motd Monday Feb 13, 2012 - Butter

[Guest guest]

AND IN THIS

CORNER...

Monday, 13 February 2012

It's BUTTER! Oh,

a Deen, you're not alone. Who among us can resist

that golden stick of butter? Butter has long been a

staple in many American kitchens. I know my father's

delicious silver-dollar-sized pancakes where so-o-o-o

much better with that big pat of butter...followed by

a good-sized drizzle of maple syrup, of course!

Butter came under scrutiny

when its high levels of saturated fat were associated

with an increased risk of heart disease.

But years ago, butter came under lots of scrutiny when

its high levels of saturated fat were associated with

an increased risk of heart disease. Many Americans,

concerned about the health of their hearts, began

swearing off butter. Which brings me to...

In this corner, it's...MARGARINE! When people

became aware of butter's saturated fat content, many

of them switched to margarine as a substitute. But it

wasn't long before the hazards of margarine also came

to light. Margarine's high level of trans fats packed

a double whammy for heart disease. In fact, the trans

fats contained in a serving of margarine raised the

levels of LDL or bad

cholesterol while

lowering the levels of HDL, the good cholesterol your body

needs. It came down to a choice. Which of these

golden sticks of fat would win the fight for our

devotion?

Well, truth is, there was never any solid evidence

that using margarine instead of butter cut the chances

of heart problems. When it comes to the health of

your heart, butter is on the list of foods you should

use very sparingly. That's because it's high in

saturated fat which, like margarine, increases your

body's level of bad cholesterol.

Stick margarines are high

intrans fats and even worse

for your heart than butter.

But stick margarines are high in trans fats and are even

worse for your heart than butter. Some food companies

now market margarines that are lower in saturated fat

and free of trans fats. But they should also be used

sparingly. And remember, they're both very high in

calories, about 100 calories per tablespoon. So,

what's a person to do?

In general, the more solid the margarine, the more

trans fat it contains. If you've got to have that

taste of butter or margarine, choose a spreadable

variety of either. When choosing a spreadable

margarine, pay close attention to the nutrition label

to see how many grams of saturated and trans fat it

contains.

If you don't like the taste of margarine or don't want

to give up butter completely, consider using a light

or whipped butter. On the FoodMover, a serving of

butter is one teaspoon. But if you use a whipped

butter, you can have two teaspoons per serving. You

can also look for butter products that are blended

with olive or canola oil. Per serving, they will have

less fat and calories than regular butter. Just be

sure to check the number of calories they have per

serving because their calorie and fat counts will

still be high.

Which ever corner you go to

in making your choice between butter or margarine,

remember, they're both very high in calories.

As for me, I just love my I Can't

Believe It's No Butter spray. (You

can also get it as a spread.) It's great for cooking

and I tend to use less of it without giving up that

butter taste I love. (Hey, don't we all!)

So, which ever corner you go to in making your choice

between butter or margarine, just remember they're

both very high in calories. Use only enough to get that

buttery taste you want without adding those buttery...pounds!

Love,