Diary of a Semi-Health Nut

ramblings + recipes of a semi-healthy nut

Butter Vs Margarine–What Do YOU Think?

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I made some M+M blondies last night FULL of butter. I will admit it nearly stopped my heart putting in a stick and a half of the stuff, but they are an amazing treat (I will share the recipe soon!) I also use margarine for spreading on toast on occasion. As is the usual tone of this blog (and hopefully my life), I don’t get too crazy about calling foods “bad” or “good.” 

(See the post I wrote last week– Intuitive Eating: Stop Battling Bad Foods.)

For the simple reason of presenting both sides of the debate, this article was rejected by one of the sites I freelance at (they are very anti-margarine).  I hate to have research and writing go to waste. So here ya go!

Please let me know what you think!!
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Butter versus margarine is not a new discussion.

It is likely that you have an idea of which you prefer already. There is the argument that margarine is unnatural and therefore should be avoided at all costs. There is also the argument that butter has unwanted cholesterol and saturated fat. Or the simple fact that margarine is easier to spread on a piece of toast. You may already have an opinion, but do you really have all of the facts?

Presenting interesting facts for both sides of the Butter vs Margarine debate. Do you forbid one or the other from your diet?

Let’s start with butter. Butter is made by churning cream from milk, which makes it an animal product. All animal products naturally have saturated fat, the fat that is solid at room temperature. According to the American Heart Association, saturated fats and cholesterol found in foods raise cholesterol levels which raise the risk of heart disease and stroke. Naturally we would be warned to limit the amount of saturated fats and cholesterol in our diet. Since butter is made from milk however, there is the benefit of nutrients. Butter is surprisingly an excellent source of vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Margarine came about mostly due to a shortage of milk product as well as in an effort to make a cheaper form of butter. Through many years, margarine has evolved into a substance that is made by forcing Hydrogen into vegetable oil. Since it is made from vegetable oil, it can boast that it has no cholesterol, which as you will recall should be limited to avoid heart disease and stroke. It also tends to be lower in calories which can be helpful in weight maintenance or loss.
The process of putting Hydrogen into the vegetable oil, or hydrogenation, makes the oil change so that it is solid at room temperature (like butter) creating something most people know as “trans fats,” which you also may be interested in knowing that these fats occur in nature, although not very prevalently. This creates something that is usually a little easier to spread than butter. 
While trans fats are not technically saturated fats, because the shape is so similar, our body does not recognize a difference between the two. Makers of margarine have limited the amount of hydrogenated oils and increased the water content in recent years, but beware that the 0 trans fats actually means .5mg or less. This means margarine tends to have less overall fat than butter. Since margarine is not a natural product, there are chemicals found in it that can be harmful to our health when consumed in large quantities such as Nickel which is used in the hydrogenation process.
As you can see, when we compare margarine and butter, there are benefits and downfalls to each.
I personally do not have a strong opinion either way, I simply know that I should be cautious of the amounts of each I have in my diet overall. 
I like to focus on fueling my body first with the things that I know are nutrient dense, whole grains, fresh fruit and veggies, low fat dairy and lean protein as well as healthy fats from things like nuts and avocados.
healthy vegetables into your diet
By putting the nutritious foods into my body first, there is little room for much else. When I do have a piece of toast with margarine or a couple of cookies made with butter, it will not be the end of the world. As long as we are aware of the facts about the foods we eat, we can be more informed and make the proper decision for ourselves. 
What do you think? Do you ban either margarine or butter in your diet?
Do these facts help you in making your personal decision?

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*~Amanda aka Semi-Health Nut~*

Let me know what you think of the article! And/or answer the above questions!


I love making new friends!  Feel free to comment below, or connect with me via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or e-mail: semihealthnut AT yahoo DOT com.  You can also follow posts via e-mail , Bloglovin, Networked Blogs, or my blog feed. Thank you so much for reading and God bless! 🙂

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I think if you’re baking, butter is the best choice. You’re not going to eat a ton of baked goods (most likely) and it makes a better product. Butter’s natural. Margarine isn’t. However, I am a huge fan of Earth Balance because I’m trying to cut out as much dairy as possible and one area I don’t need dairy is butter.

    • Although I’ve only used butter for baking, apparently margarine works great for very specific things…they definitely have different baking characteristics. Are you allergic to dairy now?? Will the madness ever end??

  2. I think if you’re baking, butter is the best choice. You’re not going to eat a ton of baked goods (most likely) and it makes a better product. Butter’s natural. Margarine isn’t. However, I am a huge fan of Earth Balance because I’m trying to cut out as much dairy as possible and one area I don’t need dairy is butter.

  3. You make a lot of good points and bring forward a lot of good information. I grew up using margarine because I was allergic to milk, and while I don’t see a huge problem with it, I now prefer butter. I think it has a much better taste and it’s natural, so I feel better eating it. Like you said, though, it’s best not to eat too much of either!

    • The whole being natural thing is definitely making me re-think my margarine intake…but might be lazy enough to keep a small tub in the fridge for the occasional “buttered” toast.

      Just curious on the allergy part…why can you eat it now? Or do you just eat small portions?

      • I outgrew my dairy allergy – for the most part – at age 12. I don’t know why (it happens often to allergic people, thankfully), but I’m pretty much ok with it now!

        • Interesting! On the other hand I developed a lactose intolerance lol but I think it was partly because I stopped drinking milk after high school. I feel like I’ve reversed some of the effects by still eating dairy every once in awhile. The body is a strange and amazing thing!

  4. You make a lot of good points and bring forward a lot of good information. I grew up using margarine because I was allergic to milk, and while I don’t see a huge problem with it, I now prefer butter. I think it has a much better taste and it’s natural, so I feel better eating it. Like you said, though, it’s best not to eat too much of either!

  5. Although I’ve only used butter for baking, apparently margarine works great for very specific things…they definitely have different baking characteristics. Are you allergic to dairy now?? Will the madness ever end??

  6. The whole being natural thing is definitely making me re-think my margarine intake…but might be lazy enough to keep a small tub in the fridge for the occasional “buttered” toast.

    Just curious on the allergy part…why can you eat it now? Or do you just eat small portions?

  7. I outgrew my dairy allergy – for the most part – at age 12. I don’t know why (it happens often to allergic people, thankfully), but I’m pretty much ok with it now!

  8. Interesting! On the other hand I developed a lactose intolerance lol but I think it was partly because I stopped drinking milk after high school. I feel like I’ve reversed some of the effects by still eating dairy every once in awhile. The body is a strange and amazing thing!

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