Nutritionally, grass-fed butter contains less saturated fats, more PUFAs, and more of the heart-healthy omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) fatty acids than regular butter.
Doctors frequently advise their heart patients to steer clear of butter. Why? More than half the fat in butter is saturated fat, which is a kind of fat that can increase total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Just a tablespoon of butter packs 7 grams of saturated fat.
Bottom Line: If You Have to Eat Butter, Choose Grass-Fed
“Grass-fed butter has the nutritional edge in that it offers more heart-healthy nutrients than regular butter in a less-processed product than margarine,” Malkani says. You can typically find grass-fed butter at the grocery store or natural foods market.
You can help reduce your risk of high cholesterol by substituting foods for regular butter that are lower in saturated fat or have been shown to have less impact on heart disease risk, such as: grass-fed butter. Earth Balance spread, a vegan, soy-free, non-hydrogenated option. avocados.
Margarine often tops butter when it comes to heart health. Margarine is a blend of oils that are mostly unsaturated fat. Butter is made from cream or milk. The type of fat found in animal products, such as cream, is mostly saturated fat.
As part of a healthy diet, CSIRO and Heart Foundation recommend the use of margarine / table spread over butter. Using Nuttelex Original in place of butter will reduce the saturated fat intake by 2.5kg* per year *Based on 20g of margarine versus 20g of butter per day.
The Best Options
The most heart-healthy options are neither butter nor margarine, but olive oil, avocado oil, and other vegetable-based spreads. 7 In baked goods, consider substituting applesauce, nut butters, or squash purees for butter. Dip your crusty piece of bread into some olive oil.
Despite this, the AHA still recommend that people with high cholesterol monitor their consumption of butter. They suggest replacing it with healthy fat alternatives such as avocados and olive oil.
A recent study funded by the butter industry gave further confirmation that butter increases both total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), especially when compared with olive oil as an alternative. You can also use olive oil in place of most cooking or vegetable oils in equal amounts.
While keeping that in mind, some of the most commonly used substitutes include coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, safflower oil, nut butter, applesauce, yogurt, and dairy free butter.
Ghee, coconut oil, and olive oil have properties that are comparable to butter, which make them appropriate baking substitutes.
“Avoid any foods that have the words 'trans,' 'hydrogenated,' or 'partially hydrogenated' on the label [indicating bad fats], often found in commercially fried foods, donuts, cookies and potato chips,” advises Dr. DeVane. “Also, be aware of how many calories are coming from sugar.
Because olive oil has more monounsaturated fats (the heart-healthy fats) than butter, it stands to reason it's also healthier to cook with.
13 in Science, suggests that consuming food rich in saturated fat and choline - a nutrient found in red meat, eggs and dairy products - increases the number of metabolites that build plaques in the arteries.
Heart-healthy oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, and sunflower oils contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Unsalted butter has no sodium, which is good for diabetic patients as well. What Can Diabetics Use Instead of Butter? Ideally, olive oil, nut butter, or clarified butter can be used by diabetes patients. These alternatives prevent blood sugar spikes and reduce cholesterol levels.
Do I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! spreads contain cholesterol? I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! spreads contain 0mg cholesterol per serving.
Good for your heart and great on your toast too, this deliciously buttery blend has 70% less saturated fat than butter, though you'd never know it. A must for those watching their cholesterol, it contains natural plant sterols that research has shown can actively lower your body's cholesterol absorption.
BAKING, ROASTING & COOKING: Use Nuttelex to replace the butter content in all your recipes substituting Nuttelex for the same amount of butter in your recipe. DESSERTS & BAKED GOODs: Nuttelex works wonderfully in place of butter in frosting and most baked goods.
Flora has less saturated fat than butter. All around the world, health experts recommend that you should reduce your intake of saturated fats and eat more 'good fats' that is, Omega 3 and 6, which help to maintain normal cholesterol levels. Flora is made with nutritious seed oils that are packed with Omega 3 and 6.
When it comes to healthy margarine, Smart Balance may come to mind. With no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, Smart Balance may be one of the best cholesterol-reducing margarine brands on the market. Additionally, it contains zero trans fat.