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The Health of It All...
Butter vs. Margarine
There is a great deal of controversy over these two fats.
I have tasted the fat free and cholesterol free margarine that are on the market and find that, other than Promise® Buttery Spread, the best place for it is the trash. You can't really cook with it so the only thing that it might be good for is spreading on your toast. I encourage readers to stop eating your bread with butter. There's so many great alternatives -- jam, jellies, light cream cheese, cheeses and the like...
Butter is the churned solids from cream while true margarine is made is from solidified vegetable oil mixed with water. They have the same amount of fat per teaspoon but butter usually has much more saturated fat and, because it is an animal product, contains cholesterol.
Using less saturated fat is better for you so you would think that margarine is a better choice but there is an issue about how the oils in margarine are turned from liquids to solids. Sometimes the conversion creates another type of fat known as “trans” fatty acids. Research has shown that trans fatty acids put you at a higher risk for health problems than saturated fats.
For the most part I use butter but, as with all fats, I use them sparingly. This is where the idea of the "whole foods" concept that you are trying to follow works best. Using good quality products in measured amounts is the key. There are not really any "bad" ingredients. It is often that we simply use too much of a good thing.
It is also difficult to find unsalted margarine.
Even though I avoid trans fatty acids my reason for using butter is that it tastes better. And, that’s what cooking and eating is all about – taste.
1 tsp. margarine = 34 calories, 3.7g fat, 0.78g sat fat, 1.85 mono fat, 0g protein, 0g carbohydrates, 44mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol
1 tsp. unsalted butter = 36 calories, 4g fat, 2.52g sat fat, 1.17g mono fat, 0g protein, 0g carbohydrates, 0mg sodium, 11mg cholesterol
