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
Your “meat” is made in a factory. ..
Not if you buy it straight from the farmer that took your grass fed cow to the butcher… Traditional meat, sure, is made in a factory, but not everyone eats that way… Especially those who are concerned with health….
Eating meat from WHATEVER source is supporting horrible cruelty to animals. We love our dogs and cats and wouldn’t dream of eating them. What’s the difference, really, to other warm-blooded, thinking, feeling animals? Think about this, please. We are finding out that vegans can be very healthy.
Or vegetarians, I do not eat meat of any kind. However I do eat eggs and cheese. There is no killing of animals to get eggs and cheese.
I tease my cat about her nickname being “Emergency Food Supply #4”.
At Margaret Vonnahme – you need to look at those egg and cheese statistics you are using. No animals – huh! Where do they get the whey for the cheese? What do they do with the male chicks? Just two questions you may want to pose before you say you are not killing animals. Even those small free range farms have to do something with those male chicks. There is no use for them. And before you ask – they do not use the same breed of chickens that lays eggs to be used for meat. So the eggs of hen laying females are destroyed right after sexing. One way they kill them is a macerator which grinds them up alive. And if your cheese has whey or casein in it, you’ve also done harm. So unless you are using cheese that is certified vegan your cheese has whey or casein.
This is what everyone says… but I have yet to see a real movement of people shifting their cheap food expectations toward buying organic and grass fed. It’s a lie that people tell themselves to assuage their guilt.
Also, let’s be clear. The author asks, “Why do you suppose folks crave that “buttery taste” anyway?” – as if that is some justification for eating butter.
Just because one craves something doesn’t mean it’s needed or natural. Ask a cocaine addict or that person who craves their 2 liter of coke every day.
It is a lie that we get grass fed beef and grass fed milk? That is far from the truth. I go to my farm every two weeks to get 14 gallons of raw grass fed milk from A2 cows that are happy and healthy, and not forcefully impregnated. I buy a 1/4 cow each year, about to get one in a few weeks actually and it is completely grass fed and amazingly better than the junk meat they sell at the store.
Cheap food is not cheap in the long run. Quality food is expensive but healthy for you.
There are some cravings that are addictions, and some cravings that mean something. Like if you crave chocolate, you are likely needing magnesium. You should look at your cravings and determine what they are telling you.
Any way you can remove my last name from the above post? And then remove this post asking you to? Thank you!!!! 😀
I don’t eat meat.
next time I will keep these tips in mind while shopping..
I’m sorry but after reading this I was a little frustrated and had to make a comment. I’m a vegan and i’m not one of those people that go and try to preach or whatever and go after those that decide to eat meat, hell my boyfriend eats meat he’ll cook up a steak in front of me and I don’t care quite so much sure I would I rather he didn’t, but i’m not going to impose my views on him. You also never mention raw butter in here, I see it in the comments but in your article you just say butter is better…but its not with all the hormones and other crap they add in there. Also soy is a complete protein as well as quiona you don’t need meat to live, if your friends craving juicy steak and you think its because she doesn’t get enough protein it means she needs some more variety in here diet. there is something called the all or nothing rule and it has to do with the synthesizing of amino acids, if you don’t have all the ones need your body will just dump them no protein will be made, but you can get them from a combination of fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains. Palm oil is actually good for you and is also a good weight loss tool when used in moderation of course you should go for the non gmo and organic. also just for the record because we eat so much meat and dairy did you know that a couple years ago the government in Colorado wanted to kill the last of the wild horses in this country because they were eating the grass that was used to feed that cattle? Eating everything in a variety( no body should be eating a whole tub of butter) and in its most natural state is key…but I do agree that any kind of Frankien-food is bad and thank you for spreading that message.
Do you mean fermented soy? Or GMO soy that is in most foods right now?
I like your comment. I just received PETA literature regarding a vegan diet and how it benefits the planet. If people only realized how many resources are used up to feed cattle. Very sad.
I’m just going to say, your body’s “cravings” are completely psychological. Appetite is not a physiological process, it’s psychological. Hunger is the physiological state of wanting food, but cravings are not driven by anything physiological. There is no evidence to support the claim that if you want a certain food your body probably needs it.
I use to crave dark chocolate but after being on magnesium supplement for a while my cravings for chocolate diminished; Cocoa powder provides 499mg of magnesium (125% DV) per 100 gram serving; coincidence?
Is there anything healthy you would recommend for mixing with butter to make it more spreadable? I’ve read you can mix in canola, extra light olive oil etc. but I’m not sure which would be best if any at all.
After reading through more of the comments here, I bought a butter bell. I love it.
I was excited to learn about that… I want one now! 😀 I was going to make my own spreadable butter like you were, and was thinking about using grapeseed oil or sunflower oil, but wasn’t sure about it yet… The butter bell is a much better idea and give you pure butter! 😀
I agree that Smart Balance is toxic in every way, but I have to disagree with your lumping Earth Balance into your diatribe. Earth Balance makes an organic, non-GMO spread that is 0g Trans fat. It’s a good solution for strict vegetarians and those with dairy allergies, in my opinion. Your argument that people should just give in and have real butter is also ill-advised. I challenge you to do a little research on how the dairy industry maintains its currently over-strained system of production. It just isn’t sustainable on its current course.
I highly doubt that she means go get some butter from the store.
I am pretty sure she means get butter from a grass fed cow milk farm, or get raw milk and make your own butter.
Dear Everyone / Morons !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS !!!!!!!!!!
VEGETABLE OILS CAUSED HEART DISEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
When American SWITCHED to OILS because INDUSTRY $$$ PUSHED it, we GOT HEART DISEASE AND CANCER !!!
Cholesterol and SATURATED FAT have NOTHING ~!!!!!!!!! to do with heart disease. PROVEN time and time again ! Look up ” Cholesterol HOAX” or “SATURATED FAT HOAX”
on GOOGLE . Research for youself if you want to help you family survive. Why the fuk do you think so many people are sick when america switched to what we were told is healthy and we got more sick ! ? ? Cmon now, you can’t be that friggin stupid .
Your BRAIN and BODY NEEDS saturated fat and cholesterol for MANY functions.
LDL and HDL aren’t even cholesterol, they are PROTEINS !!!!!!!!!!!!
Its a FACT that people with HIGHer cholesterol LIVE THE LONGEST !
Not only that, cultures that eat saturated fat and meat that is natural LIVE the longest.
VACCINES are the other culprit of DISEASE just as much as the cholesterol HOAX!
in the early 1900’s Americans eat Saturated fat, used Lard, Natural Butter, Grass fed MEAT, in SEASON vegetables and in season fruits.
When the INDUSTRY switched to (rancid) OILS America’s Heart Disease SKYROCKED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wake the FUCK UP MORONS.. ! Your Government, the American Heart ASsociation, the FDA and the Pharmaceutical industry were and are ALL in BED with Eachother.
Watch you family die from heart disease and cancer when they are eating every food created with Vegetable oil, seed oils, Corn oil, Soybean oil !
The original studies were such bullshit that all it took were stupid people reading a paper, watching the TV telling them or a government agency.
Shame how disgustingly unhealthy we have become and we watch our family members have a SHite quality of life from their 50’s !!! When their parents and grandparents weren’t all SICK ALL THE TIME !!!!
You going to be a hippie and “save the cute animals” that GOD gave us to thrive, keep your miserable PRIDE for the sake of ” not being wrong ” .
Of you could do some research and THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX and SAVE your family from SUFFERINg
LOOK at ALL of the food in your pantry and SEE how much of it is $$ spoiled with Corn Oil, Vegetable oil, Seed oils etc etc. Just look at the soups, the potato chips and other things.
Think of all the fast food joints, they cook their food in VEGETABLE OIL / other olis..~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
Watch everyone die or do something…
PRIDE is disgusting, being humble is responsible and respectable.
Cheers and God bless…..
Maybe the history I’m familiar with is different than the one you are.
In the history I know the shift from lard/milk fats to vegetable fats occurred in response to high prevalence of cardiovascular disease and cancer that was associated with saturated fats.
So your main argument doesn’t make a lick of sense in that context. Cancer and cardiovascular disease were already rampant prior to the switch. Naturally you also totally failed to mention that the “vegetable oils” you’re demonizing are chemically-altered fats developed to have the same physical properties as the original “bad” animal fats. Not surprisingly, these fats also became associated with adverse outcomes. And naturally, now that trans fats have been classified by most health researchers as “completely unsuitable for human consumption”, the industry has switched again to palm oil–which contains high amounts of palmitic acid–yet another fatty acid associated with the same effects as trans fats on the cardiovascular system.
I just fail to see how everyone is forgetting that people were developing cancer and heart disease back when the primary source of dietary fat was animal-based. There’s a reason why some of your parents think trans-fat laden margarine is healthy. It’s because that was the “unknown” alternative back when all the people drinking whole milk and eating beef and potatoes were having heart attacks.
Long story short, heart disease has been the #1 killer of Americans since 1910. Hormone use didn’t become prevalent until the 50s. Predominance of vegetable-based margarine in the diet also did not occur until after this point in time. Whether it was correct to link saturated fats from animal sources to heart disease doesn’t change the fact that people were dying of it prior to the advent of all these new frankenfoods.
I recently switched from butter and went to smart balance,and at the same time started having issues with to many trots to the bathroom.And all I could figure out was it must be the smart balance.I remember when the chips came out with the fake oil and many running to the bathroom issues.Going back to butter,and I’m gonna do that recipe with the olive oil.God forbide we could get it at the store…