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
Some people, like myself, are allergic to dairy. This post is ignorant and pushes your own values on everyone else.
There are healthy options for those allergic to dairy … you don’t have to stoop to eating garbage butter substitute like Smart Balance! Read through the comments as there are several awesome suggestions.
My cardiologist told me Smarg Balance is just fine to use.
Well this cardiologist says it’s not fine to use. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/cardiologist-lowfat-diet-scientifically-and-morally-indefensible/
What is the healthiest cooking oil that helps to low my cholesterol to use to stir fry vegetables with?
Avocado oil or olive oil would be the best choices.
You are totally discounting people who keep kosher and still want spreads for bread. Real butter is great in an all dairy home. But if you eat meat you need non-dairy foods to supplement your email. I’m disappointed at the cultural ignorance shown here.
What butter would you suggest for someone who is lactose intolerant? Regular butter makes me sick. I’ve been using Smart Balance because it doesn’t make me sick. Do you have any healthier non dairy suggestions?
I would suggest using ghee (butter oil) if you have lactose intolerance. Ghee has no lactose in it like butter does. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-how-to-make-ghee-butter-oil/
I’m not sure when your “seven years later” was written, but in 2014 the company announced it was
not going to use ANY GMO ingredients anymore and evidently followed up with that promise. Here is one from many articles that I have read:
Company says no more GMO ingredients in Smart Balance products.
March 04, 2014|By Mary MacVean latimes.com/2014/mar/04/news/la-dd-smart-balance-20140304
What is your take on this?
That is good info! Thanks for sharing. Unfortunately, Stupid Balance is still loaded with garbage fats … while going GMO free is good, it still doesn’t make a quality product. Stick with butter, ghee, or another traditional, nourishing fat.
Your dietitian’s weight doesn’t impact that fact that eating less would help you lose weight, and losing weight would make you healthier. Also, most statins can’t reach the brain, and even for those that can have some impact – if you die from a heart attack caused by high cholesterol, it doesn’t matter whether you would have gotten dementia or not. Do YOUR own research, from reliable sources – not pop pseudoscience.
As a mother of a son with dairy, eggs, wheat, and more food allergies, I have to say that this article is disheartening. Smart Balance spread is the only affordable spread that I have access to for my son. Since he has 12 food allergies, I cook with it to help him get some omega fats (seed, tree nuts, fish and shellfish allergies) in his system. I feed him fresh fruits and vegetables (some organic) and lean meats (except beef; allergic also), and I cook with olive oil and Smart Balance because it has been the only spread so far he hasn’t reacted to. And he’s two so I’m not willing to take the risk of trying ghee since he’s already allergic to cow’s milk and beef. Some people have dietary needs and I, for one, am grateful for the changes they made in their ingredients (albeit small or unhealthy or whatever). Obviously I know you weren’t targeting people like me, and it’s not my goal to upset or offend. I just wanted to say, for some people this is the best we can do when our options are so limited.
What affordable alternative to Smart Balance? Our diabetic counsel at St. Joseph’s Orange CO. CA suggests this.
I am a Vegetarian who is about 85% Vegan – I intake SOME organic dairy (butter) – and I use un-hydrogenated Fatworks Lard for baking and sauteeing). So yesterday, I was making my dinner – potato gnocchi with butter and oregano, and I realize that I am out of butter. I ran over to my neighbor’s house and asked her if she had any butter I could use. aid that all she had was Smart Balance. I grimaced, but hungry after a 12 hour work day, I accepted and used it. 45 minutes after finishing dinner, I was completely doubled-over in a ridiculous amount of pain and spent the next 6 hours in the bathroom. Today, I feel as if I got hit by a truck. The gastro-intestinal issues that these types of “foods” cause is ridiculous! I have no food allergies and there are no “stomach bugs” going around that I am aware of. Could it be that my system is just not used to a “junk” food like this? Perhaps, but I think it just goes to show how bad these products truly are. The reason I became a vegetarian that is 85% Vegan and intakes no GMO’s is because of my love of animals, colony collapse due to pesticides and because of the environmental nightmare caused by factory farming and deforestation (especially PALM OIL). If you look at those reasons environmentally, just imagine what the actual products do to your body. I noticed within two weeks of changing my eating habits how much BETTER I felt! My joints stopped hurting and the persistent “brain fog” I had lifted. My overall health went through the roof (until last night!) These synthetic, GMO-laden foods cause your body and the environment more harm than you can possibly imagine. Yes, eating vegan/organic can be more expensive, but imagine all of the savings down the line when you don’t have to pump yourself with medications from big-pharma. There is a reason previous generations were in way better overall health – they ate natural foods without all of the processing and chemicals. Sure, we are “living longer” today . . . but that is because there are medications that keep everyone alive. Food should be your medicine, and Smart Balance should be labeled with a skull and cross bones!