alternatives to margarine?

[kokonutmama]

I know hydrogenated oils aren't good for us, but for baking and spreading on toast what else could I use?

[administrator]

I'm assuming you probably don't want dairy in your spread.  I know that most spreads even if they say soy or olive oil usually have dairy anyway(found this out when i cut out dairy for c's colic).  some olive spreads are good and i've heard nuttlex(don't know if you guys have this) is a good veg alternative.  what about good ol avocado, can be pricey though.

[mum2maddox]

hi

the best alternative ive found to butter /marg in baking is organic apple sauce it caries the same weight and is a much more natural alternative also. it really makes things taste great. also it cuts down on the calories. i always use this instad of butter.


not sure about for toast though.

i have read that margarine when broken down is not all that different to plastic... scary

[FionaK]

I do avoid margarine without getting fanatical about it.  I read a study a while back (can't remember the reference now, and it was about 10 yrs ago) comparing the health of people who use marg and those who use butter, and there seemed to be similar rates of dying at similar ages (can you tell I've been out of this field for a while and can't remember all the proper words for this).  Just the ones who used butter died of heart attack/stroke compared with the ones who ate marg who died of cancers.  I'll have to track down that study some time.

Anyway, my theory is to use things in as natural a form as possible, so I often use olive oil or grapeseed oil instead of butter.  On toast/sambos I would use peanut butter, cashew butter or other nut butters (with jam, banana, burgers or various other things), tahini (with salad or burgers), avocado, etc.  The only topping that you really need something like butter is vegemite (I know there are a lot of US readers here though!), and then I use either a light brush of oil or butter.  I figure that I don't use it all the time, so I might as well use the more natural and better tasting product.  To make it more spreadable and therefore use less, I mix it with good olive oil.  (I just do a block at a time and keep it in a tub in the frig.  Find it seems to need about equal quantities of each.  I use my bamix to mix it, and make sure I leave the butter out for a while first.)

For baking, I either change recipes to reduce the amount of butter, work out a substitute with oil or similar, or just use proper butter.  I get organic butter and figure that if you eat really healthy stuff most of the time, when you have a treat you should do it properly.

Fiona

[kokonutmama]

How about pie crusts and scones?

[jnezmama02]

First, not all hydrogenated oils are bad...just those that are "partially" hydrogenated b/c they contain trans-fat; fully hydrogenated oil is fine b/c it does not contain trans fat. Here's an interesting article about Trans Fat to understand why it's bad and how it's made in the hydrogenation process: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat

For Baking: Crisco makes a shortening that has 0 grams of trans-fat (it has a green label), so it's not as bad for you.  I believe this is vegan.

For Spreading: Smart Balance is a spread that tastes and looks similar to regular tub margarine, but it has no trans fat. I believe it's vegan, but you'll have to double-check w/ the label to make sure if you're a strict vegan (I think it may contain a trace of whey).

[kokonutmama]

I can't believe it!  Smart Balance (at least the "organic" kind) does seem to be vegan.  It's in the fridge all the time, because my dad eats it, but I totally thought it had something in it.  Good call!!