It's all in the Butter!

Literally.

I've been reading labels more and more lately.  Me and my cousin were shopping and I was thinking (although the plan is to cut butter out) I can use it sparingly.

NOTE: Links were pulled on 9/7/10.

Smart Balance Ingredients (approx 19 ingredients)
Smart Balance Original: Natural Oil Blend (palm fruit, soybean, fish, canola and olive oils), water, plant sterols; contains less than 2% of salt, sorbitan esters of fatty acids, monoglycerides of vegetable fatty acids, natural and artifical flavors, TBHQ (to preserve freshness), potassium sorbate, lactic acid, soy lecithin, vitamin B12, Vitamin E acetate, Vitamin B6, beta carotene (color), Vitamin A palmitate, calcium disodium EDTA, Vitamin D3.
   
Earth Balance Ingredients:  although it says Non-GMO, it' has stuff...and soy stuff. (approx 8 ingredients)
Earth Balance Original: Expeller-pressed natural oil blend (soybean, palm fruit, canola and olive), filtered water, pure salt, natural flavor (derived from corn, no msg, no alcohol, no gluten) soy protein, soy lecithin, lactic acid (non-dairy, derived from sugar beets), and naturally extracted annatto for color.  Contains soy.

Land O'Lakes Salted Butter:  (2 Ingredients)
Sweet Cream, Salt

Land O'Lakes Unsalted Butter: (2 Ingredients)
Sweet Cream, Natural Flavoring

Land O'Lakes Light Butter:  (approx 14 Ingredients)
Butter (Cream, Salt), Water, Food Starch-Modified, Contains Less Than 2% of Tapioca Maltodextrin, Salt, Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides, Lactic Acid, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (Preservatives), PGPR (emulsifier), Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavor, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene (color).

Kerrygold Ingredients
Kerrygold Salted Sweet Cream Butter: Pasteurized Cream, Salt (2 Ingredients)
Kerrygold Unsalted Butter: Cultured Pasteurized Cream (1 Ingredient)

This is kinda scary.  'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' doesn't show (from what I can view) any ingredients.  It says it's a blend of soybean and canola oils.  I even went to thier parent owner Unilever.
Wait, I found a picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdickert/2383258134/  It was taken on 4/2/2008 so
I'm not sure if they've changed their ingredients but here is what it's looking like:
Ingredients (from what I can read): (approx 14 Ingredients)
Water, Vegetable Oil blend (Liquid soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil), natural sweet cream buttermilk?, salt, gelatin, vegetable mono and diglycerides, natural soy lectin (potassium sorbate, calcium disodium EDTA) used to protect quality, lactic acid, natural and artificial flavors, Vitamin A (something?), Beta Carotene (for color).
Or you can check out wikipedia (9/7/10) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Can't_Believe_It's_Not_Butter!

IMHO, I will stick with Kerrygold. In the event I accidently pick Salted vs Unsalted I won't have to worry about having 'Natural Flavoring' in my butter.  What is Natural Flavoring? Isn't it all supposed to be natural?

Per the FDA, here is what Natural Flavoring consists of:  http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.22

 or you can read the GPO Access, National Archives and Records Adminstration's site.

Speaking of Additives and Preservatives

Here are some links to view what your truly putting into your body when eating processed food.

DYE and Health Effects: http://www.feingold.org/effects.html

Additives to Avoid: "E is for Additives" http://www.feingold.org/E-numbers.html

CNN's Common Food Additives (Chart shows Additive Name, Description, Used In, Purpose and Side Effects): http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/indepth.food/additives/table.html

Health Food Safety regarding Additives: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/health/foodsafety/az1082.html

Food Review: Chex

APB: If you see the Chocolate Chex....let me know. I want a box or two.  I can't find that flavor ANYWHERE!

My cousin found this at Safeway and was excited when I came home and said: "Look, Cuz, this cereal is GF!"  =)

I tried it and liked it.  I believe I should stay away from cereals that have

Honey Nut (love it) but I should be staying away from the ingrediants listed: Sugar, Brown Sugar Syrup.
Chocolate (mmm) and the Cinnamon both have: Sugar, Frutcose =(

All these cereals seem to have BHT added to it to preserve freshness.  (I just learned this a minute ago, while reading the ingrediants).  Umm...it says that is primarily used as an antioxidant food additive, which is also used in costmetics, pharmecuticals, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, electrical transformer oil and embalming fluid! Embaling fluid.  wow.  I'm preserving my internal organs a cell at a time aren't I? 

GOODNESS. well, this just killed my appetite for this. I will stick with my faithful Gorilla Munch.

06/09/2015 NOTE: I updated another post with information that chex will be working on removing BHT in their cereal!!!! http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/i8/General-Mills-Remove-Antioxidant-BHT.html