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How to read the butter label to take the best one home
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The percentage of fat, the added salt and the vitamins it provides are some of the elements that should be taken into account when choosing butter in the supermarket
La butter it is a “base” element of the kitchen. Although it has more prominence in some culinary cultures such as the French, in Spain, where the Mediterranean diet prevails and the fat used for cooking par excellence is olive oil, butter is used regularly.
Fats are essential in our diet, but butter is not the optimal way to obtain it, so although we can include it in our diet in a timely manner, we should not make it an essential food. «Butter is a fat that comes from milk or cream and is rich in saturated fatty acids. Due to its high fat content, we should not consume it regularly; the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends an occasional and moderate consumption of this product “, explains Laura Isabel Arranz, doctor in nutrition, pharmacist and dietician-nutritionist.
The benefits of butter
On the other hand, although we talk about a food that we should consume in moderation, we also find that it has benefits for our diet. Explains Sandra López (@nutrienredes), dietician-nutritionist of Alimmenta, which is remarkable contribution of fat-soluble vitamins of butter, especially vitamin A and E, but also significant amounts of vitamin D. “It is a food that was very valuable two generations ago, as butter provided calories, fat and those valuable vitamins. In our current context, we do not lack sources of calories and those nutrients, so I believe that it can be dispensed with, ”says the professional, who adds that if we want to include it in our diet, we must adjust to a small serving of about 10 grams.
Regardless of whether we should consume more or less amount of butter, it is important to choose the best option that the supermarket offers us, and, Laura Isabel Arranz explains that in this case, “as always” the label is our great ally. In the case of this product, given that we understand it as a fatty food derived exclusively from milk and from products obtained from milk, it must carry in its ingredient list cream and fermented dairy or butter.
What to Look for on the Butter Label
«It is important to look at the nutritional table, serving per 100 grams. In this case, we can look at the percentage of fat and the percentage of salt. Butter is a fatty product, we find in butter that 80% is fat, and of this fat the one that predominates is saturated fat “, comments the nutritionist, who recommends, if we want butters with less fat, to opt for those labeled as” light “,” light “or” low in calories “. These are butters to which part of the product has been removed and water has been added, therefore, the percentage of fat is lower.
Another factor that we can take into account is whether the butter that we are going to buy is “fortified” with salt. Sandra López explains that in these cases we are faced with “only a question of taste”, since the added salt content “is usually very low, around 1%”. “It depends on our tastes or the use that we are going to give the butter: when it is used for cooking it is usually preferred with salt”, explains the professional.
Is margarine better?
Another very widespread product as a substitute for butter is the margarine. This is a product obtained from non-dairy fat, which can be of vegetable or animal origin, and which has a minimum fat content equal to or greater than 80% and less than 90%. When it comes to “deciphering” its label, compared to butter, margarines they tend to have longer ingredient lists and they usually incorporate antioxidant vitamins, such as beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A) or tocopherols (vitamin E), in addition to other ingredients such as plant sterols or stanols.
Sandra Lopez talks about the change that margarine production has undergone over the years: «For the production of margarines (and pastries and cakes) partially hydrogenated vegetable fat containing high levels of trans fat levels. This type of oil has been used in margarines to keep the product solid and at the same time easily spreadable since it softens more quickly than traditional butter. In addition, it offered other benefits such as flavor stability and durability. But this partially hydrogenated vegetable oil has long been shown to be even more damaging to cardiovascular health than any saturated animal fat, increasing LDL cholesterol and lowering HDL. He goes on to explain: “Fortunately and for the health of the population, margarines sold today are already free of these harmful trans fatty acids because partially hydrogenated fats are no longer used. The type of fat in margarines is mostly unsaturated fats (poly and monounsaturated) from sunflower, canola or soy, and a lesser amount from palm or coconut, being the contribution of unsaturated fatty acids of 43% and 17% fat saturated ».
When choosing butter or margarine, both nutritionists agree that they are foods with very similar properties. In low proportions, either of the two can be an option. If someone has a high cholesterol profile, I would recommend margarine, but a high quality margarine, with low trans percentages “, points out Sandra López, who also says that margarine keeps better, while butter is more easily oxidized, although it emphasizes that, if we talk about vitamins and nutrients, “they are very similar products.”
Less fat alternatives to butter
If we think of ways to substitute butter in the case of traditional cuisine we could not have it easier, since the olive oil it is the most obvious healthy alternative. If we talk about substituting it in other contexts, such as breakfast toasts, we can also opt for olive oil, although Dr. Laura Isabel Arranz proposes to opt for pure creams of nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts or seeds such as tahini. , or fruits like avocado. “They are nutritionally better and delicious options. These foods provide a much more interesting and varied nutritional content than butters and margarines. And in the case of having to choose between one of these two options, I would choose, to consume in a punctual way, the traditional butter “, he concludes.