One serving has 11 grams of fat, and 7 grams of it is artery-clogging saturated fat-about one-third of your recommended daily value! It also contains 30 milligrams of dietary cholesterol (10% of your daily value). Most "original" butter sticks contain 100 calories per tablespoon, a typical serving size. You may also find cultured butter, a rich butter made from cultured cream popular in Europe, at your grocery store or specialty foods store. Traditionally, butter comes in salted and unsalted varieties, and it can be found in solid stick form or whipped and packaged in plastic tubs. By definition, it contains at least 80% milk fat by weight, and it takes about 11 quarts of milk to make 1 pound of butter. Regular butter is made with one ingredient: cow's milk or cream, churned or shaken until it reaches a semisolid state. A spread might or might not and could also contain trans fats.Regular butter is made with one ingredient: cow's milk or cream, churned or shaken until it reaches a semisolid state. So back to my friend’s question-what to buy, whipped butter or a spread? My answer: If you’re comparing it to traditional butter, whipped butter will definitely save you calories, fat and saturated fat. As with all spreads, remember to scan the ingredient list for “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils. (These compounds are similar in structure to cholesterol and so they compete with it for absorption in the body.) Generally the “regular” versions of these spreads have about 70-80 calories, 8 grams of fat and about 2.5 grams of saturated fat.
Butter or margarine healthier plus#
Stanol- or sterol-containing spreads: These spreads have patented formulas so it’s hard to tell exactly what’s in them beyond a blend of oils plus stanols or sterols, plant-based compounds that have been shown to help reduce blood cholesterol.
Butter or margarine healthier free#
One thing you should scan for are the words "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated." If the ingredient list includes one of these, then the product is not really trans-fat free (The FDA allows foods with less than 0.5 gram to be rounded down to 0.)ĭon’t Miss: 6 Healthy-Sounding Foods That Really Aren’t Most of these ingredients (e.g., maltodextrin, mono or diglycerides) are harmless and help to keep the product stable. Often, these products tend to sport long lists of ingredients. Many (but not all) other “soft spreads” or “tub” buttery products have less total fat as well as less saturated fat and/or calories. “Margarine” is a product that has 80 percent fat, like butter.
Margarine and other spreads: You’ll find all sorts of oil-based spreads falling into this category. Their nutritional profiles are very similar to that of regular butter. “Spreadable” butters: Typically, these butters add just a little bit of oil (often canola), which makes them easier to spread. Definitely a calorie savings if you’re trying to shed pounds-and better for your heart than regular butter, to boot. Generally, a tablespoon of whipped butter delivers 70 calories, 7 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat. Whipped butter: To produce a fluffier, lighter product (in feel and calories/fat!), manufacturers whip air into regular butter. (The grades, which range from AA to B, with AA being the best, have to do with quality-flavor, color, texture, etc.) It’s a steep calorie count for sure, but heart-healthy oils, such as olive and canola, pack just as many calories (or more) what makes butter “bad” for your heart is its high level of saturated fat-which, eaten in excess, can boost blood cholesterol levels.ĭon’t Miss: Bad Foods You Should Be Eating Butter: Basically, no matter what brand you pick, butter has the following nutritional profile per tablespoon: 100 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat.