If you're following a heart-healthy diet, you have probably asked whether you should use butter or margarine as the healthier choice. The answer may surprise you.

The answer is neither--because they both bring unhealthy elements to your diet! Butter has saturated fats and margarine has trans fats. When you put all the numbers together the combined amount of saturated fat and trans fat) and cholesterol for butter is usually higher than margarine, even though some margarines contain more trans fat than butter.

It gets confusing! Fortunately, there's another heart-healthy option. Try the buttery-flavor spreads that contain canola or olive oil. With names like Smart Balance, they're truly the best choice from that perspective. Often, because they're not actually butter, these spreads don't melt well when spread on toast or baked potatoes. When that's the case, look for spray-type containers or nonfat buttery-flavored cooking sprays.

Published 06/03/09