The Big Butter vs Margarine Debate!
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Which is 'better' for your health - butter or margarine?
Let's understand more about both butter and margarine in here, then see what conclusion we can derive from it!
BUTTER vs MARGARINE
BUTTER
* contains dietary cholesterol and saturated fat, both of which will raise blood cholesterol levels;
* it is recommended that healthy persons consume no more than 200 mgs cholesterol per day, and one tablespoon of butter alone contains 33 mgs of cholesterol;
* saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are found largely in red meat, high-fat dairy products (like butter) as well as coconut and palm oils. When eaten in excess, saturated fats increase the ''bad''; cholesterol (LDL) as well as the ''good'' cholesterol (HDL). Despite the fact that saturated fats raise good cholesterol, they don’t raise it enough for us to warrant you eating it. Saturated fat intakes are associated with increases in heart-disease risk. A healthy range of saturated fat is 10-15 grams each day. Just one tablespoon of butter contains over 7 grams of saturated fat;
* Butter is an excellent source of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E and K. These are not found to any degree in margarine. The vitamin content of butter varies seasonally, depending on the diet of the animals from which it is derived.
* Dr. Weston Price identified a factor in butter that is essential for proper growth and development of the bone structure. He called it 'activator X' and wrote about it in his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Dr. Price was able to reverse severe tooth decay in children by feeding them one meal a day of highly nutritious food - including butter.
MARGARINE
* does not contain dietary cholesterol as it is not an animal product;
* contains trans fat, largely a man-made fat, which is formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oils, making the oil more solid and less likely to spoil. (This process is called hydrogenation or partial hydrogenation and allows stick margarine to be firm at room temperature.) Trans fats have been shown to increase the ''bad'' cholesterol (LDL) similarly to saturated fats, and they tend to lower the ''healthy'' (HDL) cholesterol when eaten in large amounts. What's more, trans fats may make our blood platelets stickier. While no standard intakes of trans fat have been set, one tablespoon of stick margarine packs a whopping 3 grams of trans fat and 2 grams saturated fat(!!);
* Research shows that trans-fatty acids increase inflammation in the body. This can worsen illnesses such as colitis and arthritis;
* Margarine begins as chemically-extracted, refined vegetable oil. This is a poor quality product to begin with. The high temperature needed to produce margarine destroys any vitamin E, and perhaps other nutrients left in the oil.
Recommendations :
- Use canola or olive oil instead of butter or margarine.
- Choose soft margarine (tub/liquid) over harder stick forms.
- Choose margarines with liquid vegetable oil as the first ingredient.
- Even better, choose "light" margarines that list water as the first ingredient, because these are even lower in saturated fat.
- If you have high cholesterol, talk to your doctor about using margarines made from plant sterols or stanols. These substances, made from soybean and pine tree oils, can help lower your LDL cholesterol by as much as 6% to 15%.
Limit :
- Margarines, shortening, and cooking oils that have more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon.
- "Hydrogenated" and "partially-hydrogenated" fats (read ingredients on food labels) because these are high in saturated fats and trans-fatty acids.
- Coconut, palm, and palm kernal oils because they are very high in saturated fat.
- Shortening or other fats made from animal sources.
SUMMARY :
* The Cleveland Clinic, A.D.A.M. Healthcare Centre, Mayo Clinic and the University of Maryland Medical Centre, and Dr Koop.com recommends margarine (the trans-free tub or liquid kinds) over butter.
* Dr Wilson.com recommends butter over margarine.
Sources :
The Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute
Mayo Clinic.com
A.D.A.M. Healthcare Ctr
University of Maryland Medical Centre
Dr Wilson.com
Dr Koop.com -
nothing beats planta
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thick chunks of golden churn butter w kaya on toast....
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Planta is the best, needs no refrigeration, needs no thawing.
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I'll choose butter just for the taste and I prefer a quick death with a massive heart attack instead of dying from cancer
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Planta is made from palm oil
Personally, I think Planta taste disgusting. -
If we blindfolded you and gave you a taste test, would you be able to differentiate between the two though?!Originally posted by elindra:Planta is made from palm oil
Personally, I think Planta taste disgusting.
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??Originally posted by Rhonda:If we blindfolded you and gave you a taste test, would you be able to differentiate between the two though?!
I don't quite understand your question.
Which 2? You mean butter vs margarine or were you talking about Planta?
Yes I can tell the difference if it's butter vs margarine
and I can tell the difference between margarine and Planta. Planta has a very distinctive taste -
its easy to taste the diff between planta. magarine n butter wat...
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Izzit?!Originally posted by skeujin:its easy to taste the diff between planta. magarine n butter wat...
I cannot.
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Actually, would anyone be able to tell if a cake has been baked with butter or margarine?
I doubt so... -
One brand of magarine which I think tastes pretty close to butter is SNOW brand margarine, but it still has that distinctive magarine taste
Errr really obvious leh the difference in taste -
Erm... izzit??Originally posted by elindra:One brand of magarine which I think tastes pretty close to butter is SNOW brand margarine, but it still has that distinctive magarine taste
Errr really obvious leh the difference in taste
Maybe, I should one day eat toast that's half spread with butter, and half with margarine, then I'll be able to tell the difference.
In the meantime, I'm very easy to feed one! Won't hiam! 
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I'm very fussyOriginally posted by Rhonda:Erm... izzit??
Maybe, I should one day eat toast that's half spread with butter, and half with margarine, then I'll be able to tell the difference.
In the meantime, I'm very easy to feed one! Won't hiam!
If I like a certain brand I'll just stick to it. -
Use magarine for baking? Try whipping and baking magarine and see what it turns into.
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try lurpak spreadable butter. pretty good too.
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this reminds me of garlic bread spread
shall i hijack this or there can be another thread? -
I like President's Brand. Lurpak is next on my list thoughOriginally posted by skeujin:try lurpak spreadable butter. pretty good too. -
butter and kaya roti preferred
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Hijack if you want.Originally posted by FireIce:this reminds me of garlic bread spread
shall i hijack this or there can be another thread?
If you notice Club 30's thread always go out of topic
But that is the fun of it. Ping pong back and forth
Anyway a key ingredient in garlic spread is butter/margarine -
my kinda garlic bread.
finely mince fresh garlic.
simmer in butter / olive oil
add some basil, oregano, parsly
spread on french toast
lightly grill... -
nothing beats nutella....can be a spread on any surface. wakakaka
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there is this table spread that I came across in my studies.. which I have forgotten the brand . Apparently, it has been shown to cut down heart diseases and cholestrol levels by around 40%-60%. Costs around $15 a 500gram tub.
Oh well.. guess none of you has high cholestrol problems here right? -
No have yetOriginally posted by alexkusu:there is this table spread that I came across in my studies.. which I have forgotten the brand . Apparently, it has been shown to cut down heart diseases and cholestrol levels by around 40%-60%. Costs around $15 a 500gram tub.
Oh well.. guess none of you has high cholestrol problems here right? and planning to keep it that way
I stay away from grilled corn on cob because I just put waaaayyyyy too much butter on those when I eat them -
sounds like a super glue advert. works on wood. tile n most non-porous surfaces...Originally posted by kaobeikaobu:nothing beats nutella....can be a spread on any surface. wakakaka