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Margarine vs. butter: The debate continues
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Trans, saturated and omega 3. Find out why it's important to know your fats when choosing your spreads.
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By Joey Shulman
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Of all the questions I encounter as a nutritionist on a regular basis -- the most common involves the continual debate over butter versus margarine.
Upon examination, there are pros and cons for both camps. In terms of calories and total fat, butter and margarine are both worth about 35 calories and four grams of fat per teaspoon. Yet, the question still begs -- is one healthier than the other? The answer depends on several factors. Read on to find out which choice is best for you.
The birth of margarine
In the early 1900s, food technologists discovered that heating refined vegetable oils -- in a process called hydrogenation -- and adding yellow colouring, resulted in an easy-to spread, cheaper alternative to butter. At that time, people went "margarine crazy," thinking it was a much healthier spread than any other on the market.
Long after the birth of margarine, people discovered that when margarine was hydrogenated, it created a dangerous type of fat called trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids are now indicated on most food labels and are otherwise called partially hydrogenated fats. Trans fatty acids can cause serious health consequences such as raising cholesterol levels and increasing the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
What to look for when choosing margarine
To reduce the amount of trans fats in margarine, manufacturers are now creating trans-fat free margarine. How do they do it? They switch partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and replace it with water or liquid vegetable oil. Trans-fat free margarine contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.
Typically, soft tub or liquid margarine is better than stick margarine. A tablespoon of stick margarine has about 1.9 grams of trans fat while a tablespoon of regular tub margarine has approximately 0.8 grams. Margarines that contain omega 3 and plant sterols are now appearing in grocery stores and are great choices. Omega 3 keeps your brain working well, is anti-inflammatory and is good for heart health. Plant sterols help to reduce cholesterol.
Butter basics
The upside of eating butter is that it's an excellent source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. In addition, people with a sensitivity to dairy products often tolerate butter quite well because it is a pure fat and does not contain any of the allergens found in other milk products.
The downside of butter is that it contains two cholesterol-raising ingredients -- dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. However, not all people are affected by dietary cholesterol -- in fact, most are not. Only a small percentage of people experience a soar in blood cholesterol when eating foods that are high in cholesterol.
The other issue with butter is its saturated fat content. When eaten in excess, saturated fats can raise the bad cholesterol, known as "LDL". Saturated fat is also associated with an increase in heart disease -- the leading killer in North America. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that the average person consume no more than 10 to 15 grams of saturated fat per day. One tablespoon of butter contains 7 grams of saturated fat.
Buying guidelines and recommendations
To keep your heart healthy and cholesterol down, choose trans-fat free margarines and those that contain omega 3 fats (the "good fats"). If you have high cholesterol, talk to your doctor about buying margarines with plant sterols.
If you choose butter, use it sparingly and pay attention to its saturated fat content. Many people prefer butter because they find it tastes better than margarine while others prefer margarine because it's easy to spread just moments after removing it from the refrigerator.
A personal preference
While it may seem like it's a toss-up between butter vs. margarine, I would pick butter -- even though high in saturated fat -- over a margarine that contains trans fats any day. If you choose margarine, make sure it's trans-fat free.
You can use many other heart-healthy alternatives including healthy dips, spreads and oils. Options include hummus (chick pea dip), low-fat cream cheese, extra virgin olive oil for cooking and flaxseed oil or balsamic vinaigrette for salad dressings. You can also use a tomato-based salsa over a baked potato in place of butter or margarine.
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Dr. Joey Shulman is a registered nutritional consulting practitioner and the author of the best-selling The Natural Makeover Diet (Wiley, 2006). For more information, visit her site at www.drjoey.com.
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