I, like so many when trying to loose weight went to the low fat options of butter or margarine. There is not a good substitute for the real thing. I recently got into this debate as a man at my work had high cholesterol and his doctor told him to watch the saturated fats in butter. Health.com writes what most doctors will tell you "The American Heart Association suggests buying soft, trans-fat-free spreads instead of regular butter or stick margarine. Choose a blend with the least amount of saturated fat and zero trans fats. Check the ingredients: If it says partially hydrogenated oils, it still has some trans fat (less than 0.5 gram per serving), even if the label says trans fat free". I understand that doctors know a ton about health, but they do not understand nutrition. The only person that can help you is YOU! and it is you that can find the truth about foods. I am writing this post from a "clean eating" perspective and leaving all other aspects aside. Lets compare labels shall we? While doing my research on this very subject, I stumbled upon what The American Heart Association advises the in order to have a healthy heart.
• Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35 percent of your total calories each day; • Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories; • Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories; • The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as unsalted nuts and seeds, fish (especially oily fish, such as salmon, trout and herring, at least twice per week) and vegetable oils; and • Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day, for most people. If you have coronary heart disease or your LDL cholesterol level is 100 mg/dL or greater, limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams a day. While this may be true, why not advise people to eat REAL butter in moderation or cut out butter all together. My message today is to try and educate how we view food. Read labels, look at what you are putting into your body if you believe it will be healthier to lower your cholesterol but ingesting Modified Corn Starch, Momo and Diglycerides, Potassium Sorbate and other ingredients you can't pronounce then that is your choice. I encourage you to think about food and be proactive in your health. Take guidance from doctors but ultimately it is YOUR body and YOUR health and YOUR life. If you are interested in a great article that gives many different options and even more of a breakdown of butter vs margarine click here. FoodBabe.com rocks! Cheers! Jenn
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I have been following "The Gracious Pantry" on Pinterest and as I still consider myself new to Clean Eating. I found these great articles that really make it easy to start the clean eating journey. I hope you find them helpful.
Cheers Jenn Understanding Clean Eating Reading Labels for Clean Eating |