Jump to content

Margarine with plant sterol


Ericandblueboy

Recommended Posts

Promoting the benefits of plant sterol is simply a way that manufacturers find they can sell their margarine. It's a way to counter the stigma margarine developed when consumers started to avoid partially hydrogenated vegetable oils out of concern for their health. Replacing the argument that a product is bad for your health with the desire for the healthful benefits of that product is the point.

Simpler: buy real foods w plant sterol such as olive oil, almonds, whole wheat, legumes.

Nina Planck (not always reliable on science and totally into provocation, but she's echoed by others) argues that whole milk from pasture-grazed cows that has not been subjected to extreme temperatures of most homogenizing processes actually helps lower LDL cholesterol, so I wonder if she makes a similar claim about real butter, fat saturated or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The one my mind drags up is Promise activ. I know I've seen Promise activ at my local Harris Teeter, and I'm sure I've tried it. Looking at their website, they compare it against Benecol Light, Smart Balance Omega Plus, and Benecol.

That said, when I've tried it on bread before, I wasn't impressed. Frankly, the rest of my diet is low enough in fat that I can get away with using real butter if I want toast, so I usually buy ye olde whipped butter (which saves a bit of calories, plus I like the ingredients of cream, salt...and that's it). If I don't want the dairy, I opt for olive oil, but then make sure I don't go overboard. (Stupid calorie-dense fats...) But, I think with jelly or cinnamon sugar or something else so you aren't depending on the spread for the flavor, it's adequate.

As for cooking/baking with it, I've never done that. It might be worth trying out some recipes on the Promise, et al, websites to attempt it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...