This is really an opinion piece that includes my favorite recommendations for lower fat buttery spreads. These are a great alternative to the one and only real butter. I love real butter too. I just want to watch my calories on some occasions. When I do indulge in the real thing, I buy ONLY organic butter that is salted.

Not only does organic salted butter have a far superior flavor, in my opinion, to non-organic butter.  It also does not contain the high amount of toxins that the non organic stuff does. Why does butter that is not organic have toxins?

Well, any fatty part of an animal, including their milk byproducts, act as a sort of magnet for toxins in the body. The same goes for humans. Many of the toxins we take in via our environment and our food go straight to our fat stores.  They can also leach into human breast milk, as evidenced by the massive amounts of things like parabens and other toxins found in female breast milk.

So, it is best to choose organic.  Now, let’s get to our picks for the best buttery low fat spreads.  First and foremost, I like the line of Earth Balance butter spreads. They offer vegan solutions to butter. My favorite is the olive oil spread. It is vegan, and it really still tastes like butter.

Their spreads have a rich buttery flavor that makes you feel like you’re eating the real thing.  They contain about 20 less calories than real butter per serving. Sure, it’s not as much of a fat and calorie savings as some lower fat versions, but what it lacks in calorie restriction, it makes up for with rich flavor and great spreadability.

Another, which doesn’t have hardly any flavor but is great on calories is Land ‘o Lakes low fat buttery spread. This one is really dry and hard to spread. It also doesn’t have much flavor in my opinion, but it works if you’re looking for something very low fat and low cal.

I guess when I’m looking for lower fat options, I’m also looking heavily at flavor. Sometimes these low fat items really don’t help that much because you have to slather so much on to even get any flavor.  Sometimes, if you choose the ones with a little more fat and calories, it works itself out because you don’t have to use a lot!

My husband and I are pretty stoked about our increasing experimentation in to the world of seafood and healthy eating. Of course, lots of times, as with any other inherently healthy food, the temptation to load it up with butter, salt and batter is always there. However, there are plenty of seafood dishes that you can prepare both deliciously and healthfully.

Many white fishes that contain a little bit of fat, like flounder, sea bass, mahi mahi and others that are mild in flavor actually contain a fat that is beneficial to your body.  They do have a little bit of dietary fat, this is true. However, the fat they contain is omega 3 fatty acids, which are incredibly useful when you are trying to maintain or cut weight.

Why is this? First of all, they help to lend a youthful and healthful glow to your skin, hair and nails.  Second, they help the brain the feel fuller, sooner. This is why things like tuna sandwiches are often so filling and satisfying long after they are eaten. These types of fats are abundant in several types of fish, and they all make us feel full sooner than a meal that does not contain these fatty acids.

Omega 3 fats are also implicated in improved heart and circulatory health.  They are best consumed through eating them as food. So fish is one of the best meat sources of these precious acids.  Scallops are a very low fat and low calorie dish that is often passed over because it is thought to be more caloric and fattening due to its rich flavor.

Sea scallops taste like crab meat if they are cooked right. If they are overcooked, they can taste rubbery. If they are burnt, you won’t even taste their slightly sweet flavor, so it’s important to cook them properly. They can be prepared in a tiny amount of healthy oil like coconut oil, olive oil or another healthful vegetable oil of your choice.

They can be cooked in a tiny amount of butter as well. They don’t need much when seasoned properly. They are kind of delicate tasting, and seem like a non diet food, so they’re a fun one to eat if you’re watching your diet and you’re a seafood lover.

Lemon pepper seasoning is one of my favorites for seasoning fish without adding any fat to it. I also love a good dill seasoing, maybe just dill weed with a little bit of lemon and sea salt. You can prepare fish and seafood to taste wonderful without adding too much fat by broiling it as well. This way, the fat falls down into the broiler tray and you are left with the pure protein.

Breakfast is a very important meal. At least it is for me. What I eat for breakfast tends to dictate what the rest of the day is going to look like for me as it comes to my diet and how healthy I’m going to be. So, if I start off with say a 400 calories, deliciously dense and chewy bagel with absolutely no fiber, topped off with melted butter clocking in at another 100-200 calories, I’ve essentially eaten an “empty” and high calorie breakfast.

In order to qualify as healthy, hearty and starting the day right, a breakfast needs to show qualities of a certain caliber. First off, it should be high in fiber, but not that processed fake fiber that you find in cereals and “nutrition” bars.  That stuff tends to do only one thing – give you gas.

I’m talking about real fiber, from real food. Foods like whole grains, perhaps from a hot cereal like steal cut oats or  hearty yet unsweetened granola mix with fibrous whole grains and raw nuts, something to that effect.

Some walnuts added to anything will add not only a healthy dose of fiber, but also an excellent dose of omega 3 fatty acids, which not only help to regulate your bowels and coat your tummy but also to help send those full signals to the brain and keep it feeling full for hours.

You could eat a steaming bowl of steal cut oats, or perhaps some organic greek yogurt, topped off with some fiber-filled granola and fibrous and omega 3 filled nuts, like walnuts or almonds – whole and raw of course – none of this fried or processed stuff.

Another great idea is to take a cooked sweet poatato, which is loaded with fiber and vitamins, including beta carotene, cube it, and fry it up in a tiny bit of coconut oil with some onions. Not only is it delicious, but it is fiber filled and also chock full of vitamins and minerals.  Minimally cook it, and you’ll get the full benefit of all the vitamins and minerals. 

If you live near a Whole Foods or another health food market, they may have an all natural bakery where you can pick up a healthy bagel that is truly whole grains and minimally processed. You could add some low fat hummus to it and some bean sprouts and have yourself a healthy bagel sandwich for breakfast.

It’s kind of hard sometimes to find a snack that is not only easy and quick, but also that is healthy, will balance your blood sugar rather than raising and then subsequently crashing it, and will actually taste good and satisfy your hunger without eating too much of it.

That’s quite a tall order, but I’ve been around and have been trying to either lose weight or maintain my weight long enough to know that there are some foods that I can definitely eat that fit the bill for all of the above.

The trick for me in snacking is to not get so hungry that I will just eat anything you put in front of me. A cupcake, the afternoon snacks like donuts and bagels and so forth that your office may put out, and things like that. These types of snacks may taste wonderful going in, but they will not keep you satisfied very long, and your blood sugar will surely go crashing in the next few hours.

One of my favorite and easiest snacks that is not loaded with unhealthy refined carbs, and actually has some fiber as well, is hummus and cucumbers. I like to either eat that, or eat the hummus with tomatoes. It’s easy to keep a couple chopped up cukes on hand, tomatoes, and when tomatoes and cukes are in season, this is pure heaven.

You should try to choose a hummus that is lower in fat and calories. Some of them have a ton of added oil, and that adds a lot of fat and a lot of calories.  I’ve found some store brands at the grocery store I shop at (Giant Eagle), and it’s the lowest  calorie, and tastiest, one I can find.

Another good snack is celery and peanut butter. You can make this a totally prepared snack by putting the peanut butter in the center and cutting it up. It’s a ready made, crunch and salty/sweet snack that won’t kill you on calories as long as you go a little light on the peanut butter, and it will stabilize your blood sugar til your next meal.

I’ve found these turkey sticks as well that are pretty good. They only have about 40 calories for a whole stick, and they are really tasty. These are not turkey jerkey, but more like a summer sausage. They are protein, so they stick with you, although not as well as the more fibrous celery and hummus snack.

Coconut oil often gets a bad first reaction from people because they automatically assume that since it is a fat, it’s gotta be bad for you and it’s gotta add pounds to your bottom line. While it is true that even with the healthiest fats, one must watch their intake, and as with everything else, moderation is key, coconut oil is in fact excellent for you.

It has so many nutritious properties, and it also happens to be one of the healthiest oils to cook in because it’s nutritional properties remain fairly stable at higher temperatures, unlike a lot of other healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil.  It is wonderful for vegan recipes as well.

Coconut oil is also DELICIOUS to cook with. It maintains an oily texture that not a lot of other oils do. It doesn’t just completely absorb into your foods and disappear, making them dry and tasteless. Instead, it sticks to your food, giving it an oily texture that tastes absolutely delicious. 

I have a recipe that some may consider “fattening” but in fact I could eat it every day for breakfast in moderation and probably not gain any weight.  Why? Because it contains potatoes, which are a resistent starch. Resistent starches actually retard the release of the insulin raising carbs they contain into your blood stream, so they are a little better for you than say, something like pasta, which releases sugar into the blood almost instantly, and sets the stage for the shaky hungers mere hours after they are consumed.

Potatoes stick with you a little more.  And when cooked in coconut oil, they really stick with you longer, I’ve found. Without further ado, here is my gingery potatoes in coconut oil recipe.

Start off with five medium fully baked red skin potatoes (good for the fiber and vitamins in the skins).  Keep the skins on. Cube the potatoes.  Put about one Tablespoon of virgin, organic coconut oil, which is solid, in the frying pan.

At this point you may add a teaspoon of powedered ginger, or a little more fresh ground ginger to the pan.  Also you may add diced red onions and some seasoned salt for extra flavor.  I like to also put a dash of garlic powder or fresh ground garlic in too, as I love the flavor of garlic, and it has many wonderful health properties.

Add your diced potatoes, and fry them at medium heat until they are coated in the wonderful, scented, flavorful coconut oil. Enjoy!  You can add some diced tomatoes for extra antioxidants as well!