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Which is healthier, butter or margarine?
Posted: May 9, 2011
There is this ongoing debate in my house, which is healthier, butter or margarine. Half of the family thinks it is margarine and half thinks it is butter. Anyone out there that can answer this question? TIA
;
That depends (sm) - MyT_WannyMT
[ In Reply To ..]Per Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/butter-vs-margarine/AN00835
The Mayo Clinic is slightly better than most - DebraK
[ In Reply To ..]when it comes to health (as opposed to disease) care. But as long as med students don't have thorough training in the Kreb's cycle, food chemistry, and physiology (instead of pharmacology) they will dish out the same bad advice that's been making people sick for decades.
Butter vs margarine - FL MLS
[ In Reply To ..]I guess it will probable be a debate for many more years. An article below from a doctor at Mayo Clinic
Which spread is better for my heart ΓΆ€” butter or margarine?
Margarine is made from vegetable oils, so it contains no cholesterol. Margarine is also higher in "good" fats ΓΆ€” polyunsaturated and monounsaturated ΓΆ€” than butter is. These types of fat help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol, when substituted for saturated fat. Butter, on the other hand, is made from animal fat, so it contains cholesterol and high levels of saturated fat.
But not all margarines are created equal ΓΆ€” and some may even be worse than butter. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fat it contains ΓΆ€” so stick margarines usually have more trans fat than do tub margarines. Like saturated fat, trans fat increases blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fat can lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol levels. Spreads such as Benecol and Promise Activ are fortified with plant stanols and sterols, which can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels.
When selecting a spread, be sure to check the Nutrition Facts panel and pay particular attention to the grams of saturated fat and trans fat. Look for products that have the lowest combined amount. Also, look for products with a low percent Daily Value for cholesterol.
If you don't like the taste of margarine or don't want to give up butter completely, consider using whipped or light butter. Or look for products that are a blend of butter and olive or canola oil. Per serving, these products have less fat and calories than regular butter does. The important thing is to use them sparingly.
Many of the marketed "good fats" - DebraK
[ In Reply To ..]have been processed, refined, bleached, deodorized with hexane, and are hydrogenated. Any vitamins in margarine are synthetic and more likely to cause inflammation than the natural nutrients found in butter. There is nothing good about margarine. A little bit of butter will not raised your lipoproteins (of which there are several), which are not cholesterol but are carrier molecules of cholesterol, which is a vital substance in the body.
Butter - by a mile - DebraK
[ In Reply To ..]Research in the 60's which was never substantiated, made butter bad. A lot of the research was supported by the vegetable oil industry. Margarine, with its chemicals, synthetic vitamins and trans-fats, is just one food stuff that has contributed to inflammatory disease and obesity. Fat doesn't make you fat, and butter won't either.
From my food chemistry notes:
Butter contains:
*the most easily absorbable form of Vitamin A necessary for thyroid and adrenal health.
* lecithin, essential for cholesterol metabolism.
*anti-oxidants that protect against free radical damage.
*anti-oxidants that protect against weakening arteries.
*vitamins E and K.
*lots of the vital mineral selenium.
*saturated fats that anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties.
*conjugated linoleic acid, which is a potent anti-cancer agent, muscle builder, and immunity booster
*vitamin D found in butter that is essential to absorption of calcium.
*iodine in highly absorbable form.
*Arachidonic Acid (AA) which plays a role in brain function and is a vital component of cell membranes.
TY! I can't give up my butter! Grew up on margarine and hated it. - not the OP
[ In Reply To ..]and disliked it after tasting butter. Broke my heart with the bad news about it but still couldn't give it up. I'm glad to read some good news about butter for a change.
I'm convinced the more natural a product is, the better. - Kicker
[ In Reply To ..]List the ingredients of homemade butter:
Sweet cream and salt, maybe yellow dye for coloring because real homemade butter is actually white and we've been conditioned by manufacturers to want "butter yellow."
You can even make it at home. Take a glass mason jar, add a wooden old style clothes pin (the kind without metal) pour in the cream, and shake shake shake. You don't need the clothespin but it helps to absorb any extra water.
After a good workout, you'll have a nice ball o' butta!
Like everything in life, enjoy in moderation. It USED to be expensive and hard to come by, so people used very little of it (even fresh raw milk was only delivered in quart containers, now families go through a gallon or more a day with kids). We are so used to excess everything and have to recondition ourselves.
:)
Totally agree. Except cows - DebraK
[ In Reply To ..]that are grass-fed do produce cream that will yield yellow butter. Cultured "organic" butter can be found, which has naturally occurring probiotics like those found in yogurt - a little pricier but a little goes a long way.
Getting harder to get raw milk. Did you see the news lately? - Backwards Typist
[ In Reply To ..]The government has been doing "stings" on Amish farmers who sell raw milk and arresting them!
Our tax dollars at work!
BTW, I used to make my butter in a blender. Since I could no longer get raw milk from the local farmer, I bought day old cream (the stuff dairies would pick back up from the stores)from the local dairy at half price. That was back in the '70s. Now I can't even get that, so it's back to buying butter. :-(
policing what we eat - Shirl
[ In Reply To ..]Butter, since it's more natural IMHO. But moderation is really the key when it comes down to it.
I HATE that there are getting to be so many laws regarding selling non-processed foods. If someone wants to buy raw milk, they probably know the possible dangers they're facing and are willing to chance some diarrhea. What about people, my DH included, who will grab a chunk of raw ground sirloin and eat it, or sushi. Will we have to eventually buy all of our meat pre-cooked to "save" us from any potential food-borne ailments?
Yes - totally disgusted by this. - DebraK
[ In Reply To ..]You can stll get cultured butter from nonraw milk which has the enzymes. We have some sources of raw here - we leave the money on the porch and know where the fridge is in the barn. The connection was word-of-mouth via my cooking school.
I buy raw milk from a farm known as Your Family Cow - in PA
[ In Reply To ..]I worry that raw milk will eventually be outlawed in PA one day. What are the details about the raids on the Amish farms? Was it due to safe handling violations? I want raw milk, but I also want it collected and held properly to avoid contamination.
That's the thing - the lawmakers focus on - DebraK
[ In Reply To ..]the minority of filthy farmers and raid everyone. They should be looking at their own USDA inspected filthy disgusting factory farms.
Nail on head DebraK!! Bravo! - Hayseed
[ In Reply To ..]Our government is the biggest criminal of all. Control the food supply and you control the masses.
Great Topic! I'm always fighting (with myself) about that one - Linda Andrews
[ In Reply To ..]You hit a topic near and dear to my heart, literally. I have all versions in my refrigerator right now. One month I'll think butter is the only way to go. Next time it's Brummel and Brown spread, which it happens to be right now until one of you reminds me why I shouldn't be eating it, and then sometimes I think that Smart Balance is the only way to go, among half a dozen margarines, etc.
I think you'll probably get 3 different answers if you ask 3 different doctors. They don't know.
Somebody, please, figure it out for me! :)
Doctors get little or no coursework in med - DebraK
[ In Reply To ..]school. Even the big nutrition schools are funded by the food biz. I attended a conference at NYU School of Nutrition and one of the speakers confided in the audience stating that they cannot teach what is scientific because they will lose funding from Kraft Foods. So - a carb is a carb, all fat is bad and calories in/calories out is still much of what is taught. If they cared about food, hospital food wouldn't be what it is.
Butter - margarine is hydrogenated oil - nm
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