Low Fat Spreads - Tried and Tasted
Whilst seeking out the latest low fat products it's very easy to overlook the little everyday items that can take a big chunk of your calorie quota. In the first of some taste tests for food basics, the team cover some low fat spreads.
Remember, the Tried and Tasted Team don’t know which product is which, so there’s no bias involved!
| Product | Flora Pro-Activ | Anchor Lighter Spreadable | I Can't Believe It's Not Butter |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Ranking | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Taste/Texture | A nice, subtle flavour and no unpleasant mouth-feel. Aside from any health benefits this is a great lower fat option even though you may be able to taste that it's a 'light' version. | A 25% reduction in calories but still manages to retain most of its buttery taste; if only as an aftertaste for some. Feels fairly light but slightly greasy. | A couple of flavours reported here; both sweet and salty yet not especially buttery. Good but no-one really believing in it. |
| Calorie Content per Serving | 32 (per 10g serving) | 54 (per 10g serving) | 44 (per 7g serving) |
| Product | Vitalite | Marks & Spencer Reduced Fat Olive Spread | Lurpak Lighter Spreadable |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Ranking | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Taste/Texture | Nice and creamy. No oily aftertaste yet slightly artificial and gungy for some of the team. | Mixed reactions here with some praising the fresh, olive flavour and others detecting a waxy, chemically taste. | Lurpak: yes, though little of the flavour has been preserved. Lighter: A 25% reduction in calories and fat. Spreadable: Probably the least spreadable in this test. |
| Calorie Content per Serving | 35 (per 7g sachet) | 54 (per 10g serving) | 54 (per 10g serving) |
| Product | Asda You'd Butter Believe It! Light | Tesco Healthy Living Enriched Sunflower Spread | St Ivel Gold Extra Light |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Ranking | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Taste/Texture | The only strong feelings expressed here were unfavourable ones. Not as flavoursome as the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter above. | Not a popular choice. A vaguely sweet buttery taste and a waxy, filmy feeling in the mouth. | It's a shame the lowest calorie spread came in last though not too far behind. Creamy and fairly inoffensive though a bit too thin and oily. |
| Calorie Content per Serving | 35 (per 10g serving) | 35 (per 10g serving) | 13 (per 7g serving) |
Not much of a range in opinions and scores yet there could be some calorie savings to be made if switching from one to another.
The difficulty and vagaries in describing the feelings of a group toward any of these spreads highlight two things. Mainly that choosing a particular spread depends on the tastes, and often just the habits, of the individual. Also this may be an ideal opportunity to switch to a lower calorie alternative and to use thinner and thinner spreadings to reduce your calorie intake without really noticing.
Calories in Food
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