Butter vs Margarine. which is the healtier choice?

Question

i'm trying to figure out which is healthier. i think butter is because its natural but i'd like to know the truth!

Answer 1

I like the taste of butter. However, margarine usually tops butter when it comes to heart health.

Margarine is made from vegetable oils, so it contains no cholesterol. Margarine is also higher in "good" fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated — 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 — and some may even be worse than butter. Most margarines are processed using a method called hydrogenation, which adds unhealthy trans fats. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fats it contains — so stick margarines usually have more trans fats than do tub margarines. Like saturated fats, trans fats increase blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fats can lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol levels.

When choosing a margarine, try to find one with the lowest trans fat content possible and less than 3 grams total of saturated plus trans fats. Manufacturers are now required to list saturated and trans fats separately on food labels.

There are also spreads — such as Benecol and Take Control — that contain phytosterols, natural plant compounds that have been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 6 percent to 15 percent when eaten in recommended amounts.

Answer 2

Butter is because of the reason you stated.


Additional: Contrary to some beliefs held by people here, regular butter and margarine have the same fat content. Both of them are made up of 80% fat, with the remaining 20% being mostly water with some solids (whey and the like for butter). There are "lite" versions of both butter and margarine, these simply having water added to them to bring down the calorie content.

Answer 3

Butter is better. In fact, the words 'butter' and 'better' are so similar, that one might even say that the Benevolent Cosmic Forces - whom everyone knows are vastly superior to humans in all ways - were pointing the way to saturated-fat enlightenment by introducing the highly effective, but ever-so-subtle, 'better/butter" similarity. And, those whose ascended nature would permit them to recognize the pernicious planetary pointer placed pertinently perpendicular purporting plainly perceptive paths to milk-fat nirvana, could rejoice with a merry shout of "Hey-ho!", and indulge freely in the guilty pleasure that is butter.

Answer 4

pick the one you like and stick to it. neither is actually healthy, so its a catch 22. While butter is high in fat, margarine is high is trans fat which actually acts almost the same. it causes similar damage. If you like butter, use it n moderation, if you like margarine, use it moderation.

Answer 5

Neither is healthy. Butter is one hundred percent fat, with most of that fat the heart-clogging, cholesterol-raising saturated kind. Margarine is no better, since it's filled with hydrogenated fats.

But, if you simply had to use one of these, I would suggest you use butter because butter has no hydrogenated fats. But take it easy. No more than a tablespoon a day. Try replacing butter and margarine with a little olive or canola oil. Sesame and walnut oils have strong tastes if it's the taste you're after. If you're looking for something to cook with, sesame, olive, and canola oil hold up well, though I'm not sure about walnut oil.

Answer 6

Butter. Margarine is pretty much just melted plastic.

Answer 7

without a doubt, butter is better......margarine is one molecule away from being plastic. Your body does not know how to digest chemicals

Answer 8

butter wins hands down as many varieties of margarine contain trans fatty acids.

balancing out the saturated fat intake and the low density lipoproteins (LPL) associated with it is so easy. all you have to do is increase the unsaturated fat intake to up the intake of high density lipoproteins (HDL). the ratio of HDL:LDL is more important than the total cholesterol values.

"fat" doesn't kill only the artery clogging LPL does that...

Answer 9

Butter is 100% fat, but you could choose margarine with a percent less fat. I think margarine.Check the nutritional values and it will tell how much saturated fat it has or the percent.

Answer 10

Margarine is healthier because it's made of mono/polysaturated fats of coconut oil which is very healthy, but less or non-fattening. But, if in your place you see a fortified butter (as in fortified with minerals and vitamins like margarine), then I think you'd be fine.