Butter vs. Margarine

[Bokons]

I would like to know if butter or non-hydrogenated margarine is more healthy. I remember learning in school that they have the same amount of calories, so I mainly want to know which is healthier overall. We used to eat only butter, then got margarine, then switched to non-hydrogenated margarine. We still use butter once in a while, but if butter really is better for you, then, I'd like to start just buying butter again.

 

 

Thanks!

 

Colleen

[Laura R (FL)]

Personally, I choose to use food that is close to a natural state. I use butter in moderation. I like the taste, I like to cook with it, and I think it's healthier. I'm not really into what *they* think because they change their minds a lot, LOL!

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I just looked at my butter, the ingredients are sweet cream and salt, and it has %8 of the RDA of Vitamin A. The amount of fat calories is the same as margarine. It tastes %100 percent better than margarine.

 

What are the ingredients in your margarine? Does it have any nutrients?

 

The only "negative" is cholesterol. If my health was such that I needed to lower my cholesterol, I would drastically decrease my intake of butter, but I would not start using margarine instead. Butter or margarine are not essentials.

[KS_]

I'm for butter - I'd rather have something that's natural and "real" than a man made substitute.

[Lady Katherine]

Butter. In moderation, of course.

[Leta]

Butter is better. It is, however, expensive.

 

If you are going to eat margarine, never buy the kind in the stick form- that has more hydrogenation than the tub kind.

 

The best kinds of margarine are Smart Balance and Promise, as they have no cholesterol (unlike butter) and no trans fat (which raises LDL way more than natural dietary cholesterol).

 

Also, here is recipe to make your own trans fat free margarine, which is a good option to save money and a decent option, healthwise.

[Cindy in FL.]

Butter here. We just try not to overdo it.

 

Cindy

[Joanne]

The best kinds of margarine are Smart Balance and Promise, as they have no cholesterol (unlike butter) and no trans fat (which raises LDL way more than natural dietary cholesterol).

 

Butter. And I don't believe that butter is an issue with cholesterol. More accurately, I don't believe dietary cholesterol to be a risk factor in heart disease.

[Leta]

I think that dietary cholesterol can be an issue in CVD, but that you REALLY have to be overdoing it, LOL. And some people (like, um, me, *coughcough*) have a hard time doing reasonable portions with butter because it's just so darn tasty.

 

So even though I think butter is better, due to expense and portion issues, I think there is a place for products like Smart Balance and Promise.

[Frankie]

For me personally, butter is not healthier.

 

This past fall, I switched from butter to Smart Balance. My cholesterol dropped from 210 to 168. I do not eat a lot of butter/Smart Balance at all -- I just have issues with my lipids.

 

Butter sure tastes better, though.

[Sue G in PA]

We don't use margarine b/c it is "man-made". Butter is very good for you, esp. if it is organic and is made with the milk of grass-fed cows. :) Of course, that kind of butter is rather expensive and hard to find. We use it in moderation anyway and substitue coconut oil a bunch (for popcorn, cooking, toast, etc.) My general rule of thumb is what others have already said: the closer to natural the better!

[JFSinIL]

Butter is better :-) just in moderation, like chocolate and ice cream :001_smile:

[KS_]

Butter. And I don't believe that butter is an issue with cholesterol. More accurately, I don't believe dietary cholesterol to be a risk factor in heart disease.

 

I agree - I have done some research on this and have always thought that it was the transfats that were the issue (years before everything started heading towards going transfat free). A good book on it is The Cholesterol Myths.

[Ellie]

For me personally, butter is not healthier.

 

This past fall, I switched from butter to Smart Balance. My cholesterol dropped from 210 to 168. I do not eat a lot of butter/Smart Balance at all -- I just have issues with my lipids.

 

Butter sure tastes better, though.

 

Isn't it strange how our bodies are all so different? After following a low fat "healthy" diet for about 6 months, my cholesterol was over 300. I went back to Atkins, and in two months my total cholesterol dropped 100 points, while my good cholesterol was over 70 (average is 30).

 

So in our house, it's butter (although I don't use it that much); in fact, it's Plugra butter only, which is pricey.

[PinkInTheBlue]

Butter here! That list of ingredients in margarine or anything else scares me. ;)

[mull-berry-ish]

I've been perusing the Hillbilly Housewife site (the site opens to an advertisement but you can click and bypass it) and you can find her take on the butter/margerine issue here. You will need to scroll down more than halfway to the section called "Notes About a Few Ingredients." It is the second point. HTH

[Bokons]

I think we will be going back to using mainly butter but in moderation.

 

Colleen

[Andie]

Butter here. We just try not to overdo it.

 

Cindy

 

:iagree:

[Tracy in Ky]

Butter, butter, butter. And we overdo it:lol:

 

I also use coconut oil and olive oil.

 

I hope to have lard if we can manage to raise a hog this year.

[E_Edgerton]

Butter...I agree with some of the previous posts...it takes only one look at the ingredients to make my decision.

[Philothea]

I have a friend who is a chemist and she told us that margarine is only one molecule in its chemical make-up from being plastic.

 

That was enough for me never to eat it again.

[Peri]

For me personally, butter is not healthier.

 

This past fall, I switched from butter to Smart Balance. My cholesterol dropped from 210 to 168. I do not eat a lot of butter/Smart Balance at all -- I just have issues with my lipids.

 

Butter sure tastes better, though.

 

 

I've been using Lano O Lakes light butter. It has no hydrogenated oils and honest to god I don't taste a difference.

[pixelroper]

no can do margarine :tongue_smilie:

 

Butter-- and really I use olive oil more than anything

[Sandy in Indy]

I have a friend who is a chemist and she told us that margarine is only one molecule in its chemical make-up from being plastic.

 

That was enough for me never to eat it again.

 

Oh, ick!

 

Butter here. I'm convinced that it's better for your body than margarine. We try to be conservative in its use, but I don't really worry about it too much. (And we do have cholesterol issues in our house, but butter doesn't seem to negatively influence the numbers.)

[newsong]

Butter and olive oil here.

 

One molecule from plastic? Ugh! That's right up there with white bread containing plaster of Paris!

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I would like to know if butter or non-hydrogenated margarine is more healthy. I remember learning in school that they have the same amount of calories, so I mainly want to know which is healthier overall. We used to eat only butter, then got margarine, then switched to non-hydrogenated margarine. We still use butter once in a while, but if butter really is better for you, then, I'd like to start just buying butter again.

 

 

Thanks!

 

Colleen

 

Butter is made from cream, and margarine is made in a lab. I don't mind my shampoo being made in a lab, but if I have to eat something, not so much, KWIM? I'll take butter.

[Colleen]

nt

[RedHen6]

I grew up with margarine, but we use butter all the time now. My dh said he didn't want to eat anything with the same ingredients as plastic! :-)

[Gretchen in NJ]

Butter. And I don't believe that butter is an issue with cholesterol. More accurately, I don't believe dietary cholesterol to be a risk factor in heart disease.

 

:iagree: We use raw butter here. We also use olive oil, coconut oil, and a very little lard. I tried lard in my pie crust once. It was just like grandma's. It had a wonderfully flakey texture, but we were not used to the taste.

 

Gretchen

[ShelzNH]

then fakie stufff is probably your best bet. Otherwise I would just use butter but use it less. What I find is that with margerine in the house I use less because it just doesn't taste as good but if real butter is in the house I have a hard time saying no to some yummy bread or popcorn slathered in the stuff....mmm...now I am hungry

[tiffanyl]

Personally, I choose to use food that is close to a natural state. I use butter in moderation. I like the taste, I like to cook with it, and I think it's healthier. I'm not really into what *they* think because they change their minds a lot, LOL!

 

:iagree: Couldn't have said it better :)

[beansprouts]

Hydrogenated oil is awful stuff which should have never been approved for human consumption. What they do is take unsaturated oil and bombard it with hydrogen so it will remain solid at room temperature. The result is an unstable fat molecule. But your body doesn't know the difference between this artificial fat and the real thing. So this artificial, unstable fat molecule is absorbed and incorporated into the cell walls of our bodies, the fatty myelin layer that develops around children's neurons, and the cells that program our immune systems. As a result we have higher cancer rates, and heart disease, our skin is a mess and autoimmune diseases are at epidemic levels.

 

Stick with butter, olive oil, coconut oil, for cooking and supplement with flax and cod liver oil for good measure ;)

[Mom4Jesus]

I've heard from most health professionals butter is better, but really better than both of those would be flax seed oil, you could google that debate and search for research on that at google.com just type in butter vs. margarine.

[Mom4Jesus]

ps, I like to use flax seed oil (you can even get the liquid with cinnamon flavor) on toast, but then use butter for baking, then extra virgin olive oil for cooking

[Peek a Boo]

I have a friend who is a chemist and she told us that margarine is only one molecule in its chemical make-up from being plastic.

 

That was enough for me never to eat it again.

 

 

ya know, I've heard that argument a few times, but it really puzzles me: in the molecular world, one molecule is a HUGE difference. I mean, helium and hydrogen are only one PROTON away from being the same, but they act completely different. Same w/ our dna: "we're >THAT CLOSE< to being apes!! or fish even!!" But we know that such minute differences are pretty significant. Oxygen vs Carbon Dioxide.

 

http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/butter.asp

 

and yeah, flies won't eat margarine. I believe it. But flies eat crap, so I'm not gonna base my dietary decisions off a fly's diet, lol. Honey doesn't rot or spoil either --it just solidifies if the water evaporates. "not rotting/spoiling" isn't an indication of whether something is good for you. But i do agree there are other issues to consider. i just wish the discussions would revolve around REAL merits and not irrelevant ones.

 

and i know that for some people, the hydrogenated fats can be horrible. My dh is a smart balance guy. I use butter for baking. We use margarine for almost everything else cuz it's WAY cheaper, doesn't bother us health-wise, and *I* think it tastes better :)

 

and if i save money on buying margarine instead of butter, i have enough for cokes too ;)

 

but healthier "overall"? probably regular butter for most people following a sensible diet and exercise plan.

 

and beansprouts...

"As a result we have higher cancer rates, and heart disease, our skin is a mess and autoimmune diseases are at epidemic levels."

 

I thought these things were caused by vaccinations? or cooking w/ plastic? or pollution? or chlorinated water? or aspartame? or.........any other number of things that are proposed as killer ingredients.

 

Yet life expectancies continue to rise. :)

[beansprouts]

ps, I like to use flax seed oil (you can even get the liquid with cinnamon flavor) on toast, but then use butter for baking, then extra virgin olive oil for cooking

 

Yep, don't cook with it or the oil will break down.

[beansprouts]

I am not sure about the plastics argument either.

 

I think the risks of giving vs. not giving vaccinations need to be calcuated and people should make informed choices about what is right for them. I also think plastics, pesticides, pollution, and pork are all bad for you.

 

But the discussion was about butter vs. margerine :D

 

All of the cell walls in our bodies are made up of saturated fats. We need them. Our bodies do not know the difference between natural saturated fats and trans-fats. So it will take these unstable, manufactured fats and incorporate them into the cells of our bodies. I, personally find this extremely disturbing.

 

Unlike pollution and chlorinated water, hydrogenated oils are fairly simple to avoid, especially since the rest of the world is catching on now and these oils are slowly disappearing from our grocery store shelves and food service industry (though the replacements aren't much better in most cases...) Back when I first decided to drop these oils from my family's diet, I couldn't even buy a box of crackers for my baby girl, because trans fats were in everything. I am so glad that is changing.

 

Of course you could go broke and crazy avoiding everything that is not completely natural and healthy. Throughout history people have lived on organic whole foods - and they all died too :tongue_smilie: We do what we can.

[Hikin' Mama]

Butter occurs naturally; margarine is man-made.

 

Kim

[Rebecca in GA]

Not sure if this is helpful, but you can make a truly spreadable kind of butter by softening it and whipping it in your food processor or mixer with an equal amount of mild-tasting oil -- I use canola or safflower. This is also usable for baking.

 

I use a combination of butter and margarine right now but I'm phasing out the margarine. I have a supply of Fleischman's unsalted sticks that I bought when my eldest couldn't have dairy and I'm not going to waste them.

 

We are making changes to our diet and moving toward more natural and organic foods anyway, and we decided that butter and healthier, non-genetically modified oils are better choices for us than margarine. I'm another who grew up on margarine, though, and I actually think it tastes better, too.

[Tap]

Dh grew up on Greggs Margarine so I have to keep Smart Balance for him or he will buy Greggs. Since I do 90% of the cooking with butter, coconut or olive oil, one tub of SB lasts about 6 mths. I feel okay with that!

 

 

BTW: We call margarine "chemical spread". LOL :D

[sticer]

Butter is used in this family. Whatever is more natural and less manufactured.:001_huh:

[GailV]

I agree - I have done some research on this and have always thought that it was the transfats that were the issue (years before everything started heading towards going transfat free). A good book on it is The Cholesterol Myths.

 

I'm in this club. Butter all the way, baby.

 

BTW, flax seed oil goes rancid very rapidly. Not to say it's bad for you, but don't get too swept away.

[5Youngs]

We buy butter.

It does not raise my cholesterol.

Neither do eggs, cheese or red meat, eaten in moderation.

I never buy margarine or anything hydrogenated.

I'm 32 and my cholesterol is 91.

I eat real butter, Tillamook cheddar and Laura's lean red meats weekly.

Go figure......

It is more expensive, so we use it lightly.

(It's forced moderation, some of us need that~ LOL)

However, I don't cook with it.

It's way too expensive for that.

I cook and bake with peanut oil, coconut oil or grapeseed oil.

They are still higher $ than other fats, but they don't break down at high heat.

Olive oil actually becomes carcinogenic if it is heated at high temperatures, so don't waste your money cooking with it~

Dawanna

[Quiver0f10]

Butter here too, but we try to use very little.

[jmgconner]

Butter here, too. One nice thing I've noticed is that it doesn't take near as much butter compared to margarine to get a delicious buttery taste. So, we use much less butter compared to when we used to get margarine.

[HRAAB]

I have a friend who is a chemist and she told us that margarine is only one molecule in its chemical make-up from being plastic.

 

That was enough for me never to eat it again.

 

I knew there was a reason why I don't like margarine! Butter, and as with all things, in moderation. However, I do have Smart Balance in the fridge.

 

Janet

[Faith]

I would like to know if butter or non-hydrogenated margarine is more healthy. I remember learning in school that they have the same amount of calories, so I mainly want to know which is healthier overall. We used to eat only butter, then got margarine, then switched to non-hydrogenated margarine. We still use butter once in a while, but if butter really is better for you, then, I'd like to start just buying butter again.

 

 

Thanks!

 

Colleen

 

 

Butter, hands down! Don't use fake stuff here at all.

[Faith]

We buy butter.

It does not raise my cholesterol.

Neither do eggs, cheese or red meat, eaten in moderation.

I never buy margarine or anything hydrogenated.

I'm 32 and my cholesterol is 91.

I eat real butter, Tillamook cheddar and Laura's lean red meats weekly.

Go figure......

It is more expensive, so we use it lightly.

(It's forced moderation, some of us need that~ LOL)

However, I don't cook with it.

It's way too expensive for that.

I cook and bake with peanut oil, coconut oil or grapeseed oil.

They are still higher $ than other fats, but they don't break down at high heat.

Olive oil actually becomes carcinogenic if it is heated at high temperatures, so don't waste your money cooking with it~

Dawanna

 

:iagree: with everything she says also. We are the exact same.

[LNC]

I have low cholesteral, but I have multiple sclerosis. Many MS diets recommend a very low saturated fat intake - like zero. So, I bake with real butter (and abstain myself) and use real butter for my children's toast etc.

 

I use Earth Balance from Trader Joe's for myself as a spread. It's yummy and trans fat free. I use it rarely and sparingly and one tub last six months at least. I'll also use it in things like mac and cheese if I want to eat some - it tastes better than any spread I've ever tried.

[Karen sn]

Hydrogenated oil is awful stuff which should have never been approved for human consumption. What they do is take unsaturated oil and bombard it with hydrogen so it will remain solid at room temperature. The result is an unstable fat molecule. But your body doesn't know the difference between this artificial fat and the real thing. So this artificial, unstable fat molecule is absorbed and incorporated into the cell walls of our bodies, the fatty myelin layer that develops around children's neurons, and the cells that program our immune systems. As a result we have higher cancer rates, and heart disease, our skin is a mess and autoimmune diseases are at epidemic levels.

 

Stick with butter, olive oil, coconut oil, for cooking and supplement with flax and cod liver oil for good measure ;)

 

Amen! And if you take the cod liver oil - get it from Carlson's. (They test for toxic metals like mercury).