Margarine vs. Butter- Which is Healthier??

Posted on Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 2:06

Our small-town newspaper, the Cisco Press, actually ran a rather interesting article this week.    I've always heard that butter is healthier than margarine, but I was pretty surprised to find out some of the facts!

• Both margarine and butter have the same amount of calories.  Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.
• Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter.
• Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.  Because it is a natural product, butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has only a few.
• Margarine is very high in Trans Fatty Acids, increases the "bad" cholesteral, lowers the "good" cholesteral, actually increases the risk of cancer, lowers the quality of breast milk, and decreases immune response in the body!!!
• Here is the most amazing fact: Margarine is just one molecule away from being PLASTIC!! 
• Try this yourself: purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or a shaded area.  Within a few days of you will note several things: no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something!)... it does not rot or smell differently... because it has no nutritional value, nothing will grow in it... even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not find a home to grow.  Why?  Because it is nearly plastic!  Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast??

Well, I guess our margarine days are over!!  I stopped using other hydronated products (such as shortening and peanut butter, unless it's natural), and use margarine only sparingly.  After reading this article, I believe I'll just stick with good old butter!!  Read more to find out why butter really is better!

~Kristy~

www.homemakerscottage.com  

You said:

Posted by Scarecrow on Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 4:04 - Link

"Here is the most amazing fact: Margarine is just one molecule away from being PLASTIC!! "

Hello.
I would like to say that one molecule can, and does make a world of difference. Take water (H2O) for instance, add one more oxygen atom and you now have peroxide. (H2O2)

I agree that Margarine isn't the best of choices a person could make, then again, I always wonder who is funding the study to get those figures and facts?

Thanks for the information, it leaves no Margarine for error. LOL
~Randy

Untitled Comment

Posted by gokings13 on Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 7:46 - Link

Butter, is God made.
Margarine is man made.

God is Perfect.
Man is flawed.

God created us and loves us.
Man loves our money and himself.

The choice seems simple enough to me!!
Butter it is!!
Laura

Hi

Posted by SuperHorseSteader on Monday, October 22, 2007 at 1:27 - Link

This was a great post. So good that I have used this post in The Homesteading Carnival #21: A Little Bit of Everything Edition-http://www.homesteadblogger.com/SuperHorseSteader/73582/
Please stop by and have a look at this week's carnival!!
As Always,
Amanda

I agree!

Posted by Anna S on Monday, October 22, 2007 at 10:23 - Link

Natural is better - that's a thumb rule that rarely goes wrong!!

Reply

Posted by naturalmama on Monday, October 22, 2007 at 10:29 - Link

Hi Randy-

Here is the original source for the article: http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/margarine.html

How true that many differing and contradicting studies are out there, all claiming to be "experts" on health! My rule of thumb is this: If it's a natural product, then it is generally more healthy than man-made products.

Thanks for commenting,
Kristy

butter

Posted by Isabella on Monday, October 22, 2007 at 11:13 - Link

I am making gradual changes in our family. I finished making cloth napkins. I tested them out and they went over well. I am going to start only buying butter. I have been thinking about it for a while. Thanks for the encouragement. I

I'm totally with you on this one.

Posted by MissionaryMom on Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 1:39 - Link

Margarine is just gross. The whole reason they tout it to us is that it is more heart healthy...well that just doesn't stand any longer. I don't use plastic much either.

Carol

BUTTER!

Posted by Crystal on Friday, November 2, 2007 at 1:00 - Link

I've had this battle with my mom for ages. I've always understood butter to be better, I've relayed all those facts to her and still may parents by margarine.
I totally use butter as much as possible, but it's also pretty expensive. I buy my butter at Costco, so it isn't raw (which would be even better) But sometimes I end up resorting to butter spreads. Basically they're part butter, part oil. I try to only get canola oil. I think the worst part about how people get sucked into eating what's offered them instead of thinking about what they're putting into them is because of price. I know my father-in-law talks about when his family started to get margarine instead of butter that it helped lighten the load of the grocery bill, but then at what cost.
The other thing I'd mention is when you're just putting something on toast it almost hardly matters, but for most recipes, especially baking, you pretty much have to use butter for things to turn out right. I think if butter where commonplace again you'd have so many more people being more confident as bakers, at least I know once I figured that out, my baking improved tremendously.

I came across your blog because another blog I read posted about your cookbooks! They look great! I'm going to ask my hubby to get them for me for Christmas.

We're currently writing our own cookbook, kind of a family traditions cook book, so they aren't the healthiest things around (though some are). We're writing it to raise funds for our adoption costs.

I've been working on this thing for almost half a year, how do you put out one each month? I guess some of it is size. If I broke mine up into smaller sections I might get a monthly thing out of it.

Sorry to go on and on, I'm addicted to good cookbooks, so I always get excited to see other bloggers writing books too!

Take care,
Crystal at www.getright.org/blog