Is Margarine Really Better For You Than Butter?

For as long as I can remember, margarine has been considered to be more heart healthy than butter. Because margarine is made from unsaturated vegetable oils, it was presumed that margarine must be healthier than butter, which contains a lot of fat and cholesterol. As it turns out, that assumption has been wrong. Research has shown that some types of margarine, mainly the hard stick forms, are actually worse for your heart than butter. This is because they contain large amounts of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils.

The results of a Nurses Health Study done in 1993 found that women who ate four teaspoons of a stick margarine per day had a 50 percent increased chance of getting heart disease than women who rarely ate margarine.

So, the question remains, which is better for you, butter or margarine? The fact is, it’s better to skip both whenever possible and use a healthier oil alternative, such as olive oil or canola oil. Instead of spreading your bread with butter or margarine, try dipping it in a little olive oil. If you want that buttery taste, you can flavor your oil with a little bit of butter to give it that flavor boost.

If you have to use margarine, choose a soft margarine that is made from healthy oils.

Butter, however, is a more natural food that is virtually unprocessed, especially organic varieties. Although butter is higher in saturated fats, it also contains essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants that promote longevity, hormone balance, heart health, good vision and healthy skin, especially if you are using cultured raw butter.

Like anything else, butter should be consumed in moderation. But in my opinion, butter is healthier than margarine. Even though all the vitamins and antioxidants can be added to margarine that occur naturally in butter, I prefer the unprocessed butter, both for taste and versatility.

Sources:

Intake of trans fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease among women. Lancet. 1993

The Soft Science of Dietary Fat, Science Magazine, March 2001

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