Spread is not yet quite a familiar thing for Russian housewives. It is actively bought in stores, but still it is not clear that it is either light butter, or delicious margarine … Neither one nor the other, of course, is not true. Spread is a special food product that has both beneficial properties and contraindications.
The spread is not butter or margarine. The first is produced on the basis of animal milk fat, the second is based on vegetable fats, and the spread is a combined product. It is usually very soft, has a delicate texture and is ideal for baking and spreading on sandwiches.
A bit of history
In the 90s of the last century, a product called "soft butter" appeared in Russia. This butter was cheaper than regular butter, so consumers rushed to buy it en masse. At the same time, a deep crisis in agriculture began, there was not enough raw materials for the production of butter, and this caused an increase in the production of spreads, but, in addition, massive falsifications of butter. It was much inferior to the usual quality, caused health problems and multiple poisoning. In fact, it was a poor quality margarine with a huge amount of cheap additives. Eventually, this led to the ingrained opinion in society that "soft butter is very harmful." Therefore, in 2003, GOST was introduced, standardizing the production of spreads and butter. However, the spreads had already been severely discredited by that time.
What are the spreads?
By composition, there are three types of spreads:
- butter-vegetable - the proportion of milk fats in them is more than 50%, that is, in composition they are more close to butter.
- vegetable-creamy - the proportion of milk fats ranges from 15 to 49%
- vegetable and fatty ones - almost do not contain milk fats, that is, in terms of composition, they are, in fact, margarine.
The word "spread" comes from the English to spread - "to spread". In English-speaking countries, this is the name for any product that can be spread on bread.
According to GOST, the word “oil” should not be present on the packaging of the spread. The color of the spread ranges from white to light yellow, and the cut surface should appear dry and shiny.
Choose spreads in the store that meet GOST.
The benefits and harms of spreads
The reduced content of milk fats contributes to the fact that the spread in comparison with butter contains much less cholesterol, in addition, the spreads are enriched with phytosterols and vitamins A and D. Compared to butter, spreads contain much less saturated fatty acids, but in terms of the content of unsaturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated they greatly benefit.
The spread is much better than butter for those who follow their figure - it is a low-calorie product, while the calorie content of butter is about 700 calories per 100 g.
But there is also a downside. Artificial trans fats are used in the production of spreads. In moderation, they are not dangerous, but in high doses, they can worsen the condition of the walls of the arteries. This can lead to diseases such as diabetes, heart problems and even cancer. Therefore, when choosing a spread, pay attention to the composition: trans fat should be no more than 8%.
