The Smart Choice Wins Our Spread Test
“Nutrition” may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel.
But with March being National Nutrition Month, we decided to enlist the panel’s help in tackling the hot nutritional topic of the day: trans fats.
Recent studies suggest trans fats formed when liquid vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated to make them solid, as in margarines can be even worse for the heart than the saturated fat found in butter.
New spreads are showing up in stores, boasting that they’re free of trans fats. But the big question is, how do they taste?
We served three brands, all of which claim to resemble butter, to panel members. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the winner was the one with the most saturated fat: Smart Balance, which contains palm oil, a previous nutritional pariah.
But the label says Smart Balance is based on a blend of oils devised by Brandeis University researchers to maximize good cholesterol levels and minimize bad cholesterol. And the total amount of saturated fat - 2.5 grams per tablespoon - is about the same as regular margarine, which also contains trans fats as well.
Finishing a distant second was Brummel & Brown, a Lipton product made with both yogurt and soybean oil (a small amount of which is partially hydrogenated, but so little that it can technically claim to be trans fat free). An even more distant third was Spectrum, a pricey, canola-based health-store spread with an off-putting flavor and pudding-like texture.
Continuing our healthy theme, we also offered panel members a trio of Vitamin C-rich, infection-fighting cranberry juices, including Northland - which claims to be superior because it contains no corn syrup, although nutritionists say there’s no real difference between that and the additional grape and apple juices Northland uses instead.
Because we couldn’t find a plain Northland cranberry cocktail, we had to compare cranberry/raspberry blends, which didn’t particularly please panelists to begin with.
And whatever its nutritional merits, the brownish Northland, which looked and tasted like apple juice, scored the lowest for flavor. Market leader Ocean Spray was the winner, followed by Langers, which various panel members deemed either too tart or too sweet.
Then again, “unanimity” is never the first word that comes to mind when we think of the reader food panel.
Smart Balance Soft Spread
Price: $1.65 for 1 pound.
Nutrition: 80 calories (100 percent fat calories); 90 milligrams sodium in 1 tablespoon.
Taste: ***
Value: ***
Comments: “Colored like the real stuff! Tastes like the ‘right stuff’! Mouth feel/texture is good.” - Eileen Bakken
“Looks and feels more like real butter but fake flavor predominates.” - Karen Buck
Brummel & Brown Spread
Price: $1.49 for 1 pound.
Nutrition: 50 calories (100 percent fat calories); 95 milligrams sodium in 1 tablespoon.
Taste: **
Value: **
Comments: “Looks and smells more like butter. Different idea, putting yogurt into a margarine. Good value.” - Ann Finke
“This margarine has average taste, but the artificial butter flavor lingers.” - Beth Kowal
Spectrum Naturals Spread
Price: $1.91 for 10 ounces.
Nutrition: 80 calories (100 percent fat calories); 55 milligrams sodium in 1 tablespoon.
Taste: *
Value: *
Comments: “Looks funny, tastes funny, barely edible.” - Helen Span
“Butter is a better buy. Butter tastes better. Butter is better.” - Bob Bates
Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry Juice
Price: $3.39 for 2 quarts.
Nutrition: 140 calories (no fat); 35 milligrams sodium in 1 cup.
Taste: ***
Value: ***
Comments: “Would you like some cranberries with your raspberries? Minimal cranberry flavor.” - Beth Kowal
“Tart, but not as tart as most cranberry drinks. A perfect blend of cranberry and raspberry.” - Ann Finke
Langers Raspberry Cranberry Juice Cocktail
Price: $3.29 for 2 quarts.
Nutrition: 150 calories (no fat); 10 milligrams sodium in 1 cup.
Taste: ***
Value: ***
Comments: “Real tart. Strong aftertaste. Strong … strong … strong.” - Mark Barrett
“Too sweet. Doesn’t taste like 100 percent juice. More like Kool-Aid.” - Bob Bates
Northland Cranberry Raspberry Juice
Price: $3.29 for 2 quarts.
Nutrition: 130 calories (no fat); 20 milligrams sodium in 1 cup.
Taste: **
Value: ***
Comments: “Can you say ‘apple juice’? When I want cranberry flavor, I want cranberries!” - Eileen Bakken
“Blah taste - did they forget the cranberry? (Or did they drop one in and stir it around?)” - Beverly Smick
Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are prepared according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated from one to five stars for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.
, DataTimes