
Everyone needs a little bit of fat in their lives (see last blog post), but the question remains; which one should I use? This time, we’ll talk about the solid oils, butter and margarine in particular.
A solid, spreadable oil is important for a few reasons, it helps with the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins (D, E, A and K), it provides important calories and nutrition, it tastes good, and it makes the food it’s on feel more satisfying (this is called the mouth-feel, and butter/margarine has great mouth-feel).
Let’s discuss the pros and cons (in my opinion, anyway) of butter versus margarine, then you can decide which one is best for you and your lifestyle..
Butter versus Margarine: Butter
Pros - It’s natural. It’s made from cream and may contain a bit of salt if you buy the salted version. The unsalted option is just cream.
Cons - Because it comes from cream (which came from the cow), it contains both saturated fat and cholesterol
Butter versus Margarine: Margarine
Pros - Because margarine is made from vegetable oil, it is saturated fat and cholesterol free. It is always vegetarian and in many cases is vegan.
Cons - In order to turn vegetable oil into a solid, spreadable oil it is processed (called hydrogenation) to a point that it contains saturated fats. Some margarines from other countries will also have trans fats added, but this is banned in Canada. The more solid the margarine, the more saturated fat it contains. It may contain high amounts of salt.
As you can see from these lists, there’s not much differentiating butter and margarine. They are similar in profile for calories and fat content, the main difference is the amount of processing they undergo to reach their final state.
The Bottom Line
You need to decide what is important to you, then choose the option that fits that. Do you care about how processed margarine is? Is it important to you that butter comes from cream? Do you want a vegan choice? Do you like that you can make butter at home? There is no right or wrong answer here.
The biggest factor that will affect your health is how much you eat! An acquaintance once told me of a Danish word that translates as ‘tooth butter’. As in, there is so much butter on your bread that it leaves bite marks; I think we all know exactly how much this is. While I love that there is a word for this, whether with butter or margarine, if you’re experiencing ‘tooth butter’ on a regular basis, you’re using too much. Aim for a thin scraping, enough that you can taste it, but not so much that you have ‘tooth butter’. Otherwise, you do you! Aligning your food choices with your values can help you feel better about the food you eat, which is a great thing! To discuss these issues in more depth, or to learn how butter, margarine and other oils fit into a healthy diet, reach out! I’m here for you.
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