Fabulous Food Finds: Earth Balance Spread

Butter vs. margarine- which to choose…it’s been debated for years, why? Here’s the scoop… Butter is all natural but is high in saturated fat- the artery clogging fat which is linked to heart disease, cancer , etc.  It also contains dietary cholesterol as well. Margarine used to contain trans fats, man-made fats that have equally harmful effects.  Fortunately all the backlash against trans fats has led many food companies to minimize or remove them completely from their products, so most margarines are trans fatty acid free now. Most margarines have 1-3 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon, in contrast to butter which has 7 grams/ tablespoon, more than twice as much! So what’s the next catch? Margarines are not natural- and contain chemicals like preservatives, colorings and flavorings.  In my quest to use more healthy, REAL wholesome foods I discovered EarthBalance Spread.  As stated on the companies website “All of our products are 100% plant-based, vegan, non-GMO, lactose-free, gluten-free, egg-free, casein-free, have 0g of trans fat and, oh, did we mention they’re absolutely delicious? Because they are. At Earth Balance^®, taste is king, and that’s a commitment we live by every single day. …To put it simply: We use only natural ingredients. We’re organic-minded.”  

Earth balance is all natural, has no cholesterol/trans fats, is low in saturated fat, tastes delicious, works great in baking and cooking (even the tub varieties) and keeps much longer than butter.  The ingredient list is very un-intimidating too! I promise that I am not being paid by the company to write this, I just like the product and want to spread the word (no pun intended!)  Try it in my white Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie and Carrot Cake recipes.