Zero or light soda? Butter or margarine? Three nutritionists solve our daily dilemmas

Zero or light soda? Butter or margarine? Three nutritionists solve our daily dilemmas

Nutrition

There are daily decisions that, maintained over time, can condition our health and our state of form. Here we will try to tell you what is the best

It happens to us every day. We get to the lunchroom from work, to the vending machine or to our own fridge and we have to decide. No matter what time it is (breakfast, after lunch, right after the gym): you have to choose between several options and we do not always know if we are doing well or badly. Is the butter or the margarine? What sweetener I put it at breakfast? What if I change the coffee after eating for a refreshment no calories? They are decisions that we make every day and that, maintained over time, can condition our health and our state of form. That is why we have asked three nutritionists to ask them six quite common dilemmas and find out which option is the best for our well-being.

1. Daily breakfast at work due to lack of time. Do I choose butter or margarine?

“Butter is better on a nutritional level”, responds Estefanía Fernández, better known as StefyActiva. Here the experts consulted do not doubt: “Years ago there was talk of substituting butter for margarine because it was supposedly ‘healthier’ – Valeria Castillo points out. However, when reading the ingredients from margarine we realize that it has a long list, while butter only has heavy cream and salt. In terms of calories both provide the same, but the quality of the butter is superior.

In any case, if you want to avoid these products, we have a much healthier alternative and much more at hand: «Today, having the olive oil I don’t think butter or margarine is a good decision, “says Pablo Zumaquero. “Margarine are vegetable oils that at some point in their manufacture can generate ‘trans’ fatty acids that we do know are quite bad, although the new regulations prohibit more than two grams of ‘trans’ fatty acids per 100 grams of product. Still, even if we chose margarine, we would already be talking about two grams as a limit. So I would choose olive oil. Neither butter nor margarine.

2. For coffee: saccharin or stevia?

The debate on Sweeteners It is almost as long as the list of names and alternatives to sugar that have appeared in recent years. But are they really recommended?

“Stevia is more natural than saccharin, but saccharin tastes better. As for sweeteners, I think that as long as they are used in small quantities, they do not hurt, ”says Valeria Castillo. For its part, Stefyactiva agrees that, given the choice, the better stevia (especially if it is of natural origin).

However, Pablo Zumaquero has another opinion: “Well, the same thing is,” he concludes. The saccharin It has a bad reputation but in the end it is still a sweetener that takes years and years of use and, although like all sweeteners it has its pros and cons, it will always be better than a high load of sugar. Besides, the stevia that they sell you now in the supermarket is in most cases erythritol with 1% steviol glycosides ».

3. What if I change my skim milk for a vegetable type?

There are more and more people without diagnosed intolerances who, looking for a better physical shape, decide change your milk of animal origin for a vegetable type. But are they really right? Here our experts agree that everything will depend on the objective that is sought, although they do not perceive so many differences either. “A vegetable drink and a cow’s milk (either whole, semi or skimmed) are going to have a quite different nutritional profile”, points out Pablo Zumaquero. «But at the general health level I would tell you that if you get a vegetable drink with no added sugar and that has some vitamin D or added calcium to simulate the properties of milk … Between that and any milk you could take either one ».

“Everything will depend on the objective you have and even the preference of each person”, admits Stefyactiva, who adds an interesting comparison: “On a nutritional level, the most similar are semi-skimmed milk with soy drink.”

4. After lunch, many need a stimulant. Which is better: Zero soda or coffee?

Despite the contraindications that are often pointed out to coffee, the nutritionists consulted have no doubt in this assumption: coffee always. «Although the Zero refreshment it does not have calories, it is an ultra-processed one, while coffee is a completely natural infusion “, replies Valeria Castillo. “Coffee without a doubt,” agrees Pablo Zumaquero. Apart from having the caffeine that Zero soft drink can give us, it has, among other things, chlorogenic acid, which gives us some benefits added. If it can be a coffee alone or cut and without sugar, much better – he adds -. This way we would avoid the sugar load that we do avoid with Zero soft drink ».

5. And in general, for any time of the day … Better Zero soda or light soda?

This is a recurring doubt, as both products continue to share shelves in supermarkets with absolute normality. “The nutritional contribution is the same: zero”, summarizes Stefyactiva. “In the end they have the same sweeteners but at different levels,” adds Zumaquero. Be that as it may, and here they all agree, it is not advisable to abuse them.

“The light refreshments They should not be a food for daily consumption because, as I mentioned, they are ultra-processed, ”says Valeria Castillo. The fact that it has no calories does not mean that we should consume it daily. Soft drinks have components that in excess cause decalcification in the bones, damage to the teeth, etc. For daily consumption, I recommend natural infusions, such as green tea, black tea or berry tea, which are natural and help us to vary the flavor of the water ».

6. I come home from the gym, from a run or from a bike ride: Nestea or Aquarius?

One is advertised as “non-carbonated tea-based soda” and the other as “daily hydration.” However, the three specialists consulted advise against its consumption after a training, say, ‘normal’. “I do not recommend either of the two because you have not done a marathon,” says Pablo Zumaquero ironically, discarding his daily consumption beforehand. Aquarius is indeed a sports drink replacement, but it would be designed for long and intense workouts. We would be talking about an hour of intense running or an hour and a half of cycling at medium intensity. So nothing: neither Nestea nor Aquarius. Agüita and have dinner », he concludes.

“Natural water or water flavored with strawberry, pineapple, cucumber, pineapple or lemon slices”, Valeria Castillo proposes as alternatives to traditional soft drinks. «It can also be a mint lemonade or natural infusions. Another natural option is 100% natural coconut water with no added sugar. “