Q: I love Earth Balance® Buttery Spread. But why don't you just call it "margarine?"
 A: For some really important reasons! For starters, Earth Balance® Buttery Spreads don't meet the official FDA definition of margarine because our products contain only 79% fat rather than the "not less than 80 percent fat" FDA definition. But more importantly, Earth Balance® Buttery Spreads don't contain the unhealthy hydrogenated oils, preservatives and emulsifiers found in most margarines and other butter alternatives. Our Buttery Spread is a natural, trans-fat free butter alternative with award winning flavor — it's beyond margarine!

 Q: What is the difference between Earth Balance® and Smart Balance® ?
 A: Earth Balance® is the all-natural division of Smart Balance, Inc. While most of our products contain the same patented blend of oils shown to improve the important cholesterol ratio that Smart Balance® uses, they're made with only natural, expeller-pressed oils. They are also non-GMO, and contain no artificial preservatives, flavors, colors or emulsifiers. Not only that, many of our products are also vegan, and all of them are gluten-free.

 Q: I thought palm oil was unhealthy. Why do you use it?
 A: We use only palm fruit oil, which is actually quite healthy. Like an avocado, palm fruit has two basic parts—the kernel (or seed) and the fruit, and oil can be derived from both. Palm kernel oil is high in lauric and myristic acids—these are the fatty acids also found in butter, that have been shown to raise LDL (or "bad") cholesterol levels in the blood. Palm kernel oil is about 90% saturated. However, oil derived from the palm fruit has much lower levels of lauric and myristic acids, and it's only about 45% saturated. It has many other beneficial qualities as well.

 Q: If Earth Balance® Natural Spreads aren't hydrogenated, how do they stay stable at room temperature?
 A: The patented oil blend we use at Earth Balance® is a careful combination of palm fruit, soy, and sometimes canola and olive oils. It's not only nutritionally beneficial, it's also naturally stable at room temperature (but please keep our buttery spreads refrigerated for best consistency and quality). Which means we don't have to resort to unnatural or unhealthy processes like hydrogenation and interesterification to give our spreads their buttery consistency.

 Q: What's the difference between all tubs of buttery spreads that you make?
 A: Let's start with what they all have in common: Each of our buttery spreads contains the same patented blend of expeller pressed, non GMO oils. All of them are vegan, gluten free and naturally free of trans-fat. But there are a lot of uses for butter alternatives, and so we set out to make products that were most convenient and in every other way, ideal for each of them.

 • Our Whipped Organic buttery spread, for example, is made with certified organic oils and whipped to improve spread-ability, even right out of your refrigerator.
• Our Olive Oil spread is also whipped for spread-ability, but we've replaced canola oil with olive oil for a hint of the savory flavor and goodness of extra virgin olive oil.
• Our Original Tub is the most versatile of our products. You can spread, cook, bake, sauté, basically use it any way you would use butter.
• Our Soy Garden® product contains olive oil as well, and has the additional benefit of ground soy beans to destabilize the emulsion and enhance flavor release. Soy Garden® is also free of canola oil, which makes it ideal for people who prefer a canola oil-free product.
• Our Vegan Buttery Sticks are made with a formula very much like that in our Original Tub, but in a format perfect for baking.

 Q: What's the story behind the proprietary blend of expeller-pressed oils in Earth Balance® Natural Spreads?
 A: In 1996 GFA Brands, Inc., the owner of the Earth Balance® brand, licensed the patented blend of vegetable oils developed at Brandeis University. Research at Brandeis has shown that consumption of this oil blend, combined with a sensible, low cholesterol diet and exercise, can reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. (We call this raising of the good (HDL) and decreasing of the bad (LDL) the "cholesterol ratio.") This is one thing that sets Earth Balance® apart; not only are we not bad for you (because we're non-hydrogenated), our formula has actually been shown to improve cholesterol levels. Another thing that makes us special is that award-winning Earth Balance® flavor. But you already knew that, didn't you?

 Q: What are the advantages of expeller-pressed oils?
 A: Oils that not specifically labeled "expeller pressed," "cold pressed" or "extra virgin" are often made by using harsh chemical solvents and/or extreme heat to separate the edible oil from the plant material. "Expeller pressed" means using only pressure to separate the oil from the plant material—a purer, natural way to extract the nutrients and flavor of the oil.

 Q: What are trans fats and why should I avoid them?
 A: When oils are hydrogenated, it means hydrogen atoms are added to fat molecules so they'll stay stable and harden at room temperature. "Trans fats" are oils that have been hydrogenated, and they've been widely linked to a number of health problems. At Earth Balance®, we use a naturally stable blend of palm fruit, soy and canola oils that do not require hydrogenation.

 Q: Why should I be concerned about GMO's?
 A: GMO stands for "genetically modified organism," which means cells whose genetic code has been enhanced or engineered in the laboratory. The future of genetic engineering may hold many benefits for humankind, including treatments for diseases like diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease. It may also hold many benefits in the field of agriculture that may help feed the expanding world population. On the other hand, many are concerned about the rampant use of engineered material in crops today, particularly in corn, soy and canola. Two issues are most often cited:

1. The genetic material is being released to the world's ecosystems through pollen drift and has not been properly tested outside of the laboratory. It's possible that this material could take hold in other plants with unintended consequences; and

2. Genetic varieties are often "owned" by corporations in the form of patent rights or other legal mechanisms. Objections have been raised to the "ownership" of genetic material. There is a growing movement supporting "open source" GMO technology so that the benefits (which are themselves in question) can be shared more widely across society.

At Earth Balance® we support the effort to require products produced from GMO seed stock to be labeled, so that consumers can make their decisions based on complete information. We source our raw materials from crops whose seed stock has not been genetically engineered.

 Q: Can I cook with all of these spreads, or are some better than others for certain things?
 A: You can cook with all of our spreads, but when it comes to baking, some are indeed better than others. For example, because the whipping process adds volume to them, our Organic Whipped and Olive Oil Spreads will not measure precisely. Instead, we recommend our natural Earth Balance® Original, Soy Garden® (or for ease of use and measuring, our Vegan Buttery Sticks and Butter Blends) for baking—any of them will do perfectly.

 Q: What are ALA Omega 3's and why do I need them?
 A: These are "essential" fatty acids. They're called "essential" because your body can't make them for you; you have to get them from food. ALA Omega 3 is an important building block for other Omega 3s (like DHA and EPA) that have been shown to have significant health benefits. For detailed information on Omega 3's, click here.

 Q: What's different about Earth Balance® Peanut Butter/Almond Butter and any other natural nut butter?
 A: First of all, you don't have to stir them, because we've added a blend of expeller-pressed oils that naturally work to keep our nut butters from separating. We also add a specially-processed, non-gritty flaxseed for the ALA Omega 3 content, and then add a touch of sweetness with natural agave syrup, a low glycemic sweetener. No other nut butter has this unique combination of taste and benefits.

 Q: And why is agave syrup better than sugar?
 A: Agave syrup (derived from a succulent plant native to northern Mexico and the Southwestern U.S) is naturally sweet, with a consistency like honey, but a much milder flavor. It has a pleasant, sweet taste, but it doesn't have a high glycemic index; which means it doesn't impact the body's blood sugar quickly, but instead provides sustained energy without the "spike." Find out more about agave syrup.

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