Butter, Spreads, and Margarine: How to Choose

Butters, Margarines, and Spreads

Butter: If you're more focused on flavor than your weight or blood cholesterol and you love buttery toast, splurge occasionally on whipped or stick butter. Butter is higher in saturated fat than margarine and it contains cholesterol, so use it in moderation and within the parameters of your meal plan.

Stick margarine: In stick form, margarine doesn't really have a better nutrition profile than butter, although it costs less. Margarine contains almost the same amount of total fat and calories as butter, but the fat is trans fat instead of saturated fat.

Tub spread or light margarine: If you're watching your weight and cholesterol, try a tub spread or light margarine. These products are lower in saturated fat than butter and have less trans fat than stick margarine because they're not as hydrogenated (hydrogenation creates trans fats). They also have fewer calories and fat per tablespoon because they're whipped with water and air.

Some tub spreads, such as Benecol and Take Control, go one step farther by actually helping your blood cholesterol. They contain plant stanol or sterol esters, which help to block cholesterol from being absorbed into your digestive system, thereby (with regular daily use) reducing your bad LDL cholesterol levels and maintaining good HDL cholesterol levels.

Squeeze spreads: With water listed as the first ingredient, squeeze spreads contain less fat and fewer calories than their stick counterparts but surprisingly more than tub spreads. Squeeze spreads work well on baked potatoes and vegetables but are too liquid for toast. They cannot be used for baking, as specified on the label.

Nonfat spreads: A handful of nonfat spreads, such as Butter Buds, are made from water, food starch, and salt. They offer great fat savings over butter, but you need to decide if their reduced flavor, watery nature, and higher cost offer a worthwhile trade-off.