Fortified Margarine

Functional Food of the Month

Fortified margarines are made with either plant stanol or sterol esters. These products have very strong evidence to show that they can reduce the total and LDL cholesterol. They have been found to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine. Plant sterols can occur naturally in many foods including grains, fruits, nuts and vegetables while plant stanols are created by a chemical process. Both are found to be helpful in their ability to lower LDL (the bad) cholesterol. There is no effect on HDL (good) cholesterol. Research has shown that using a serving size of 1 tablespoon a day of fortified margarine (1.7 g of plant sterol) can lower LDL cholesterol by 10%.

Three reminders:

1. Increasing the dose by eating more margarine may not lower LDL even more
2. Portion control is important for weight control
3. Cooking, baking and sautéing does not interfere with the action of the plant sterols and stanols

Oven Roasted Potatoes

4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes Roast Time: 45 minutes

4 medium all-purpose potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled if desired, and cut into large chunks
1/3 cup fortified margarine
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves or ½ tsp. dries rosemary leaves crushed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. In large bowl, combine all ingredients. In a 13x 9-inch baking pan, arrange potato mixture. Roast, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden.

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