Bottom line: Olive, canola and safflower oils are healthier choices overall than butter and most margarines. Use them as replacements for butter and margarine in most of your cooking, but watch the amounts – those fat calories can add up fast.
02/4Butter
Butter comprises of saturated fats in the form of milk protein and butter fat. These fats are heart healthy fats in comparison to poly-unsaturated fats in oils, which are unwanted fats.
Nuttelex is virtually free from trans fats at 0.4% or lower. Nuttelex also contains 65% or less saturated fat than butter. In addition, Nuttelex is made with vegetable oils. Vegetable oils contain higher content of the good fats (monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat) and are lower in saturated fat.
Margarine often tops butter when it comes to heart health. Margarine is a blend of oils that are mostly unsaturated fat.
Heart-healthy oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, and sunflower oils contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Flora has less saturated fat than butter. All around the world, health experts recommend that you should reduce your intake of saturated fats and eat more 'good fats' that is, Omega 3 and 6, which help to maintain normal cholesterol levels. Flora is made with nutritious seed oils that are packed with Omega 3 and 6.
Butter certainly works for fried eggs, but oil is the fat of choice for cooks who want a runny yolk with a satisfying crispy white. Extra-virgin olive oil is most popular, and yields a satisfyingly crunchy bottom that will soak up luscious flavor.
Some types of fat are healthier for your heart than others. Butter and other animal fats and solid margarine may not be the best choices. Alternatives to consider are liquid vegetable oil, such as olive oil.
You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit.
Butter has a lower heat tolerance than most oils. Butter contains milk solids in addition to fat, and those solids can burn at a high temperature. If you're planning to pan-sear or use another high-heat technique, try clarifying your butter before cooking.
What about substituting oil for butter? Depending on the type of oil, it can add complex flavor and welcome moisture to your baked goods. A good rule of thumb is to replace about 3/4 of the butter in a recipe with olive, canola, or vegetable oil (if the recipe calls for 1 cup butter, use ¾ cup oil).
Canola oil has zero cholesterol. High oleic canola oil has a high smoke point of 475 deg F, while refined canola oil's smoke point is 400.
Saturated fats in oils should also be taken into account because they can raise cholesterol levels. For instance, saturated fats found in coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil may raise levels of so-called "bad" cholesterol.
In short, butter beats vegetable oil because butter is a “whole, fresh food” and vegetable oil is not, says Ken Immer, president and chief culinary officer of Culinary Health Solutions. However, he points out that butter contains heart-unhealthy “bad” cholesterol, while vegetable oil does not.
While plant-based fats are considered more heart-healthy than animal fats, canola oil is generally believed to be a healthier option because it is lower in saturated fat than vegetable oil.
Not all fats or cooking oils are unhealthy. In fact, in their natural and unrefined state, fats can be healthy. When possible, Shanahan recommends avoiding or limiting these eight oils: corn, canola, cottonseed, soy, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, and rice bran oils, which may lead to inflammation over time.
Heart-healthy oils like safflower oil and rice bran oil are perfect because they can withstand frying temperatures of almost 500° F. You can also look to peanut oil and sunflower oil if you're frying at 450° F, or canola oil and vegetable oil to keep temperatures around 400° F.
1. Avocado. Give cheese on toast a miss and instead use sliced or mashed avocado to top wholegrain toast or crumpets. This quick snack is rich in unsaturated, rather than saturated, fats.