This debate is so classic it deserved a proper faceoff. Brace yourselves; this food fight might get messy.
In the left corner stands the young and cocky margarine, proudly claiming it’s superiority over the “cholesterol-laden” and heart attack-inducing butter.
In the right corner stands the good old butter, a veteran that’s been used for thousands of years and that might have more than one trick up his sleeves…Let the fight begin!
Round 1 \ ingredient list
Margarine (becel® brand): canola and sunflower oils 74%, water, modified palm and palm kernel oils 6%, salt 1.8%, whey protein concentrate 1.4%, soy lecithin 0.2%, vegetable monoglycerides, potassium sorbate, vegetable colour, artificial flavour, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3, alpha-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E).
Butter: cream, salt.
Verdict: BUTTER WINS
When it comes to choosing healthy foods – the fewer the ingredients, generally the better.
Round 2 \ calories per tbsp.
Margarine: contains 6 to 102 calories per tbsp., depending on the type of spread.
Margarine: contains 6 to 102 calories per tbsp., depending on the type of spread.
Butter: contains around 102 calories per tbsp.
Verdict: DRAW
Butter is often more calorie-dense than margarine – but the calorie content isn’t a good way to determine if a food is healthy or not.
Round 3 \ grams of fat
Margarine: contains 0.4 to 11 g of fat per tbsp., depending on the type of spread.
Butter: contains 12 g of fat per tbsp.
Verdict: DRAW
Like you learned on This article , fat is in fact essential to optimal your fat loss and health.
Round 4 \ grams of saturated fat
Margarine: contains 0 to 2 g per tbsp., depending on the type of spread.
Butter: contains 7 g per tbsp.
Verdict: BUTTER WINS
You should not fear saturated fat – which is in fact good for you (see this article ).
Round 5 \ cholesterol
Margarine: contains no cholesterol.
Butter: contains 30 mg per tbsp.
Verdict: DRAW
Dietary cholesterol has no effect whatsoever on your cholesterol levels and doesn’t increase your risks of heart disease.
Round 6 \ trans fat
Margarine: contains up to 4 g of artificial trans fat per tbsp., if it’s hydrogenated.The non-hydrogenated kind may still contain up to 4.6% trans fat. Also, the ingredients “mono- and di- glycerides” are trans fats that manufacturers do not have to list on the label. I’m not done yet. Even if it says “trans fat-free” or “0 g of trans fat” on the label, your margarine can still contain up to 0.5 g of trans fat per serving.
Butter: contains around 0.6 g of trans fat per tbsp. But it’s the natural trans fat called CLA (proven fat burner and cancer fighter) instead of the manmade trans fat (proven killer).
Verdict: BUTTER WINS
Fat-burning effect instead of heart attacks? I like the idea!
Round 7 \ vitamins
Margarine: added synthetic vitamins, which may increase your risks of cancer. These include ergocalciferol (D2), dltocopherol (E), vitamin A palmitate or vitamin A acetate.
Butter: packed with fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as selenium and iodine – essential minerals for your thyroid health.
Verdict: BUTTER WINS
Margarine is basically devoid of any nutrition, and only contains vitamins that are added back in the product because of Government regulations. Butter, on the other hand, is packed with highly absorbable vitamins.
Choosing The right butter
Butter might be better than margarine in general, but some butters show superior benefits. Understanding these claims will help you choose the best butter for your budget:
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Cooking With Butter
Keep the temperature low when cooking with butter. If you burn it, you’ll destroy all the nutrients you’re trying to preserve.To cook with butter at high temperatures, use Ghee (or clarified butter) – which is basically concentrated butterfat that doesn’t burn so easily.
Summary
--> There is no way on Earth margarine is healthier and more effective to burn fat than butter, no matter what the Government, the Food Industry or even your doc might say.
--> Because butter is very caloriedense (like any fat), use it in moderation and stay within your daily calorie needs.
--> The most fat burning butter (packed with CLA) is organic raw butter from grass-fed cows, but any kind of butter is better than any kind of margarine.
