The heavily industrialized frankenfood known as Smart Balance should more aptly be named Stupid Balance when you examine the ingredients list!
I’ve had it. Everyone has her limits and I’ve reached mine. If one more person who claims to eat healthily tells me that he/she uses Smart Balance or any of those health robbing butter substitute “spreads”, I think I’m going to scream. This includes other pseudo-foods like Egg Beaters too.
A loud, obnoxious, ear piercing, wine glass shattering SCREAM!
You see, there is nothing remotely “smart” about Smart Balance unless of course, you happen to be a shareholder of the company. In that case, you would be very happy with the cheap, rancid, genetically modified vegetable oils used to manufacture substitutes for butter resulting in a very low cost of production and handsome profit margins.
Don’t think for one moment that Smart Balance could possibly be made in the comfort of your own kitchen the way lovely yellow butter can easily be churned from cream in a bowl with a hand mixer.
No way! A frankenfood as complex as Smart Balance or any of the many other “spreads” on the market requires synthesis in a factory in all its high tech, food denaturing glory. Smart Balance and margarine spreads like it is chemistry experiments, not food!
Get a load of the catchy marketing on the Smart Balance website:
It’s funny how these margarine manufacturers always talk about “using it” and “loving it” like butter.
Why would people do that anyway?
Mmmm. Maybe because these folks need some healthy fats like REAL butter perhaps??
I know a die-hard vegetarian who once told me that every now and again when she craves a big, thick juicy steak, she gives in and eats one.
Smart gal. Cravings can tell us a lot about ourselves – if we’ll only listen – from the state of our gut as in the case of craving sugar and having a gut imbalance problem to craving a steak due to the complete proteins only animal foods can provide (soy is NOT a complete protein, by the way. Don’t even get me started on that one).
So, when that craving for all things buttery comes over you, it is always best to get some Real Butter and slather it on anything that seems remotely feasible at the moment.
A vegan community in South Florida suffering from severe dental decay issues likes to eat raw butter straight out of the tub with a spoon, I’m told. Now, that’s a serious craving for the “buttery taste”!
What Exactly is in Smart Balance?
Let’s take a look at the ingredients in Stupid, er – I mean, Smart Balance:
When this post was originally published, here were the ingredients in Smart Balance (original):
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).
Ingredients Analysis
Shall we analyze this rather long list of ingestibles?
- The soybean and canola oils are almost certainly genetically modified. Frankenfood at its finest!
- The olive oil isn’t even extra virgin olive oil and is likely cut with cheap vegetable oils like most olive oil on the market. Can we say cheap, cheap, CHEAP?
- Natural and artificial flavor – this must be where that “buttery taste you crave” part comes in. Excellent stuff if you dig tricking your taste buds (newsflash, you won’t trick your tummy though. At least not for long. You’ll be craving that “buttery taste” soon after and more than likely sticking your head in a big bowl of ice cream by 9 pm).
- Soy lecithin – yet another genetically modified ingredient.
- Vitamin A palmitate – the synthetic form of vitamin A – the kind that is dangerous. Since there’s not much natural about Smart Balance in the first place, “fortification” with synthetic vitamins seems logical!
- Vitamin D – the label doesn’t even specify what type, but I can pretty much guarantee it’s synthetic D2, which won’t help at all in avoiding vitamin D deficiency symptoms. Is this the wondrous, natural vitamin D3 everyone – even Oprah – raves about? Brilliant marketing and wishful thinking don’t make it so.
- Beta carotene color – the normal color for factory-produced margarine like Smart Balance is a very unappetizing grey, so the color is definitely needed here to fool the masses. Don’t be fooled that this beta carotene adds natural Vitamin A either. Beta carotene is not true vitamin A!
- Potassium sorbate – a supposedly safe food preservative that inhibits microbial growth. Safe at least until they find it isn’t. Three cheers for being a guinea pig!
- Calcium disodium EDTA – an organic pollutant which breaks down in the environment into ethylenediamine triacetic acid and then diketopiperazine. Diketopiperazine is a persistent organic pollutant, similar to PCBs and DDT. Not only does Smart Balance pollute the bodies of those who eat it, but it also pollutes the environment too!
Smart Balance 7 Years Later
Let’s analyze the ingredients again 7 years later. Smart Balance has, in the interim, gotten significant press on its “pledge” to remove GMOs from its ingredients. Has it happened yet? Apparently not. Don’t hold your breath on that one. Not much improvement here despite an outcry from consumers to do better.
- Vegetable oil blend (canola, olive, and palm oil)
- Water
- Contains less than 2% salt
- Pea protein
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Sunflower lecithin
- Vitamin A Palmitate
- Beta-carotene (color)
- Vitamin D
- Monoglycerides of vegetable fatty acids (emulsifier)
- Potassium Sorbate
- Lactic acid
- Calcium Disodium EDTA
Let’s analyze the (few) changes.
Little Improvement in Smart Balance Ingredients
First, the GMO soybean oil has been removed. While this is a positive, unfortunately, GMO canola oil is still in there as the primary vegetable oil.
Second, pea protein has replaced the whey protein from before. This is apparently an effort to make Smart Balance dairy-free. Is pea protein any healthier than whey protein? Unfortunately not. All protein powders are highly processed and not a healthy choice.
The GMO soy lecithin has been replaced with sunflower lecithin. This is a solid improvement and a step in the right direction.
Two new ingredients include lactic acid and monoglycerides of vegetable fatty acids. While lactic acid is not really a problem, it could be from a GMO source. The originating food for lactic acid is not specified. Similarly, the vegetable oil that is used to derive the emulsifying fatty acids is not specified. In those situations, I’ve learned to pretty much assume the worst … they are most likely of GMO origin. If they were nonGMO you can be sure Smart Balance would trumpet as much on the label like they have identified the source of the lecithin as nonGMO sunflower.
Everything else appears to be the same.
All in all, Smart Balance has improved from a grade of “F” to a “D-” in seven years. Is it healthy to use? Nope. It’s still frankenfood and not a good choice for those who understand the critical importance of natural, healthy fats in the diet.
Butter is Always Best!
Nothing manufactured in a factory can ever beat the simple, natural, whole nutrition of plain BUTTER and other whole traditional fats. No genetically modified, artificial flavors or organic pollutant preservatives needed. Loads of natural form of vitamins A, D, and E that really will boost your immune system unlike the synthetic versions in margarine spreads like Smart Balance.
Be sure not to buy butter from cows fed genetically modified feed, however, like Kerry Gold is rumored to do.
Grass-fed butter is what you are looking for (quality sources)!
Butterfat is far superior to the rancid, highly processed vegetable oils in Smart Balance. While not hydrogenated, the edible oil processing, called interesterification, is still very much denaturing and is arguably worse for cardiovascular health than transfats.
On the other hand, butter, particularly grass-fed butter, is one of the richest sources of vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is the magical X-Factor written about by Dr. Weston A. Price which is known to prevent arterial calcification which is a very strong (if not the strongest) predictor of cardiovascular disease risk, NOT cholesterol levels. Natural cholesterol in the diet supplied in forms such as grass-fed butter and eggs are extremely beneficial to health!
Folks with low cholesterol suffer from heart disease at the same rate as those with high cholesterol. Don’t tell that to the folks in the marketing department at Smart Balance, though. They’re doing really well with that catchy marketing slogan that associates the use of Smart Balance with “healthy” cholesterol levels.
What if You Have a Dairy Allergy?
For those with dairy allergies, natural and truly healthy butter substitute spreads made with unrefined traditional oils are now becoming available. This one is my favorite which blends virgin coconut oil and that anti-oxidant powerhouse, red palm oil without any additives, fillers, GMOs or destructive processing.
Once you get past the marketing hype, it sure seems that the more appropriate name for Smart Balance would be “Stupid Balance”, don’t you think?
References
Interesterification of Vegetable Oils, by Dr. Mary Enig
Whole Health Source, Butter, Margarine, and Heart Disease
Just read comment on your palm shortening idea which kind of answers my question…. but does palm shortening taste like butter?
Hi Christy, palm shortening does not taste like butter. If you are just avoiding the milk proteins, GHEE would be an excellent choice for you as it is pure butter oil with the milk proteins removed. Lots of butter taste in ghee!
I make my own GHEE according to a suggestion from an Indian manufacturer who said to skim the foam off the butter when bolling it to remove the cholesterol. I am not convinced about this is as I’ve read conflicting info. Any comments?
What I really want to ask you now is this: how do you remove the milk proteins from the butter when making GHEE? My granddaughter is allergic to milk protein and my daughter, who breast-feeds her, is afraid to touch milk products. Smart Balance is unfortunately her substitute when she wants to eat something other than olive oil.
Spectrum Organics has a new product called Butter Flavored Shortening, made with only palm oil. I’ve got a tub of it and its good.
Another good substitute is coconut oil. Yes, it has coconut flavor instead (if its not refined), but its very good with many of the same things you would use butter on.
Missing from most discussions about healthy oils is long (LSFAs) vs medium chain fatty acids MCFAs). The above tropical oils are digested into medium chain fatty acids, which are metabolized differently than dietary long chain triglycerides so do not contribute to body fat or cholesterol. The MCFAs in palm and coconut oils have myriad other health benefits.
The argument over saturated fats really strongly depends on whether you’re talking about long chain or medium chain FAs. Saturated MCFAs are far better for you than LCFAs, the latter predominately coming from vegetables and meats. Worst are polyunsaturated FAs, which are easily oxidized.
For more see books by Bruce Fife ND or http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org
Good point, Alison. We Real Foodies want to be mainstream and accessible. It’s so hard not to be a food snob about these manufactured pseudo foods that are not fit for human consumption though!
Yes, it is very important to stay accessible, open and available for those looking to change. Have you ever looked at the faces of the farmers who supply Kerry Gold? Very ‘salt of the earth’ real people. However, being disgusted by the marketing of, and ingredients in, fake food is natural for those who know truth because standing firm about foods that deteriorate the health of our culture is our responsibility. To Whom much is given, much is required. Thank you for making the information known, Sarah.
So what would you say to someone that can only eat this “unfit” product? Some people can’t have dairy at all or they will die, so I’m sorry, I plan to buy this so I don’t kill my kid.
Why can’t you have dairy? Is it lactose? or casein??
I would say “Have you tried using coconut oil?” You can substitute coconut oil for butter in any recipe.
Do you know of any alternative to Earth Balance for those who have to avoid milk/casein? Earth Balance is all I can find for my daughter.
You could try homemade jellies on bread instead (sweetened with honey), or unsweetened apple butter. For cooking, nothing beats coconut oil. We were dairy-free for a LONG time and this worked out great for us.
have you tried ghee?
Is it just cow? Have you tried goat butter? We are sensitive to cow in our house so we buy goat butter. I’ve also heard that raw milk does not have the same affect but I have not tried it myself.
I’m dairy intolerant and avoid as much trace dairy as possible. I have found that I can eat raw milk butter without any issues.
I would try coconut oil (unrefined) that one is I think better than butter.
the URL was wrong here…
Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
http://www.organicfacts.net
Earth Balance has no unnatural or dairy product in it and there is no reason why it wouldn’t be healthy for you or any of people here . Vegetarians and Vegans are not snobs or arrogant and do not think they are better than you flesh eaters are , that is a label you flesh eaters put on us because you have a guilt to cover up . Real butter natural ? not hardly , With all the hormones pumped into the dairy cattle to make them produce more milk , while keeping them perpetually pregnant . Sound natural to you ? Not to me for sure . Supporting the dairy industry does nothing good for our environment or health .
It takes special people like most of the people on this page and especially the author of this page to dismiss the harm the dairy , meat and poultry industries do to our health and planet not to mention the suffering sentient beings endure so that you may have that slice of butter or that red piece of bloody flesh laying on your plate .
Want real truth and real facts , watch Forks over Knives , it is free on Net Flix .
I agree, James. It sucks to read such pointedly arrogant views. I suffer from gallbladder disease and I can’t tolerate dairy (and loads of other foods) so I have to make substitutes. I didn’t ask for this condition, but I’m making my best through it. It would be great to have some support in the blog community rather than reading that full fat is best on the body. It’s not…
I agree, James. I was a bit confused about including Earth Balance in the list as well, although no factual discussion was presented with regard to why. I also find it sad that a discussion about health does not include the health issues brought about by the destruction of the environment to produce these foods, including ingredients like palm oil, which is being found more and more in the foods we eat, even though healthier and less environmentally damaging substitutes are available.
James, obviously you weren’t paying attention to the article. Sarah mentions raw butter as well as grassfed butter. In many of her articles and posts, she makes it clear that the best butter is from organically fed, pasture raised cows–which is to say that she is recommending butter that does NOT come from “hormones pumped into the dairy cattle to make them produce more milk , while keeping them perpetually pregnant”. That is something that I believe most of the readers and subscribers here are completely against.
Just FYI.
Becca,
Pot calling the kettle black?? One could direct the same comment (“Obviously you weren’t paying attention to the article”) you make to you.
The article begins by conflating Smart Balance (along with other margarines) and Earth Balance, when they are two different competitor products. Then it provides no factual support to connect Earth Balance with any of the alarming criticisms presented. There are no GMOs, no heated processed oils, no rancid oils, no hydrogenated oils, no transfats, cheap ingredients, etc. And it is hardly “frankenfood.” Earth Balance offers organic and extra virgin olive oil; all oils are cold expeller pressed; soy-free is offered for those who prefer it; and all ingredients are non-GMO, despite more than 90% of the market for some of those ingredients being GMO dominated. It is 100% vegan and vegetarian, containing no dairy derived ingredients for those who want to avoid them. All ingredients are natural.
Nowhere in this article does it make an argument based on evidence of why Earth Balance is not a good healthful choice. I like the taste of it because it does indeed taste buttery. I do not like the taste (or quality) of Smart Balance, which tastes to me like watery waxy plastic.
This article asserts that natural pure butter is the best, but does not make an argument for why, just as it makes no argument for why Earth Balance is bad from a health perspective. Rather, it sets up a strawman of the evils of frankenfoods and most margarines, and then in turn compares it to the most healthful minority of butters sold for an easy win. But I came here for actual information and factual comparison of why I should prefer to use a butter like Kerrygold every time vs Earth Balance.
While I use high quality and flavorful extra virgin olive oils most of the time, following a mainly Mediterranean healthful diet, I use a variety of high quality nut and seed oils, avocado oil, virgin organic coconut oil, and yes, butter. I found nothing here to tell me why I should reject Earth Balance, and I happen to like the amounts of monounsaturated fat, saturated, no cholesterol, and Omega 3 profile.
Earth Balance claims GMO-free but they are NOT GMO free….
It is made with Soy, Canola oil, Sugar Beets, Palm Fruit Oil, and Agave Syrup….
http://preventdisease.com/news/13/042213_Earth-Balance-Betrays-Consumers-With-False-Non-GMO-and-Organic-Claims.shtml
*** SPREADS ***
Original:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, GMO Soybean, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Olive Oil:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, GMO Soybean, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Soy Free:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Soy Garden:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Soybean, GMO crushed Soybeans, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Organic Whipped:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
*** SOY MILK ***
Soy (Toxic):
Soy in all of Earth Balance’s Soymilk does not follow the slow stringent fermentation process necessary to make soy non-toxic. Consequently the entire Soymilk product line is toxic by their primary ingredient.
Carrageenan (Toxic):
The entire Soymilk line also contains Carrageenan, which acts as an emulsifer and stabilizer. All Carrageenan is typically extracted using powerful alkaline solvents. Even at low doses, it has been found to destroy human cells and is linked to various human cancers and digestive disorders. Carrageenan has also been found to impair and depress cell-mediated immunity and cause the proliferation of tumour growth. The mechanism responsible for carrageenan-induced immune suppression is believed to be its selective degenerative effect on white blood cells.
*** DRESSINGS ***
All Dressings contain GMO Canola
*** BAKING STICKS ***
Shortening:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola
Vegan Butter Sticks:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, GMO Soybean, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
*** NUT BUTTERS ***
All Nut Butters contain:
Toxic Ingredients = Agave Syrup
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
*** CULINARY SPREADS ***
Organic Coconut:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola Oil, Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Organic Sweet Cinnamon:
Toxic Ingredients = Crushed Soybeans, Soybean Oil, Soy Lecithin
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Organic Sweet Cinnamon:
Toxic Ingredients = Crushed Soybeans, Soybean Oil, Soy Lecithin
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
After reviewing all of the above, is this a company that takes the health of our planet just as serious as they do health and wellness? They do not protect the environment or source ingredients from agricultural methods that work in harmony with nature. They do not uphold their Non-GMO commitment and they continue to use toxic emulsifiers and sweeteners.
Earth Balance should be ashamed of their misrepresentation and I urge you to help educate others by sharing this information with as many health conscious consumers as possible. The only way we will stimulate a call for action and bring a greater sense of integrity to the health food industry is by exposing companies like Smart Balance and their subsidiary Earth Balance.
I do agree that was a bit thoughtless to include a list of products where only one was discussed, smart balance and earth balance are not the same. I use earth balance bc it IS NON GMO oh, and soy free. Food snobs did infact stamp that label on themselves thank you. Vegetarians kill plants. Plants have feelings too. Just cuz it doesn’t have a face, you think it doesn’t hurt when you rip its poor roots out of the ground? It’s just your lack of sensitivity that you can’t hear it’s screams. Just had to rub it in a bit l UK e yall do. 😉
Earth Balance claims GMO-free but they are NOT GMO free….
It is made with Soy, Canola oil, Sugar Beets, Palm Fruit Oil, and Agave Syrup….
*** SPREADS ***
Original:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, GMO Soybean, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Olive Oil:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, GMO Soybean, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Soy Free:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Soy Garden:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Soybean, GMO crushed Soybeans, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Organic Whipped:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Use ghee, a clarified butter. In the process of making ghee the saturated fat is removed and also casin, which is what most lactose people are sensitive too. All of my lactose intollerant clients use my homemade ghee and have no problems. Health and happiness
Great article Sarah! Do you have any suggestions of what to use if you have a dairy allergy? My 8yo has it (we are looking forward to doing GAPS this summer) and sometimes he just doesn’t want EVCO on his food, he wants something more like butter. Any suggestions? I have been using Smart Balance for him occasionally just because it was the only thing I could think of that would be a “butter substitute”. I have thought the same as you about it, and your article now “pushed me over the line” about it and I won’t purchase it again! lol! Thank you for that! I do use real butter and EVCO for the family.
Well, when one is allergic to dairy, coconut or anything else good to put on things, one may occassionally use stupid balance. Sorry but not all of us can be perfect all of the time.
Hi Heather, how about palm shortening or lard? These would be much better alternatives than factory fats.
There’s ALWAYS an alternative. Roasted marrow, bacon grease (no nitrates/trites) or good quality evoo are all good one toast or other things you’d normally put butter on.
Megan- I don’t have an answer for you exactly, but there was a big discussion about this at PaleoHacks. The general consensus was that if that really is the only ingredient and it isn’t processed in a nasty way (hydrogenated, interesterified) that it is just palm oil and therefore perfectly fine. I still want to call the company and find out for certain that it really is just straight palm oil before I buy it though. That’s been on my to-do list since I read that discussion.
Heather, what about pates or hummus or baba ghanoush or homemade mayo? Olive tepanade? It’s not about being perfect, just about making the best choices that we can. Blessings! 🙂
I actually make my own spread using equal parts butter and olive oil. (extra virgin for more health benefits) I take 1 c ( or 2 sticks) butter and 1 c olive oil and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Put it in a container in the fridge and use it as you would any other spread. It spreads fairly well (a little firm) right out of the fridge. You do need to put it right back, though. Leaving it out too long will make it very soft on the counter! Won’t hurt it, but it’s easier to spread when kept cooler! My mother-in-law makes it, too and calls it Schmear, though she’s not generally familiar with Yiddish. 🙂
Pure butter, from pastured cows eating rich green grass, cannot be equaled. Nobody would even touch the artificial butter substitutes were it not for marketing and misinformation.
It is no coincidence that these artificial abominations are made out of the cheapest ingredients the manufacturer can find. It is all about health and money. Their money, and our health.
Thank you for this article!!!! For some reason, people think that we are being unhealthy for using real butter in our house, but I am a huge advocate for saturated fats. Would you mind doing a little piece on Earth Balance as well? I have quite a number of people in my life that think it’s a better alternative, healthier than Smart Balance because it’s GMO free, etc. and you mentioned it above but didn’t touch upon it in the rest of the article. Synthetic anything is never good. Mmm butter!
I know what you mean! I have to deal with people sometimes that know absolutely nothing about real nutrition. And now I’m craving some mozzarella cheese after reading about butter.
A question, do you think the organic butter at the grocery store is just as good as pastured butter or at least a little better?
Nope, it’s not as good as pastured raw butter, but it’s a 50 times better than most of the other choices for fats at the grocery store.
However, if you can, avoid organic valley brand. They forced their farmers to make a choice : if they sell raw milk on the side, they can’t sell to organic valley anymore.
Kerrygold seems to be a better substitute – their cows are grass fed.
I love Kerrygold. Excellent quality.
This happened to our farmer. Thankfully, he decided to keep selling real (raw) milk, and lost his contract with Organic Valley. He had to raise the price by 50 cents a gallon, but I’ll gladly pay it!
At my health food store, my choices are Organic Valley or Kate’s, from Maine. I’ve just bought Kate’s, which is labelled homemade butter, batch churned the old fashioned way, made from cow’s milk not treated with artificial growth hormones or additives (other than a little sea salt).
WHY?!?! What do they care what the farmers do with their extra milk? So DUMB!
You’re thinking like a foodie. Put your business supply chain hat on. You have a business which relies on X amount of raw material (in this case, milk) in a steady amount from Supplier Y, a farmer. Farmer Y sells raw milk on the side, a negligible amount. Feds come in and shut him down for selling raw milk. Your not-so-negligible supply dries up (pun intended); it throws a big monkey wrench in your production if you don’t have a steady supply.
Kelli, in Sarah’s blog she talked about GMO or Frankenfood, regular butter or milk the cows are fed a GMO feed of grains and other things that are not naturally found in a cows diet. but organic butter and milk the cows are fed a organic NON GMO feed closer to their natural dietary needs. If you want to learn more about GMO this here is some good info…
http://www.facebook.com/nongmoproject
Good article Sarah. It’s posts like this that make you my favorite blog. I love your passion and your knowledge. Thank you.
I realized yesterday at the grocery store that I have not been at the inside isles for months and months. I can just smile. Am I now a food snob?
Being a food snob is something to be very proud of! 🙂
Welcome to the other side!
Great post! My family still eats what I call “plastic, fake butter.” Looks like plastic to me! I take my own butter.
Speaking of food snob… I’ve made big strides in the past year when it comes to consuming pasture-fed meats and dairy and cutting out processed grains. I didn’t feel so snobbish about food prior to these bigger changes (i.e., I’d still eat other people’s/restaurant’s food without too much discomfort). Now my body revolts it! Never fails that I have some digestive trouble after eating just about anywhere but home.
Amen, Sarah. I also cannot handle restaurant food any more. Food prepared in a healthy manner will not require all sorts of digestive aids or copious amounts of water to process. (of course lots of water is good in any case) Most people have no idea of what most restaurants do to the food they are served. Even salads are rinsed in chemicals to keep them looking fresh. If you don’t believe me, just ask any kitchen worker!
How could one tell a friend that is using this type of unfood (that the dr. told him to for his heart) that he is doing more harm than good? I use real butter–I first switched when I decided to stop eating processed foods. If people would just look at the ingredients and not listen to main stream..I want to tell my friend but he will do what the dr says. Any suggestions?
Hi Teresa, if someone isn’t open minded, then having the conversation is usually a pretty frustrating experience. If your friend is open, then take the spread out of the fridge one day when you are at his house and start reading the ingredients following up with a “do you know what’s in this stuff??” There is NO WAY anything this highly processed could be healthy. Period. Only natural foods in their whole state are healthy to consume. If someone doesn’t grasp onto this basic truth, it is basically a hopeless task trying to have a logical conversation on the subject.
I agree that this is a very touchy subject. My good friend (who also went to medical school) recently posted a video of her one-year-old eating margarine out of the tub! All the while, she was giggling in the background and calling the margarine “butter”! How can you convince someone so “educated” that this crap should not be fed to children?? *sigh*
I would probably say something like, “if my child ate the butter, I would cry. It is like $10 a pound… But at least then I would know she got the minerals and stuff to be able to heal her teeth…” lol. Maybe it would get her to say what? and ask you what you mean by the cost and healing her teeth…
“Hi Teresa, if someone isn’t open minded, then having the conversation is usually a pretty frustrating experience.”
Someone open-minded enough to just believe what you believe. In your open-minded world you convince people of what you know to be correct. I don’t even disagree with you, but reading this article – sheesh! Take some of your own advice.
You need to be honest and give the nutritional facts about unsalted, let alone salted butter as well. Butter is almost all fat, very high in cholesterol and has no nutritional value. That is why eating it over a lifetime can lead to heart disease.
Thanks for being the voice of reason. Sarah sounds like she owns stock in everything BUT Smart Balance. I have a friend who used to be a cocaine addict. He craves it to this day. If we follow Sarah’s reasoning, he craves it because it’s good for him.
My son was blood tested food allergies and rated off the charts for: gluten, corn, soy, dairy, eggs, nuts (except almonds), fish and so many others. I don’t EVER believe the hype and marketing on the package of ANY products and always read the ingredients. Ironically, with so many allergens his Naturopath suggested we use Smart Balance or Earth’s best in place of the dairy, both of which also have corn and whey. As you can imagine we’ve changed just about everything my son eats. He’s always been my “finicky eater” and I’m super proud at how he’s handling all of the changes. He’s 7 years old and reads ingredients better than his dad, the grocer and chef of the house..and by the way a LOVER of Smart Balance who doesn’t embrace change as easily. Too bad though because I’m taking over shopping, cooking and he’ll eventually be a believer and convert. Do you have an suggestions for substituting spreads and butter? I use almond butter when possible, but for baking and other buttery flavors, what do you suggest?
You should probably not presume to think that reading a couple websites makes you know better than his doctor and not bother with the conversation.
Is his doctor a dietician? Or is he just a doctor that believes that fat is bad for you, no matter where it comes from….
Butter is extremely good for you IF it is from clean raw milk from a grass fed cow. And I can ensure that NO butter at the store is made with that….
Question. What brand of butter do you use then? Thanks.
You want to be using a fresh made butter, typically from A2 raw milk cream. You can either make it yourself, or you can get some grass fed cow butter, but that is normally pasteurized cream. Typically, go to a local farmer’s market and get some fresh butter, or check out a place like Sprouts/Whole Foods, and you can get a few grass fed cow milk butters from New Zealand.
Teresa, I don’t eat it because someone told me to. It actually WORKS for me. It lowered my cholesterol 30 points in 9 weeks. I use it because from personal experience , it WORKS..
Janice,
I have been using Smart Balance because I have SEVER Coronary Artery Disease. I grew up eating ONLY butter!! I am now a type 2 diabetic, and that destroyed my arteries! Butter is PURE fat!!! It has less ingredients and is more natural, but it also causes OBESITY!! FAT is FAT. I don’t care how many ingredients create it!!!! I tried Earth Balance, and I think it tastes more like butter! I was shocked, and had less ingredients.
What type of butter did you eat all the time? Was it from the store, a pasteurized homogenized butter? Or was it from the farm, from raw clean grass-fed milk from A2 cows? They are completely different, almost as different as butter and margarine. These types of butter are nothing alike, one is pure, live and full of nutrients (raw milk butter), the other is a dead processed butter (butter from the store).
Butter = animal fat. Yuck!