Don't let the fear of trans fats in margarine lure you to the butter dish. Butter contains far more artery-clogging fat than margarine. Many of the tub margarines and spreads now available contain little or no trans fats. Check the label to be sure that liquid oil is the first ingredient. A tub margarine is usually a better choice than stick margarine.
Oil is oil.
Whether it's palm oil or canola, one tablespoon packs about 120 calories and 14 grams of fat. When it comes to choosing an oil, canola runs a close race with olive oil. Olive oil has a bit more monounsaturated fat than canola, but canola oil is the lowest in saturated fat. Less is better. That's the bottom line when it comes to deciding how much fat or oil you should eat.