Smart Balance Margarine, ETC

Lori,

Greenville calling Boone--any snow out there yet?

I think Smart Balance margarine needs some careful research before anyone concerned about health uses it. I got sucked into buying it recently by the name, the "non-hydrogenated claim," and "excellent source of Omega-3's."

This is the hardest, most solid margarine I've ever seen. OK, maybe that not because of hydrogenation, but if you look at the ingredients, the first thing is "Natural oil blend." Well, just about any oil or oil blend is "natural," so let's throw that out. But the oils include good ones, and bad ones, like soybean and palm fruit. The key thing is, they don't say what the proportion of each oil in the blend is. This is a common ploy with margarines and other foods. They almost surely put the cheapest oils in, in the largest proportions--and those may very well be the worst for your health.

Secondly, a one tbsp serving is 80 cals--and I think that's a level tbsp, not too much. It adds up. I just got another margarine, Promise (tub).
It has only 30 cals per tbsp--thanks to water as the number one ingredient--and claims to have no fat, but does contain mono and diglycerides (I can't recall how good or bad these are) and other stuff, of course.

Someone mentioned this kind of margarine being bad for frying; it does partly turn to water when melted in a pan. But I find it fine on veggies or as a spread. I use olive oil when cooking an omelette or one of the other very few things I fry.

Would appreciate more expert insights on these things. Thanks,

Brian Cooper
Greenville, NC