I Can't Believe It's Not Butter-spray....I think it's bad fo

MayMaydoesntrun
MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
A while back, I thought I had discovered a gold mine! I can't believe it's not butter spray! For a butter substitute! 0 calories, yada, yada. But after a bit, I began unscrewing the cap and pouring it on my potato, my oatmeal, etc. Just now, I googled it to see if it's bad for me (I was so sure it wasn't, ha) and dang it, it is. If it's too good, to be true, it usually is. Anybody else out there use this stuff? What are your thoughts on it? I'm thinking I'm going to quit using it.

Replies

  • ljbrauer
    ljbrauer Posts: 62
    any butter (fake or not) will probably be bad for you, but it makes the world go round! i love country crock, but i just use in moderation. you might look into smart balance spread...not too sure about the amount of calories but it is supposedly better than butter/margarine.

    you're not suppose to unscrew the cap and just pour it out, mary!! i probably would do the same thing...lmao!
  • amyrc12
    amyrc12 Posts: 183 Member
    I use it a lot too... i spray instead of pour... but I still use it. I also like the Parkay brand spray butter. I've never really looked into how good / bad it is though.
  • anzura
    anzura Posts: 171
    I used to use it. It's just like liquid margarine. Just squirt, don't pour! LOL!

    I used some of that popcorn cheese sprinkle on my veggies the other day and it was sooo good! Give that a try!
  • thefreemans28
    thefreemans28 Posts: 267 Member
    It's ok if you use it for 1 or 2 sprays every now and then. But pouring it... definitely not. Also, I think it says that after 5 sprays there's calories. Not sure how much, but I know it's not good to use a lot all the time. I probably use it once a week max for 1 or 2 sprays.

    Try using things instead of butter.... for example, on a baked potato, use salsa. It's delicious!
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
    Surely, I'm not the only "pourer" out here! LOL...I will stop that, for sure. It might be hard to go back to sprays though. I'll give it a try.
  • MelHoneyRocks
    MelHoneyRocks Posts: 223
    I always use butter, nothing artificial can be beneficial. Adding chemicals to your body just does not sound right to me. Butter or die...just in moderation of course.
  • js775219
    js775219 Posts: 98
    I like it...but definitely no pouring...no pouring! lol...Just a few sprays. And we have Smart Balance in the house too and it's a pretty good deal, when I get home, I can look at the nutrition info...we like it.
  • SteeleMagnolia
    SteeleMagnolia Posts: 14
    I don't like fake anything. Butter is okay in moderation. A teaspoon not a tablespoon. Same as sugar. You may like the taste of the substitutes but your body isn't getting any nutrition, just chemicals. Try eating your food plain. Once you get used to the taste you may actually prefer the actual food taste over the 'seasoning'. Anyway, that's my opinion.
  • StabR80
    StabR80 Posts: 320 Member
    you are not alone I have been know to pour as well. specially when I need a 1/4 cup of butter for a recipe and I am out of everything but that.
    Surely, I'm not the only "pourer" out here! LOL...I will stop that, for sure. It might be hard to go back to sprays though. I'll give it a try.
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
    :smile: Thank you all for your feedback!
  • astovey
    astovey Posts: 578 Member
    I SRAY it on my thin bagel every morning with cinnamon :)
  • mmcbutterpants
    mmcbutterpants Posts: 16 Member
    The spray is mostly just salt, soybean oil and thickeners, with a trivial amount of buttermilk...calories will build up if you're using a lot but no where near what butter or margarine would add up to. If you have blood pressure issues of if the doctor told you to watch your salt intake than you might want to cut back but otherwise it's not going to cause any harm other than a little bloat. It's way better than what would happen if you were eating real butter all the time.
    I used to spray it all over my popcorn but then I switched to the butter flavored Pam spray. It adds more real oil but it's a much more satisfying flavor and texture, less wet. worth the few extra calories for me...maybe for you to.
  • WattsJA
    WattsJA Posts: 160 Member
    here are the stats ..

    12.5 squirts = 10 Calories (1g sat Fat)
    25 squirts = 20 calories (2g sat fat)
    37.5 squirts = 30 calories (3g of sat fat)
    etc ....


    Now here is how it affected me:

    I used to pour it on vegetables and oatmeal .. thinking it was 0 calorie .. but I noticed that though I was doing cardio daily, I was gaining weight. I discovered the stats I posted above and realized I was getting 1000 calories (100g sat fat) or more a week. I stopped the ICBITB spray and in fact ALL butter in November 2010. As of 4/9 (6 months) .. I have lost 50+lbs and didn't change anything else about my diet.

    USE WITH CAUTION!!!
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I read recently that one teaspoon of that stuff has 20 calories and 2 grams of fat. If you pour, make sure you are counting the calories. The zero calorie serving size they give you on the label is probably something ridiculous like "2.5 sprays." Same thing goes for nonstick cooking spray.

    Edited to add, I posted the same time as WattsJA- good info!
  • ltlemermaid
    ltlemermaid Posts: 637 Member
    I stick with natural butter and stay away from the fake spray stuff etc...I just watch my calorie intake when I use it.
  • amyoliver85
    amyoliver85 Posts: 353 Member
    I actually recommend getting rid of butter everywhere that it isn't required for a recipe to cook properly and to avoid recipes where it's required.

    For instance, butter is NOT required in order to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I just do a light spray across the pan with some Pam Olive Oil spray and that suffices to help brown the outside of the sandwich. That spray is calorie free but even if it wasn't, at least it's made from olive oil and is a healthy fat.

    Also, keep something in mind: in many Mediterranean countries, they don't have butter because they don't have refrigerators and don't keep food for multiple days. For instance, I have family that lives in Lebanon and they cook with olive oils and with...*trumpet flares*...NOTHING.

    You just have to slowly eek it out of your diet. If you're making a grilled cheese sandwich, portion out the butter ahead of time and use only half of it. Then the next time, portion out only half of that amount. By the third time, you should be butter-free. Also, try adding a tomato to a grilled cheese. It tastes really amazing, but NOT if there's butter involved. So that could help too.

    As to other items, just remember to PRE-PORTION.

    As Americans, one of the WORST things we do is BRING THE BUTTER to the table. If you prepare your meal at the counter and immediately put the butter back in the fridge, you will not be as tempted to put on more. The same goes for salts, syrups, etc.

    When you create a meal that traditionally would have butter in it--baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob...the list goes on and on, just DON'T use it. I promise that most of these recipes don't NEED butter!!!

    Did you know that in order to process properly, a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese really only needs 1/4 of the butter that's listed on the recipe??!!!

    Also, most cakes and pies don't need butter to bake correctly. So just look for the loopholes and you'll get it out of your diet.
  • navvs15
    navvs15 Posts: 165
    I own a spray bottle of "I can't believe it's not butter", but I rarely use it. It's alright tasting, I suppose I'm just not that much of a butter person. But it does seem better to use than regular butter, especially if you use loads of it.
  • BlazedBetty
    BlazedBetty Posts: 31
    I use ICBINB all the time... but I don't use alot of it each time.
    But I do prolly use it daily.
    I make sure to stay to less than the 5 sprays the label says...

    The ONLY time I took the lid off it and poured it was into a small container to dip crab legs into... because who can have crab and lobster without butter? lol But I counted the whole container (2oz) even tho I was dipping and had some left over.

    It is true tho, that after the 5 sprays it starts having calories.... but it was way less calories than actual melted butter was so I felt like I was winning by having my butter taste

    Most of the time I use it in cooking... to grease a pan or spray on cut up potatoes or vegetables before I microwave them... the microwave can really dry some foods out.

    It's like I've heard on here time and time again
    "moderation"
    lol
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    I always use butter, nothing artificial can be beneficial. Adding chemicals to your body just does not sound right to me. Butter or die...just in moderation of course.

    I agree with this statement, except the moderation part.

    I use organic, Amish Roll butter............the best in the world.
  • Bettegraves
    Bettegraves Posts: 1
    I'm definitely a pourer! Especially on broccoli. I just spray on toast and use cinnamon and Truvia. Someone told me they had heard there was plastic in this product. Anyone heard that?
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,202 Member
    I actually recommend getting rid of butter everywhere that it isn't required for a recipe to cook properly and to avoid recipes where it's required.

    For instance, butter is NOT required in order to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I just do a light spray across the pan with some Pam Olive Oil spray and that suffices to help brown the outside of the sandwich. That spray is calorie free but even if it wasn't, at least it's made from olive oil and is a healthy fat.

    Also, keep something in mind: in many Mediterranean countries, they don't have butter because they don't have refrigerators and don't keep food for multiple days. For instance, I have family that lives in Lebanon and they cook with olive oils and with...*trumpet flares*...NOTHING.

    You just have to slowly eek it out of your diet. If you're making a grilled cheese sandwich, portion out the butter ahead of time and use only half of it. Then the next time, portion out only half of that amount. By the third time, you should be butter-free. Also, try adding a tomato to a grilled cheese. It tastes really amazing, but NOT if there's butter involved. So that could help too.

    As to other items, just remember to PRE-PORTION.

    As Americans, one of the WORST things we do is BRING THE BUTTER to the table. If you prepare your meal at the counter and immediately put the butter back in the fridge, you will not be as tempted to put on more. The same goes for salts, syrups, etc.

    When you create a meal that traditionally would have butter in it--baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob...the list goes on and on, just DON'T use it. I promise that most of these recipes don't NEED butter!!!

    Did you know that in order to process properly, a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese really only needs 1/4 of the butter that's listed on the recipe??!!!

    Also, most cakes and pies don't need butter to bake correctly. So just look for the loopholes and you'll get it out of your diet.
    None of this makes sense unless you think butter is the reincarnation of satin. One of the reasons I love Europe and the Med is the quality of the butter found in abundance along with the EVOO
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    any butter (fake or not) will probably be bad for you, but it makes the world go round! i love country crock, but i just use in moderation. you might look into smart balance spread...not too sure about the amount of calories but it is supposedly better than butter/margarine.

    you're not suppose to unscrew the cap and just pour it out, mary!! i probably would do the same thing...lmao!

    Yah no...

    Butter is fine....

    I like the spray...as a spray on veggies etc but never on toast etc...blah...but we can't get it here on a regular basis...:sad:
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    What's with all the butter hate? :grumble:

    I mean, just look at this. Look at it.

    121401-HERO-9fd1befd-3178-46b4-9b87-1da9c3e35697-0-472x310_zps9f559008.jpg
  • sarah3333
    sarah3333 Posts: 222 Member
    I know it sucks! There are like 900 calories in one bottle. I always buy it thinking I will count out my sprays and be responsible. I count 4 calories for every 5 sprays and then I realize I am not responsible enough to handle I can't believe it's not butter and then I don't buy it for a while. lol It is sooo delicious on popcorn! Err!
  • ennoviasonipse
    ennoviasonipse Posts: 8
    MMM that looks toooo yummy!!!
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    I don't like the chemical taste that it has. I prefer to use real butter in moderation.
  • running_tall
    running_tall Posts: 213 Member
    I spray it on toast and baked potatoes.
    The only time I pour is when I use it for cooking, and I still use sparingly...like to season vegetables.

    I'm looking at it strictly from a calorie perspective. I know there are those who look at artificial products and added chemicals as being bad...and I know they are. But right now...it's difficult enough for me to keep my calories under control. It helps me to be able to find lower calorie alternatives that still taste good. Bottom line...moderation is key...at least for me!
  • foolsforsarah
    foolsforsarah Posts: 34
    Use Oils.
    Coconut oil and Olive oil are some great options. Granted you don't want too much but they fats in them are healthy. You can buy a bottle that will pump and spray your cooking oils that way you arent using too much on breads and things..
  • FitWarrior7
    FitWarrior7 Posts: 332 Member
    I use it on corn on the cobb, which unfortunately will be out of season soon....on the plus side I won't need it anymore.
  • kitsune1989
    kitsune1989 Posts: 93 Member
    I used to use the spray stuff but now I stick to olive oil and earth balance. I just found it didn't taste right.
This discussion has been closed.

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