Butter substitutes

[Muse]

When my doctor told me last November my LDL cholesterol was way too high and I should start taking statins, I said "whoa, let me try to bring it down dietarily." He was OK with that and I was fine after a couple of months of no butter or cheese (170 ---> 131, and it's probably better now). Now, I eat almost none of each.

I'm almost out of butter now (haven't bought any since November). Is there a product that's better for you, is a reasonable substitute in cooking? I see a bunch of different products sold in tubs at the market that purport to be wise substitutes. You people who know, have looked into this, compared, etc.: What's the scoop?

 

[Kipper]

Well, you can pretty much substitute any fat for butter, like olive oil, or perhaps canola if you are looking for something flavorless. They all get the job done fine, for most cooking purposes (baking perhaps less so). If you need a salty flavor, you can add salt or use some spices. What exactly is it you're make that requires that you use butter? There are a few plant sterol "butters" out there (benecol) which should have a similar consistency. They're expensive, though.

There really isn't any reason to eliminate cheese or butter entirely, singling those out as the culprits. If you are eating them by the shovelful, certainly, they could use reductions. I think there is room in ANY diet to look where you can ease up on the quantities, instead of eliminating foods completely and looking for something to "substitute" them. I would suggest looking into other dietary changes associated with LDL reduction, such as reducing saturated fat consumption (e.g. full fat milk -> 1%), or increasing the proportion of soluble fibers (oats, for instance) in the diet. Reducing meat consumption probably has the most dramatic effect for many people.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Kipper
Well, you can pretty much substitute any fat for butter, like olive oil, or perhaps canola if you are looking for something flavorless. They all get the job done fine, for most cooking purposes (baking perhaps less so). If you need a salty flavor, you can add salt or use some spices. What exactly is it you're make that requires that you use butter? There are a few plant sterol "butters" out there (benecol) which should have a similar consistency. They're expensive, though.

There really isn't any reason to eliminate cheese or butter entirely, singling those out as the culprits. If you are eating them by the shovelful, certainly, they could use reductions. I think there is room in ANY diet to look where you can ease up on the quantities, instead of eliminating foods completely and looking for something to "substitute" them. I would suggest looking into other dietary changes associated with LDL reduction, such as reducing saturated fat consumption (e.g. full fat milk -> 1%), or increasing the proportion of soluble fibers (oats, for instance) in the diet. Reducing meat consumption probably has the most dramatic effect for many people.

My meat consumption is pretty minimal as it is (~2 oz/day beef). I consume only non-fat milk. I don't know what else to attribute my 39 point drop in LDL to than cutting out the butter and cheese. I was probably eating around 1.5 lb butter/month before I changed (i.e. last summer). I haven't thrown out my butter, I still eat a bit.

I make cookies sometimes with butter, not a ton, but some. I think I tried olive oil instead one day and thought the result was inferior. Most of the butter I consumed was sweet butter, although I keep some salted (that's all I have left, some in the freezer).

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: Kipper
Well, you can pretty much substitute any fat for butter, like olive oil, or perhaps canola if you are looking for something flavorless. They all get the job done fine, for most cooking purposes (baking perhaps less so). If you need a salty flavor, you can add salt or use some spices. What exactly is it you're make that requires that you use butter? There are a few plant sterol "butters" out there (benecol) which should have a similar consistency. They're expensive, though.

There really isn't any reason to eliminate cheese or butter entirely, singling those out as the culprits. If you are eating them by the shovelful, certainly, they could use reductions. I think there is room in ANY diet to look where you can ease up on the quantities, instead of eliminating foods completely and looking for something to "substitute" them. I would suggest looking into other dietary changes associated with LDL reduction, such as reducing saturated fat consumption (e.g. full fat milk -> 1%), or increasing the proportion of soluble fibers (oats, for instance) in the diet. Reducing meat consumption probably has the most dramatic effect for many people.

My meat consumption is pretty minimal as it is (~2 oz/day beef). I consume only non-fat milk. I don't know what else to attribute my 39 point drop in LDL to than cutting out the butter and cheese. I was probably eating around 1.5 lb butter/month before I changed (i.e. last summer). I haven't thrown out my butter, I still eat a bit.

I make cookies sometimes with butter, not a ton, but some. I think I tried olive oil instead one day and thought the result was inferior. Most of the butter I consumed was sweet butter, although I keep some salted (that's all I have left, some in the freezer).

Butter substitutes aren't really great for you either. They are high in polyunsaturated fats and are likely highly hydrogenated and result in trans fats (that are often too little to put on a nutritional label, but still have biological effects). Processed polyunsaturated fats easily create reactive oxygen species that can cause biological damage to the cell. There are mechanisms to counter this in the cell, but only to a certain extent. Seriously though... Just eat your butter in moderation. I probably have a quarter of a tablespoon of butter to cook my eggs each day and that's it. I also drink whole milk, eat cheese, eat meat, etc. My cholesterol is in check. It's all in a balance and it's effected by overall intake so if you have a diet rich in greens, fruits, and veggies then you really have no need for a butter substitute (or extinction of your cheese, milk, meat intake).

 

[Capt Caveman]

I love this stuff - http://www.brummelandbrown.com/

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
I love this stuff - http://www.brummelandbrown.com/

Can you use that as a butter substitute in baked goods (e.g. cookies)? I used to be a cookie freak (I'm talking baking a batch daily!) but gave it up in November (only 2-3 batches since then).

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged


Butter substitutes aren't really great for you either. They are high in polyunsaturated fats and are likely highly hydrogenated and result in trans fats (that are often too little to put on a nutritional label, but still have biological effects). Processed polyunsaturated fats easily create reactive oxygen species that can cause biological damage to the cell. There are mechanisms to counter this in the cell, but only to a certain extent. Seriously though... Just eat your butter in moderation. I probably have a quarter of a tablespoon of butter to cook my eggs each day and that's it. I also drink whole milk, eat cheese, eat meat, etc. My cholesterol is in check. It's all in a balance and it's effected by overall intake so if you have a diet rich in greens, fruits, and veggies then you really have no need for a butter substitute (or extinction of your cheese, milk, meat intake).

Yeah, part of the reason I posted in the first place was that I was aware that butter substitutes have been highly criticized. I was wondering if some or one of them might be OK, seeing as they obviously differ quite a bit. My own situation is pretty unclear with regard to them and I wasn't doing too badly (I think) until last year when I kind of over did it with the butter during the summer. Just reigning myself in some may be all that's required to stay off the statin train. I know that statins are said to be beneficial in many ways, but I don't currently take any meds at all, and prefer to keep a clean slate if I can manage it. I figure meds always have side effects, and if you take more than one, the uncertainty can only be magnified and you're playing dice with nature. It's a little bit luddite, I guess, but I figure that millions of years of biological evolution might be more trustworthy than a few years of modern tinkering. To put it another way, I'd feel guilty pigging out on ____________ and trying to excuse myself by ingesting prescribed pills.

I do eat fruits, veggies and some greens, but probably not enough. What I do in spades is exercise!

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged


Butter substitutes aren't really great for you either. They are high in polyunsaturated fats and are likely highly hydrogenated and result in trans fats (that are often too little to put on a nutritional label, but still have biological effects). Processed polyunsaturated fats easily create reactive oxygen species that can cause biological damage to the cell. There are mechanisms to counter this in the cell, but only to a certain extent. Seriously though... Just eat your butter in moderation. I probably have a quarter of a tablespoon of butter to cook my eggs each day and that's it. I also drink whole milk, eat cheese, eat meat, etc. My cholesterol is in check. It's all in a balance and it's effected by overall intake so if you have a diet rich in greens, fruits, and veggies then you really have no need for a butter substitute (or extinction of your cheese, milk, meat intake).

Yeah, part of the reason I posted in the first place was that I was aware that butter substitutes have been highly criticized. I was wondering if some or one of them might be OK, seeing as they obviously differ quite a bit. My own situation is pretty unclear with regard to them and I wasn't doing too badly (I think) until last year when I kind of over did it with the butter during the summer. Just reigning myself in some may be all that's required to stay off the statin train. I know that statins are said to be beneficial in many ways, but I don't currently take any meds at all, and prefer to keep a clean slate if I can manage it. I figure meds always have side effects, and if you take more than one, the uncertainty can only be magnified and you're playing dice with nature. It's a little bit luddite, I guess, but I figure that millions of years of biological evolution might be more trustworthy than a few years of modern tinkering. To put it another way, I'd feel guilty pigging out on ____________ and trying to excuse myself by ingesting prescribed pills.

I do eat fruits, veggies and some greens, but probably not enough. What I do in spades is exercise!

Veggies and greens are especially important in preventing cholesterol from being a bad thing. Radicals help create the plaque on the blood vessel walls leading to athersclerosis. If you take in a ton of antioxidants, they don't have that opportunity even if your cholesterol is on the higher side.

 

[spamsk8r]

I use expeller-press coconut oil for all my high-heat cooking (except for eggs, I use butter on those) and it works great. The expeller-pressed kind doesn't have a coconut flavor (it's basically tasteless) but it stands up well to heat and is made up of medium chain triglycerides, which (as far as I understand) are tolerated much better by the body. It also is purported to raise your HDL levels (the good cholesterol proteins) which might be a boon for you. I bought mine from tropicaltraditions.com.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I wanted to apologize btw. I said reactive oxygen species when I meant to say free radicals. They are related but are definitely not the same thing. Sorry about that. I mixed the biochem in my head (studying for that final) with the nutrition.