I love a good sale, especially when I have a coupon. My fridge is stocked with Smart Balance buttery sticks, Smart Balance Original and Smart Balance Light. How lucky am I.So my hubby, who eats steak at least four times a week, sometimes with French fries, and consumes Italian hoagies on a regular basis, snacks on pepperoni, prosciutto and pickles and cannot go through a day without bread, declared the other day that Smart Balance is not good for you. He said he heard on the radio while driving that Smart Balance has too many toxic ingredients and that butter is a better and more healthful choice. “Did you ever read the ingredients on the box?” he asked. “No, can’t say I have.”
The only thing worse than a reformed drunk is someone who just got educated by a radio commentator. But I did feel compelled to get a box out of the fridge and read the ingredients: “Natural oil blend (soybean, palm fruit, canola, and olive oils), water, contains less than 2% of whey (from milk), salt, natural and artificial flavor, vegetable monoglycerides and sorbitan ester of fatty acids (emulsifiers), soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, Vitamin D, dl-a-tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), lactic acid, beta carotene color, and potassium sorbate, and calcium disodium EDTA (to preserve freshness).” This long list gave me pause. The ingredients in butter are much shorter: cream and maybe salt. Could Smart Balance be, as some claim, just margarine in a new wrapper? I can’t wait to tell my cardiologist about this new find. He’s a Smart Balance fan, too.
Instead of throwing out my bargain buys, we agreed to use them up before we switch back to butter. But I did throw out the rest of my Smart Balance coupons.
11 comments:
That is alot of ingredients! And here I was thinking about changing to it.Thanks for the heads up Judy.
Sorry I never heard of Balance, but after reading this I think it will stick to butter.I so use it sparingly and you don't need much for it to make it taste good.
Rita
One of our chefs on a programme the other day was arguing with a hospital kitchen that butter is much more healthy for the patients!!! Diane
Well, we eat only butter, but try not to eat too much of it. We don't go as far as Paula Deen, if you know what I mean. Or maybe you haven't seen her Food Channel show. My daughter-in-law, however, swears by Smart Balance. But she also feeds my grandchildren hot dogs!!!!
Judy I love Land O Lakes butter with olive oil. Comes in a tub and contains only sweet cream, olive oil and salt. Total fat is 10g and it spreads easily. The best part is that it tasts like butter. Samrt Balance is awful tasting.
Judy Mack
Lynda, you're welcome, wish someone had told me sooner. I'm kicking myself for believing their hyped-up ads.
Pat, Whether it's Smart Balance or butter, it's still wise to limit fat intake, so I'm on your page with that. My hubby eats hot dogs too. I've tried with no success to educate him on the evils of hot dogs, but he just doesn't care.
Anonymous, Check whether it's extra-virgin, first cold pressed olive oil. Chances are good that it's just refined olive oil which is no better than vegetable or canola oil. Refined oils actually change to trans fats when heated. We have all been sold a very bad bill of goods when it comes to foods in the grocery stores.
It so often feels like the old adage, can't win for losing when it comes to prepared or semi prepared food products. And, that's without even discussing mechanically separated meat and pink slim! My lovely daughter-in-law lets my cute babies eat hotdogs too, but she also grinds her own wheat and makes bread, healthy pancakes, and green smoothies for them. It's pretty much impossible in our day and time to not shop for some prepared foods with questionable ingredients. I guess it's all about balance, but not Smart Balance =)
What a shame that you're stocked but thanks for the warning!
Denise, You are so right. With our polluted world, the best we can do is try to find a balance in everything we do, including eating.
Good to know!!
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