Real Butter vs. Fake Butter

lauehorn

Extra virgin olive oil is actually bad for cooking. Not for health reasons, but because any heat applied to extra virgin olive oil kills everything that makes it extra virgin. Extra virgin is for cold food (dressings and topping foods,) for cooking, you want regular olive oil, it's got a higher smoke point and is much more stable as a cooking fat.

As for butter vs margarine, butter, always. Or bacon fat.

Agree with this. Olive oil is best as the go-to oil for raw consumption (think: salad dressings). Avocado oil and coconut oil are better for cooking from medium to high heat. Olive oil should never be used for higher heat cooking as it's smoke point is different than other oils. Read the bottles - many (at least all the ones at Whole Foods) tell you the best use for each type of oil.

Iris1415

I just don't use any toppings. Food can be incredibly good plain; I don't think it is necessary to use stuff like salts, butters (fake or not), and stuff like that.

alyson820

I'm allergic to dairy, so I use margarine or whatnot when I'm really craving that buttery taste. Mostly though, I've swapped it for EVOO.

Dragonwolf

Whatever you do, try to avoid H2O as it's a chemical.

It has a chemical formula and everything.

It's naturally occurring. And hydrogen and oxygen are elements, not man made chemicals. What is the point of being rude and sarcastic if you're not even going to be somewhat helpful?

^I agree with Meredith. Also, my chemistry degree will back me up in assuring you that the chemical H2O is perfectly safe....even though it has a chemical formula and everything.

Everything is made of chemicals. Essential amino acids for survival are made up of the chemicals carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. Harmful toxins like DDT are made up of chemicals too. The word "chemicals" is so vague and misconstrued that when people use it they are not really proving anything. Triglycerides are the main components of animal fats and vegetable oils.
However, I agree that it's better to stick to naturally occurring foods than synthetically produced foods.

That's where that little thing call context comes in. When on dietary threads, talking about food, and talking about "real food" vs synthetic chemicals combined together to make a substitute for the aforementioned "real food," the "synthetic/man-made chemicals" is shortened to simply "chemicals" and the rest is implied.

sandram82

I use becel calorie reduced margarine.. 2 tsp is only 25 cals!

amuhlou

The problem with a lot of margarines is that they have Trans fats, which are icky. Not all margarines have trans fats though.

I did a bit of research a while back and it largely seemed that aside from the trans fat thing, margarine gets a bad rap.

That said, I would never use it in place of butter in baked goods - would rather just practice moderation and eat less of the tasty treats.

nitepagan

Fat is Fat, so it makes very little difference calorie wise, but butter has more cholesterol, so if that is a problem, then you have to consider that. On the other side of the coin is margarine and all that terrible crap, which contains synthetic fats and are mostly unhealthy fats. So choose your poison.

If you exercise regularly, cholesterol should not be a problem. If you take prescription medicine like Crestor, you should be alarmed, most of the prescription stuff damages your liver, without a healthy liver, you die. Niacin is an alternative to Crestor, get the non flush kind. There are also herbal preparations which are good non dangerous alternatives, see a naturopathic practitioner. There are other causes of high blood pressure and cholesterol, such as sleep apnea, sleep deprivation. If you have symptoms, see your doctor for a sleep study.

When I consume butter, I choose the real thing. Land-O-Lakes makes a butter which is part olive oil. I do not use canola oil, so that option is off my table.

CapsFan17

If its just to cook your eggs invest in a good no stick coated pan. I've been able to stop using pam or butter all together.

nitepagan

I'm allergic to dairy, so I use margarine or whatnot when I'm really craving that buttery taste. Mostly though, I've swapped it for EVOO.

Are you lactose intolerant or just allergic to all forms of dairy? Cream, butter and some cheeses are lactose free. Cabot cheeses are mostly lactose free, it says so on the label. Cabot Cheese comes from the beautiful state of Vermont.

jamiedailey

You need a cast iron pan and make sure you follow the care for one...I hardly ever have to grease it up in any manner and when I do I just use a little evo and wipe it around the pan...I use real butter just in small amounts on very few things...Cast Iron pan man it is awesome!

infamousmk

Just use real butter.

LilacDreamer

i use Smart Balance Light, Olivio Light, Light butter, or Extra virgin olive oil.

jamiesadler

Honestly, I just use real butter. Fake butter has been so processed that I don't feel comfortable eating it or exposing it to high heat where whatever chemicals are in it can denature and possible turn into something bad for me. At least everything in real butter is whole, and your body can process it better. If you're not slathering everything in it, using it to cook eggs won't hurt you.

Exactly and 1 tbsp on ICBINB has 70 calories real butter is only 50

BrienJD

I use butter flavored Pam cooking spray for eggs. I have used butterbuds in place of butter sometimes, but all in all I favor real or whipped butter for just about everything--except the eggs.

ifonlyicouldbeskinny

Use PAM!!! They have Olive Oil, Butter, and Canola flavors I think. It's so much better than butter and plus you don't have to wait for it to melt and stuff. Just spray around the pan for a second and the whole thing is covered. A 1 second spray is like 27 calories or something and nothing sticks to the plan!

nitepagan

FYI if you are using butter to keep a pan slick for eggs, always use unsalted. The salt in salted butter encourages sticking.

I use olive oil cooking spray, a very light coating on my cast iron skillet or spider is all I need. Considered to be zero calories for a 1/4 sec spay. I use about a 2 second spay when I cook eggs. Still very little oil on the pan.

MattGetsMad

Using "real" food is good for you no matter what it is? What a joke. Come on guys don't be stupid.

I'll just go eat all the fat that dripped off my sausages on the grill, because that's "real" food that came straight out of an animal and isn't processed! What a great idea!

Sausage is pretty processed brother. Just sayin!

stacygayle

If I use butter at all, I just use real butter. Same goes for stuff like ice cream, chocolate...go big or go home. I'd rather know what I'm eating and have to make room for some calories and fat than be eating chemicals that I can't pronounce

I'm with her on this one. I don't use processed stuff, I use the real stuff. I think it is better to put the real stuff in our bodies and account for the extra calories/fat than to put that processed stuff in that our bodies may or may not be able to break down correctly and use it to it's benefit. Same goes for sugar vs. HFCS. I never buy margarine and I never buy anything that has HFCS in it. I do drink one Coke Zero a day so I do put some fake sugar in my body but I limit it to one a day....maybe one day i'll be able to give that up too, but one day at a time lol

scapez

Real butter or GTFO!

hjfischer

Real Butter. All.the.way!