A Healthy Vegan Butter Substitute
Vegan Butter: The Healthy Alternative
Looking for a healthy vegan butter substitute can be challenging, because you have to watch out for certain ingredients that are actually not good for your health. If you’re trying to stay away from real butter because you’re a vegetarian, vegan or you want to live a healthier lifestyle, it’s important to know why vegan butter is sometimes better than the real thing and what your options include.
Health Benefits
Many vegan butters are the opposite of healthy, which is why you have to read the nutrition label and know what is good and what is bad. You want ones that don’t contain hydrogenated oils or trans fat. You also want ones made from 100 percent expeller-pressed oils, natural blends and without genetically modified materials.
The healthy ones help reduce your intake of bad fats, which results in reducing your high cholesterol levels. Remember, LDL is “bad” cholesterol that is associated with heart disease, and HDL is “good” cholesterol. When you have more HDL, it helps reduce the LDL. Trans fats play a part, because they increase the LDL. However, natural saturates raise both HDL and LDL and cause a balancing effect.
Another way that some of the vegan butters promote heart health is by incorporating Omega 3’s into their butter formula. These are essential fatty acids, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
If you have allergies to lactose, soy, gluten, nuts or canola, the right vegan butter can be a way for you to enjoy the taste of butter without having to feel awful afterwards. When you’re allergies are severe, you might have had to avoid butter all together, until now.
Products
Many vegetarian or vegan butters are available in health food stores and brand name grocery stores. It’s possible that they are stocked next to the real butter, or they might have their separate refrigerated section.
Some healthy vegan butters that you might want to try include: Dixie Diner’s Club Low Fat Butter (Not!), Earth Balance, Soy Garden, and Spectrum Spread.
When you’re doctor tells you to watch your cholesterol or that you may be prone to heart disease, try switching your dairy items for a healthier alternative. Even if you don’t already have high cholesterol, you can take preventative measures to ensure that your LDL levels stay low by starting a lifestyle change with vegan butter. You would be surprised at how good they taste!
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