nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

MyFitnessPal Community

Healthy alternative to butter?

bringingsexyback2007

I currently use Smart Balance light with EVOO but it still has a lot of fat. Any suggestions?

Replies

mustgetmuscles1

Is butter unhealthy?

nobel99

Although it's conceivably just another "fad", I have started to use coconut oil instead of butter and oil in recipes. Just trying it out for now.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/coconut-oil-and-health

jweindruch

Check this out: If you use a non-stick pan and start your dish with fresh cut onion and garlic the oils from the onion and garlic pretty much are sufficient to cook just about anything. Not adding a tables spoon of an oil (120 calories) allows me to eat more of the filling things i like: Pasta! Also, Trader Joe's sells a Coconut Spray that is ZERO calories. I bought it but hadn't needed to use it since learning about the natural oils from garlic and onion.

Riemersma4

not all fat is bad. Your body NEEDS some good, unsaturated fats.

Best!

imblissful

I have also heard that coconut oil is better than butter and way better nutritionally than margarine. I am considering switching, wouldn't it rock on cinnamon toast?

Cindyinpg

I just use real butter, in moderation. I don't like the taste of margarine or any of the other wannabe's.

gloriaqzhao

coconut oil for cooking, avocado for spread.

cwolfman13

There is nothing inherently evil about butter...it is a fat...dietary fat is an essential nutrient...use butter in moderation. I primarily cook with olive oil or avocado oil for their mono-unsaturated fats..but I use butter for things that call for butter and/or traditionally are just better with butter...I use coconut oil for certain things too. It's all fat and you need dietary fat...but a little goes a long way.

Depending on your cooking application, different oils/fats are necessary. Coconut oil and butter for example have low smoke points and are worthless for high temperature cooking but are great for baking, doing some scrambled eggs, etc.

bringingsexyback2007

Check this out: If you use a non-stick pan and start your dish with fresh cut onion and garlic the oils from the onion and garlic pretty much are sufficient to cook just about anything. Not adding a tables spoon of an oil (120 calories) allows me to eat more of the filling things i like: Pasta! Also, Trader Joe's sells a Coconut Spray that is ZERO calories. I bought it but hadn't needed to use it since learning about the natural oils from garlic and onion.

That's a great idea. Thanks!

bringingsexyback2007

There is nothing inherently evil about butter...it is a fat...dietary fat is an essential nutrient...use butter in moderation. I primarily cook with olive oil or avocado oil for their mono-unsaturated fats..but I use butter for things that call for butter and/or traditionally are just better with butter...I use coconut oil for certain things too. It's all fat and you need dietary fat...but a little goes a long way.

Depending on your cooking application, different oils/fats are necessary. Coconut oil and butter for example have low smoke points and are worthless for high temperature cooking but are great for baking, doing some scrambled eggs, etc.

Is butter considered one of the healthy fats? I know nuts, peanut butter and avocado are all healthy fats. I am just trying to cut out as much unhealthy fats as possible. I am always under my calorie goal but sometimes go over fats.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

You will still go over in fats if you have "healthy" fats. Why not a just your macros so that you can have more fat. If you're under 30% calories from fat, maybe try that. When you do the math remember that 1 gram of fat has 9 calories, or mfp can help you with percentages.

My favourites are almond butter and peanut butter.

Madmarsha

Butter is healthy. Smart Balance is a Frankenfood. Give me butter. Real, natural butter.

ndj1979

just use the real butter….

JTick

Butter is healthy. Smart Balance is a Frankenfood. Margarine is 1 molecule away from plastic. Give me butter. Real butter.

And water is one molecule away from killing you. For reals. :indifferent:

ETA: I too prefer real butter. Just log the calories. It is actually very important to get enough dietary fat in your day.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Butter tastes the best. Nothing else even comes close and just makes food taste off.

Just use less of it if you can, or eat less of the better quality finished product.

sullus

There is nothing inherently evil about butter...it is a fat...dietary fat is an essential nutrient...use butter in moderation. I primarily cook with olive oil or avocado oil for their mono-unsaturated fats..but I use butter for things that call for butter and/or traditionally are just better with butter...I use coconut oil for certain things too. It's all fat and you need dietary fat...but a little goes a long way.

Depending on your cooking application, different oils/fats are necessary. Coconut oil and butter for example have low smoke points and are worthless for high temperature cooking but are great for baking, doing some scrambled eggs, etc.

Is butter considered one of the healthy fats? I know nuts, peanut butter and avocado are all healthy fats. I am just trying to cut out as much unhealthy fats as possible. I am always under my calorie goal but sometimes go over fats.

It's important to get different kinds of fats ... none of them are unhealthy per se. I get a lot of fat from olive oil, but feel its necessary to incorporate some animal fat, butter/milk fat, etc into the diet. While butter is not inherently unhealthy, consuming most of your fat in the form of butter could be considered unhealthy. Like everything else; balance and moderation are the key.

This is a good read: http://www.mayoclinic.org/fat/art-20045550

ETA: For good flavor and a higher smoke point, I'll go with a 50-50 mix of olive oil and butter for some applications

Madmarsha

Butter is healthy. Smart Balance is a Frankenfood. Margarine is 1 molecule away from plastic. Give me butter. Real butter.

And water is one molecule away from killing you. For reals. :indifferent:

ETA: I too prefer real butter. Just log the calories. It is actually very important to get enough dietary fat in your day.

I edited that to take that out. At least margarine doesn't have trans fats anymore .... but, still, it ain't natural. I really don't use a lot of butter but not because I'm scared of it. The body needs fats. No need to be scared of natural fats.

albertine58

Check this out: If you use a non-stick pan and start your dish with fresh cut onion and garlic the oils from the onion and garlic pretty much are sufficient to cook just about anything. Not adding a tables spoon of an oil (120 calories) allows me to eat more of the filling things i like: Pasta! Also, Trader Joe's sells a Coconut Spray that is ZERO calories. I bought it but hadn't needed to use it since learning about the natural oils from garlic and onion.

That's a great idea. Thanks!

I love the trader joe's sprays, but they are NOT zero calorie! No spray oils are (or any oils, for that matter!) It's just rounded down. 1/4 of a second spray of oil (the serving size) is about 4 calories, which they can round down to zero due to FDA rules. Tricky! I couldn't spray that quickly if I tried. A fast spray for me is 2 seconds, which is 18 calories according to a MFP item that actually has calories listed. 2 seconds is enough to lightly cover my saute pan, and 18 calories is still a bargain! FYI, that's about 1/2 tsp of oil (which is 20 cal). So if you spray a big baking dish for 12 seconds, that's a whole tablespoon - 120 calories, not zero! just trying to help

I don't think there's anything wrong with butter, I use it sometimes, but just for convenience I like the spreadability & flavor of Brummel & Brown Yogurt Spread. Not the cleanest food, but there's no hydrogenated oils. I keep it in the fridge for toast & things I'd normally spread butter on. Only 45 calories per tbsp, and it tastes like butter to me.

SailorKnightWing

The simple answer is slightly less butter. Unless you're baking or the sauce is mostly butter, you can usually cut the amount down.

When frying or sauteeing I usually use Pam, but some people prefer to put regular olive oil in a spray bottle and use that. You cut down on the amount you use by a lot.

princessofmilk

Butter is not healthy. It's a saturated fat, most of the fat in our diet should come from unsaturated fats (generally from plants). Eat it in moderation but olive oil spreads and recipes that use plant and nut oils for baking are healthier. Healthy fats are an essential part of your diet so don't worry if you go over the limit.

Lucyk00

Mmm, butter.

Madmarsha

Butter is not healthy. It's a saturated fat, most of the fat in our diet should come from unsaturated fats (generally from plants). Eat it in moderation but olive oil spreads and recipes that use plant and nut oils for baking are healthier. Healthy fats are an essential part of your diet so don't worry if you go over the limit.

Butter is healthy.

Brige2269

Real butter or AVOCADO! Yum!

dbmata

I currently use Smart Balance light with EVOO but it still has a lot of fat. Any suggestions?

Use butter.

JTick

Butter is healthy. Smart Balance is a Frankenfood. Margarine is 1 molecule away from plastic. Give me butter. Real butter.

And water is one molecule away from killing you. For reals. :indifferent:

ETA: I too prefer real butter. Just log the calories. It is actually very important to get enough dietary fat in your day.

I edited that to take that out. At least margarine doesn't have trans fats anymore .... but, still, it ain't natural. I really don't use a lot of butter but not because I'm scared of it. The body needs fats. No need to be scared of natural fats.

I agree. I'm not a clean eater at all, but even I think margarine is pretty gross.

CTcutie

Mmm, butter.

This.

sullus

Butter is not healthy. It's a saturated fat, most of the fat in our diet should come from unsaturated fats (generally from plants). Eat it in moderation but olive oil spreads and recipes that use plant and nut oils for baking are healthier. Healthy fats are an essential part of your diet so don't worry if you go over the limit.

No food is, in and of itself, unhealthy.

kellyskitties

Mmm, butter.

This.

Ditto this...

and bacon.

GoreWhore72

Is butter unhealthy?

Butter is your best choice or none at all. That's what I think anyhow. I only use butter or olive oil in my home.

amaysngrace

coconut oil, unsalted organic butter, pam cooking spray?