Which is 'better' for your health - butter or margarine?
Let's understand more about both butter and margarine in here, then
see what conclusion we can derive from it! 
BUTTER vs
MARGARINE
BUTTER
* contains dietary cholesterol and saturated fat, both of which
will raise blood cholesterol levels;
* it is recommended that healthy persons consume no more than 200
mgs cholesterol per day, and one tablespoon of butter alone
contains 33 mgs of cholesterol;
* saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are found
largely in red meat, high-fat dairy products (like butter) as well
as coconut and palm oils. When eaten in excess, saturated fats
increase the ''bad''; cholesterol (LDL) as well as the ''good''
cholesterol (HDL). Despite the fact that saturated fats raise good
cholesterol, they don’t raise it enough for us to warrant you
eating it. Saturated fat intakes are associated with increases in
heart-disease risk. A healthy range of saturated fat is 10-15 grams
each day. Just one tablespoon of butter contains over 7 grams of
saturated fat;
* Butter is an excellent source of fat-soluble vitamins such as
vitamin A, D, E and K. These are not found to any degree in
margarine. The vitamin content of butter varies seasonally,
depending on the diet of the animals from which it is
derived.
* Dr. Weston Price identified a factor in butter that is essential
for proper growth and development of the bone structure. He called
it 'activator X' and wrote about it in his book, Nutrition and
Physical Degeneration. Dr. Price was able to reverse severe tooth
decay in children by feeding them one meal a day of highly
nutritious food - including butter.
MARGARINE
* does not contain dietary cholesterol as it is not an animal
product;
* contains trans fat, largely a man-made fat, which is formed when
hydrogen is added to vegetable oils, making the oil more solid and
less likely to spoil. (This process is called hydrogenation or
partial hydrogenation and allows stick margarine to be firm at room
temperature.) Trans fats have been shown to increase the ''bad''
cholesterol (LDL) similarly to saturated fats, and they tend to
lower the ''healthy'' (HDL) cholesterol when eaten in large
amounts. What's more, trans fats may make our blood platelets
stickier. While no standard intakes of trans fat have been set, one
tablespoon of stick margarine packs a whopping 3 grams of trans fat
and 2 grams saturated fat(!!);
* Research shows that trans-fatty acids increase inflammation in
the body. This can worsen illnesses such as colitis and
arthritis;
* Margarine begins as chemically-extracted, refined vegetable oil.
This is a poor quality product to begin with. The high temperature
needed to produce margarine destroys any vitamin E, and perhaps
other nutrients left in the oil.
Recommendations :
- Use canola or olive oil instead of butter or margarine.
- Choose soft margarine (tub/liquid) over harder stick forms.
- Choose margarines with liquid vegetable oil as the first
ingredient.
- Even better, choose "light" margarines that list water as the
first ingredient, because these are even lower in saturated
fat.
- If you have high cholesterol, talk to your doctor about using
margarines made from plant sterols or stanols. These substances,
made from soybean and pine tree oils, can help lower your LDL
cholesterol by as much as 6% to 15%.
Limit :
- Margarines, shortening, and cooking oils that have more than 2
grams of saturated fat per tablespoon.
- "Hydrogenated" and "partially-hydrogenated" fats (read
ingredients on food labels) because these are high in saturated
fats and trans-fatty acids.
- Coconut, palm, and palm kernal oils because they are very high in
saturated fat.
- Shortening or other fats made from animal sources.
SUMMARY :
* The Cleveland Clinic, A.D.A.M. Healthcare Centre, Mayo Clinic and
the University of Maryland Medical Centre, and Dr Koop.com
recommends margarine (the trans-free tub or liquid kinds) over
butter.
* Dr Wilson.com recommends butter over margarine.
Sources :
The Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular
Institute
Mayo Clinic.com
A.D.A.M. Healthcare Ctr
University of Maryland Medical Centre
Dr Wilson.com
Dr Koop.com
