Smart Balance products

Smiller264 · 01-05-2010, 01:01 AM

Do you use them? If so, how much do you like them? I've been using the butter for awhile now and saw they recently came out with a peanut butter and a cooking spray. The cooking spray is supposed to be 0 calories for 1/3 or 1/2 spray time. I cook a lot and normally use extra virgin olive oil, but I'm pondering switching.

CLCSC145 · 01-05-2010, 01:45 AM

I use their light mayo. It's good stuff.

Sara81 · 01-05-2010, 02:17 AM

I have used their margarine/butter substitute for years. I like it. I have also used their butter spray and use it to add some flavor to my air popped popcorn. It's low in calories and very flavorful. I didn't know they had a peanut butter... I'm going to have to check that out!

weightlosswanted · 01-05-2010, 02:47 AM

I use their oil when I'm not in the mood for olive oil, I like it : )

HotWings · 01-05-2010, 02:54 AM

I have used the butter and like it, but it is not very spreadable. I switched to I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light. I did try the Smart Balance peanut butter. I found that it wasn't nearly as flavorful as regular peanut butter. The only way I could eat it was to add a touch of splenda. The peanut butter I have found that I really like is the Jif Reduced Fat Crunchy. I have to be careful with it, though.. I found out that peanut butter is kind of a trigger food for me - If I eat even a little taste I want a peanut butter sandwich.. and then another.. and then another..

I wish I could banish it from my house, but my daughter loves it. I have not tried the cooking spray yet. I will have to look for it. I use extra virgin olive oil, too.

Thighs Be Gone · 01-05-2010, 03:00 AM

I have used it and I like it. I also like 5 calorie Smart Squeeze.

Have you ever used PB2? It is a powdered peanut butter with 50 calories a serving rather than 200. It is made by a company called Bell Plantation and they will even deliver it to you.

HotWings · 01-05-2010, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thighs Be Gone

I have used it and I like it. I also like 5 calorie Smart Squeeze.

Have you ever used PB2? It is a powdered peanut butter with 50 calories a serving rather than 200. It is made by a company called Bell Plantation and they will even deliver it to you.

Hey I have heard of that and even did a little online research on it. The reviews seem vastly different - people either really like it or really hate it. How do you think it compares to regular peanut butters?

Smiller264 · 01-05-2010, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HotWings

I did try the Smart Balance peanut butter. I found that it wasn't nearly as flavorful as regular peanut butter.

By regular do you mean the well known brands or the all natural organic peanut butter? I think the Smart Balance brand a good mix between the sweet well known peanut butter brands and the all natural ones which tend to be a little salty. I've been trying to find a peanut butter that I really like that's not too bad for me. The one I won't ever touch again is the Peter Pan brand. It tastes like eating grainy sugar.

I've never even heard of a powered peanut butter. Does it mix well?

meandmyself · 01-05-2010, 08:27 PM

I use the Smart Balance butter blend. Its the compromise I use to get my BF to reduce his butter consumption. He can't tell the difference and I find it to taste great. I dont know that I have baked with it like butter but I do cook with it and it does well.

Cyrano · 01-06-2010, 10:01 PM

Extra Virgin oil is the best. i do not recommend using Smart Balance products, those are highly processed food. Of course, they claim this and that healthy and all that stuff.
Read between the lines, they use a food preservative called TBHQ.

TBHQ is the acronym used to describe tertiary butylhydroquinone, which is an antioxidant that comes from petroleum and is related to butane. It is often used as a preservative, applied either to the carton of fast food items or sprayed directly onto them, as well as in various other prepackaged food items

Consuming up to a gram of TBHQ can cause variable toxicity, and up to 5 grams can be fatal.

In toxicity studies, long-term, high-dose TBHQ administration in lab animals showed a tendency for them to develop cancerous precursors in the stomach, as well as causing DNA damage.

There has been some anecdotal evidence that TBHQ can cause anxiety, restlessness, and aggravation of ADHD symptoms for children.

To sum up, it is a highly processed fat with a lot of chemicals. Just stay away.

Bombe · 01-10-2010, 04:31 PM

The only smart balance product I've used is the cooking spray which I use to cook anything that goes in my cast iron pan on the stove top. It works well (as far as non-stick) and has no flavor that I've detected so I like it.

nelie · 01-10-2010, 04:56 PM

I think it is the same company that makes Earth Balance? When a recipe has called for it, I've used Earth balance. It is non hydrogenated, non-gmo and has few ingredients. My only issue is that it usually rots in my fridge because other than recipes where it is needed, I don't use butter-like substances. I much prefer olive oil.

chickybird · 01-13-2010, 10:05 PM

I just got my PB2 in the mail and ate some. Not bad! It mixed well, with the normal texture. I bought it off amazon, and was pleased!

ennay · 01-13-2010, 10:40 PM

I used to use smart balance "butter" and I still have some in my fridge, but I dont use it any more as I am moving away from all fake foods whenever possible. If I need a fat I use olive oil or butter.

I wont use the sprays because the stuff they usually use in cooking sprays ruins non stick pans. I use about a tsp of olive oil in my omelettes instead.