If you think it's butter, but it's not, it's likely a butter substitute. Butter substitutes can be a good alternative, with less fat and fewer calories -- but shop carefully.
You want to avoid ones that have trans fat, which is more damaging to the heart and body than saturated fat.
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Consumer Reports evaluated 15 butter substitutes for taste, texture, and nutrition.
Blue Bonnet is one of the cheapest, but Blue Bonnet 53 percent vegetable oil spread was also the lowest rated.
Instead, try top-rated Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil, which Consumer Reports rated excellent. Sensory panelists described it as tasting just like whipped butter, and it has less saturated fat. It's also missing that movie-popcorn, fake-butter flavor that you can find in other butter alternatives.
While you do have the benefit of less saturated fat because of the canola oil, each tablespoon has 100 calories and 11 grams of fat, the same as butter.
Want a butter alternative with fewer calories and fat, along with less saturated fat? Two rated very good: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light Spread and Brummel & Brown 35 percent Vegetable Oil Spread made with nonfat yogurt. Each has only 45 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving. Either would be a tasty alternative to butter.
It's important to note that all three of the butter substitutes that did well in Consumer Reports' tests do not contain trans fats
