Butter, marg or in between? A dietitian’s guide to choosing the best supermarket spread

Whether you only ever use real butter, opt for a spread to help lower your cholesterol or search for the “lightest” option you can find, there are plenty of different spreads to choose from.

While the use of words such as polyunsaturated, plant sterols and palm oil-free may appear to make selecting a spread even more complicated, the reality is that many of the spreads available in supermarkets are fairly similar.

This means that when you’re deciding which spread is right for you, a lot comes down to your personal flavour preference, and the type of fat you prefer to add to your diet.

Keeping things simple: Butter

Whether you use a traditional softened butter block, or one of the few 100 per cent spreadable butter options, the main difference between 100 per cent butter and a blended spread is that butter has a higher percentage of fat overall, or roughly 80 per cent total fat, 53 per cent of which is saturated.

Often preferred by those who want their food minimally processed, the main downside is that a single 5g serve of butter will add close to 3g of saturated fat to the diet, a type of fat that we need very little of and has been linked to poorer heart health if overconsumed. If butter is your preferred spread, portion control is key.

The upside: A minimally processed option with a rich, creamy taste

The downside: High in overall fat and saturated fat; relatively expensive

NOTABLE MENTION:

Mainland Buttersoft Pure Butter Tub

One of the only 100 per cent spreadable butter options, although you will pay for the privilege, with this butter retailing for more than $10 a tub.

Not quite butter: Butter spreads

There are a number of spreads that are marketed based on their taste and likeness to butter, so you could be forgiven for thinking that you are indeed spreading butter on your toast.

It’s only when you take a closer look at the wording on the pack and the ingredient list that you realise you’re actually eating a blended spread, some of which is butter but also various vegetable oils.

Because vegetable oil is liquid at room temperature, blending it with butter creates a product that spreads easily, tastes better than margarine and contains less saturated fat than pure butter.

These blends typically have a lower total fat content of 60 to 70 per cent, with up to 30 per cent of that being saturated fat. However, because they are ultra-processed, they should still be used sparingly.

The upside: The taste of butter in a more user-friendly, spreadable option

The downside: More processed than butter, and contains blended vegetable oils

NOTABLE MENTION: Devondale Extra Soft Spreadable Butter. Fewer ingredients and a lower saturated fat content than other butter blends.

Vegetable oil-based spreads: Margarine

Considered a much healthier alternative to butter in the 𝄒80s and 𝄒90s, margarine became the spread of choice during this era due to its relatively low saturated fat content compared with butter.

A regular margarine spread, formulated with a base of blended vegetable oils, emulsifiers, colours and flavours, is between 60-70 per cent fat and less than 20 per cent saturated.

More refined processing techniques have now resulted in a number of “lighter” margarine options, which can contain as little as 40 per cent total fat, and 10-15 per cent saturated fat. Some products are also marketed as containing polyunsaturated fats (a type of fat found in plants) or having environmental credentials such as being free from palm oil.

The downside of lighter margarine is that a lower fat content usually means a more heavily processed product, packed with additives designed to mimic the appearance and flavour of real butter.

The upside: Light options can be relatively low in fat and calories

The downside: Ultimately, it’s still an ultra-processed food

NOTABLE MENTION: Nuttelex Light Buttery Spread. With less than 10 per cent saturated fat and 50 per cent total fat, this option has fewer ingredients than most blended spreads and one of the lowest saturated fat contents of all spreads available.

The healthy masquerade: Olive oil spread

You could be forgiven for seeing the words “olive oil” on the label and assuming that you are making a healthier choice.

It may come as a surprise to hear that not all olive oil spreads are as healthy or as rich in olive oil as you might think.

In fact, the average olive oil spread contains as little as 14-18 per cent olive oil, and some as low as 10 per cent, meaning that your healthier olive oil spread is pretty similar to other spreads made with a blended vegetable oil base.

The upside: Can offer a more positive ratio of fats

The downside: Relatively low in olive oil overall

NOTABLE MENTION: Sunnyvale – Olive Spread Classic. Offers the highest percentage of olive oil at 19 per cent but is largely still made with a base of blended vegetable oils.

The health halo: Cholesterol-lowering margarine

Margarines with added plant sterols that help to block cholesterol absorption in the body became popular in the 1990s, and are clinically proven to help lower cholesterol by as much as 10 per cent.

The downside? You have to add a decent whack of extra processed fat to the diet to get these benefits.

It could be argued that you are much better off getting your plant sterols from milk or oats, and leaving the ultra-processed and expensive margarines on the shelf, as they generally do not add much nutritionally to the diet.

The upside: Can lower cholesterol by 10 per cent

The downside: You need to eat a lot of processed food to get this result

NOTABLE MENTION: Flora Proactiv Cholesterol Lowering Margarine Spread Light. The lowest amount of fat and saturated fat of all the spreads and the added benefit of plant sterols to support cholesterol reduction.

Final thoughts

From a nutrient intake perspective, we need very little added fat from a spread in the diet as it doesn’t add anything positive nutritionally.

A much better option would be to get your added fats from natural sources such as nuts, seeds, avocado and extra virgin olive oil.

This means that if you are looking to add something to your toast, a small amount of commercial spread is not likely to have a significant effect on your nutritional intake overall. You are better off adding a small amount of the spread you like, whether that is butter or a lighter, blended option.

Personally, I move between 100 per cent butter, or a light option with just 40 per cent fat, and use it a couple of times a week, at most, with toast. I only ever use butter or extra virgin olive oil when cooking.