# convince me not to buy margarine...what about olivio?



## smellyann82 (Feb 6, 2006)

our budget is super tight, and dh's cholesterol is pretty high. i like to use butter but it is expensive and high in cholesterol...give me some reasons to keep using it.

what about olivio spread? we've been using this for toast and really like it...any reason not to use it, especially on a low-cholesterol diet and on an extremely tight budget?


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## timneh_mom (Jun 13, 2005)

I don't know what's in Olivio offhand, but if you see "hydrogenated" anywhere on the label, I'd be skeptical...

One thing you can do that makes a really yummy spread, is to soften up some butter, and add your own olive oil, blend the two together really well. It's SO good on warm bread!


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## Severine (Nov 5, 2005)

Have you read Nourishing Traditions? I'm in the middle of reading it now, but it makes some valid arguments about how things like margarine are actually the cause of modern diseases and that butter does not cause cholesterol issues.

If you're looking for a spread though, the only thing I could recommend is what Liz posted - butter mixed with olive oil. Try to get a butter that's from grass-fed cows, or at least a cultured butter.


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## Jasmyn's Mum (May 24, 2004)

I make ghee out of butter. It's easy. Just time-consuming. It doesn't have as much cholesterol or lactose cause you seperate the milk from the fat.

If Olivio has hydrogenated anything in it, I wouldn't touch it.


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## TwinMom (Dec 27, 2001)

Have you tried Earth Balance? I can find it at WF and my Kroger just started carrying it, but NOT with the other butters and spreads. It's with the soymilk and tofu and vegetarian meat alternatives. It's non-hydrogenated, vegan, and tastes amazing!


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## Chicharronita (Oct 8, 2006)

Don't worry, butter is fine! A good quality one can be expensive, though. Sometimes Cosco sells grass-fed butter at a good price. Dunno about lately, because I've not renewed my membership in over a year. I wouldn't use any margarine made with vegetable oil, as the oils go rancid easily. I'd use an iffy butter over margarine any day, don't care how "organic" the soybean oil is.

If you'd like to read some reassuring things about cholesterol, here's a few sites:

http://cholesterol-and-health.com/

Articles written by a pre-med student who already has a published paper.

http://www.thincs.org/

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics

http://spiked-online.co.uk/Articles/0000000CAE78.htm

"The Great Cholesterol Myth" by Malcolm Kendrick.

_Nourishing Traditions_ is a good resource. I also like _The Great Cholesterol Con_. Gary Taubes is in the process of having the 2,000 or so references in his forthcoming book, _A Big Fat Lie_, checked for accuracy. It ought to be a good one, and hopefully available at the library when it does get published.


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## captain optimism (Jan 2, 2003)

Hydrogenated fat is not better for the cholesterol level than saturated fat, and there have been several studies that have shown that transfatty acids in hydrogenated fat are toxic. (They've all made the mainstream press, you can google for them.) So most kinds of margarine will not help cholesterol, even if they are relatively low in saturated fat, because of the TFAs.

If you don't mind dairy products, probably your best bet is to cut butter with olive oil. There seems to be almost universal agreement that olive oil is a healthful fat. I like the Earth Balance margarine which is not hydrogenated and is vegan, but I don't know how to evaluate their claims that the product doesn't raise LDLs. I also don't know how expensive the stuff is compared to butter.


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## vegan_mama (Jan 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *captain optimism* 
I like the Earth Balance margarine which is not hydrogenated and is vegan, but I don't know how to evaluate their claims that the product doesn't raise LDLs.

I looooove Earth Balance







. . .and anyone that i have had try it switches easily. . .it's so yummy that the switch will be easy!

worth trying!

------------------------------
~p


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## cjr (Dec 2, 2003)

Margarine is one molecule away from plastic. That is how my FIL got turned off of it. Hygrogenated or not, it is not good for you. It's best to stick with butter. We also use Earthbalance, but I still don't believe it's better for you than butter. Butter is natural. Cholesterol isn't just caused by foods and there are foods that can help reduce cholesterol, like real oats. Maybe butter in moderation will be enough?


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## tinuviel_k (Apr 29, 2004)

Quote:

Margarine is one molecule away from plastic.
Well, water is one molecule away from being hydrogen peroxide, but that's not going to stop me from drinking it...







:

That being said, margerine is most definitly NOT GOOD for your body. I used it all the time when I was growing up, but have been margerine-free for the past 10 years. Even the smell of it now turnes my stomach a little.

We generally use butter for things like toast, in mashed potatoes...anything where a real "buttery" flavor is called for. In baked recipes that call for butter (cookies, cakes, etc) I often substitute mild flavored unrefined oils, like grapeseed oil, or use a natural "shortening" like palm oil or coconut oil. I also use a lot of olive oil in cooking.

I don't use Earth balance myself because I love butter, but one of my good friends does, and he absolutely loves it.


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## saratc (May 13, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *smellyann82* 
our budget is super tight, and dh's cholesterol is pretty high. i like to use butter but it is expensive and high in cholesterol...give me some reasons to keep using it.

I agree with pp that butter is a good fat that you should stick with.

There's been studies done that shows that high cholesterol itself is not an indicator of a higher risk of heart disease. Make sure your DH's doctor gives him the breakdown of HDL's, LDL's and triglycerides. Without the breakdown, just the cholesterol number doesn't mean anything. The HDL ratio to the other fats is a better indicator of health. Also be careful about mainstream telling you what is considered high cholesterol. Even if you were to believe that the overall cholesterol number is useful, the borderline number for high cholesterol has been creeping down over the past years so each year, more people are being diagnosed with high cholesterol. This means good things for the makers of cholesterol medicine, who shall remain nameless.


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## BusyMommy (Nov 20, 2001)

Do you shop at CostCo? They have relatively cheap organic butter.


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