in kilojoules, fat and salt,” she says. A good
health yardstick is 500 milligrams of salt,
less than 50 grams of carbohydrates and less
than three grams of fats per 100 grams, she
says. While spreads can contribute some
nutrition, they’re rarely nutritious enough
to stand alone. “I don’t often recommend
having toast and spreads for breakfast,” says
McGrice. “If you are going with Vegemite
toast without an egg or avocado, add a glass
of milk and piece of fruit for dairy and fibre.
Alternatively, consider turning avocado or
banana into a spread by mashing to kill two
birds with one stone.”
BUTTER AND MARGE
BUTTER
GOOD: Low carb
BAD: Saturated fat; high salt; high in total fat
PORTION GUIDE: A serving of butter
is about five to 10 grams, or roughly a
rounded teaspoon.
According to the Australian Heart
Foundation, butter is around 50 per cent
saturated fat and four per cent trans fat.
Australian butter is usually more yellow
in colour and higher in vitamin A than
European butter because the cows are
grass fed.
PURE BUTTER
Butter is essentially milk fat and made by
churning fermented cream or milk to extract
the butterfat. Pure butter is the stuff that’s
sold in blocks or pats, and the ingredients
are usually listed as cream, water and salt.CULTURED BUTTER
Is the same as pure butter, except lactic acid
is used to ferment or sour the cream, giving
the product a slightly acidic flavour, so some
packaging for cultured butter might include
lactic acid on the ingredient list.SPREADABLE BUTTER
These butters are not pure butters but
‘blends’, meaning they have oils (often either
canola oil or vegetable oil) added to make
them easier to spread on your toast. Usually
they contain around 20 to 30 per cent oil.
Butter blends are lower in saturated fat than
pure butters.MARGARINE
GOOD: Low carb; good fats
BAD: High salt; high in fat
PORTION GUIDE: A serving size of
margarine is five to 25 grams. It’s
essentially solidified oil, and is lower in
saturated fat than butter.
Margarine often has ‘flavours’
added, as well as beta-carotene (found
in carrots, pumpkin etc.) for a more
yellow colour.AUSTRALIAN MARGARINE
According to the Australian Heart
Foundation, Australian margarine
contains less trans fats than margarine
made in the USA, as they no longer
permit hydrogenation, a chemical
process where oils are converted into
semi-solid fats. Instead they are made
using esterification, where oils are
combined with other ingredients such
as milk, water, salt and lecithin (found in
egg yolk) to create a virtually trans-fat-
free solid.‘LOWER CHOLESTEROL’
Not all margarines can lower cholesterol;
products that actually lower cholesterol
contain plant sterols. You have to have
at least two grams of plant sterols
(around 25 grams of a cholesterol-
lowering spread) a day to reduce
cholesterol levels.JUDGMENT
“Butter might be higher in saturated and
trans fats, but it’s seen as a more ‘natural’
product than margarine. So what you
choose will depend on what’s important
in your diet,” says McGrice.SWAP
“Avocado is a great natural alternative
to butter or margarine that is high in
good fats. For a more balanced meal,
you can add low-fat feta or eggs and
fresh tomato.”JAM AND FRUIT
PRESERVES
GOOD: Low fat; low salt
BAD: High carb; added sugar
PORTION GUIDE: The
second most popular spread
in Australia according to
Roy Morgan Research, jamis made by heating fruit and
sugar; sometimes pectin is
added as a gelling agent.
The traditional fruit to
sugar ratio in jams is 1:1.
In Australia, to qualifyas ‘jam’, a product needs
to contain at least 40 per
cent fruit.
A serving size of jam
is around 20 grams or
one tablespoon.