A blog-reader wrote and posed the question today, "Is margarine healthier than butter"?
The answer is "it depends".
Despite the fat that butter is an "animal product" and is made of fat and contains cholesterol as well as high levels of saturated fat, some margarines contain transfats which are just as unhealthy.
In order to make the "better" choice, you need to read and understand the product labels. The areas of the label that you need to take special note of are the fats and cholesterol.
Most margarines are made of vegetable oils however not all margarines are created equal. The "good fats" to see on the label would be marked polyunsaturated and monounsaturated - these types of fats help reduce one's "bad" cholesterol or LDL levels. However, some margarines consist of saturated and/or transfats which can prove even worse than butter.
When a process called "hydrogenation" is implemented during manufacturing to make the margarine into more of a solid state (*i.e. stick margarines in general although tub margarines may have it as well), the more transfats it will have. Transfats behave just like saturated fats causing increases in blood fats and cholesterol and increase one's risk of heart disease. Additionally, transfats may lower levels of "good" cholesterol or "HDL" levels.
When choosing a margarine, read your ingredient labels carefully and choose the one with the lowest possible amount of transfats available as well as one with less than 2 grams of total saturated fat. If you can find a margarine that contains plant sterols that is positive. This is an ingredient that companies are starting to fortify their products with that has been found to help lower LDL (bad) levels.
If you prefer the taste of butter over margarine, it is better to choice a variety that is either whipped or light. Also important that if you choose to use butter or any other type of margarine products, that you use them sparingly.
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