
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