The truth about margarine and trans fat

Written by Barbie Broschart   


Q: I am so confused with all the margarines out there. Is margarine better for me than butter?
—Ramona, 33, San Diego, California

A: Margarines are generally lower in fat and calories than natural butter. But there is a catch, so it’s important to be an educated consumer! I teach my patients that the most important rule is to read the ingredient list.

If a margarine spread claims to have 0 grams of trans fat per serving, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s trans fat free. The FDA allows companies to use “0 grams of trans fat per serving” if the product contains .5 grams of trans fat or less. So what do you do? Read the ingredients: partially hydrogenated oil means trans fat — ditch that product! (If it says it’s fully hydrogenated or just hydrogenated, that’s OK.) Some culprits include I Can’t Believe its Not Butter! Original, Country Crock Original, and Land O’Lakes Fresh Buttery Spread. As a general rule, you want to keep saturated and trans fat intake low, so when cooking I recommend using olive oil. But when you need to purchase butter or margarine, follow these tips:

Go low fat: The less saturated fat, the better. Try to get a margarine that has less than 2.5 grams of saturated fat per serving. A tablespoon of regular butter has 7.5 grams of saturated fat and 100 calories. Whereas, for example, a margarine that I use, Smart Balance HeartRight Light, has 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 50 calories.

Read the ingredient list: Ditch partially hydrogenated oils, but welcome additions like omega 3’s and plant sterols. Both ingredients have been said to help lower cholesterol. While the amounts in these spreads are probably not significant enough to make a difference on blood cholesterol on their own, every little bit helps.

Lighten up: If you’re a real butter fan and can’t take the taste of margarine, choose a light butter instead. Most light butters contain half the calories and about 1/3 the saturated fat of real butter.

Portion: Always read serving sizes! A tablespoon is about 3 pats of butter. If you can use less, great! But try to keep it to one serving at the most.

Go Natural: For those of us who prefer not to use products without artificial ingredients there is a margarine that is all natural. Earth Balance uses all natural ingredients, is free of trans fat and is sold in organic, vegan, and dairy blends. Check out their website and you can also purchase at Whole Foods, Fairway, and Trader Joes.