butter or

Libbster2014

Butter. I read somewhere that it is actually better for you even though it has more calories. I just try to use half of what I normally would when I do use it. Just seems like margarine is full of bad stuff.

EMagineBeingEMazing

Canola oil! It's healthier than both but still a whole food.

I will respectfully disagree. Canola Oil is one of the worst dietary Oils in existence. It is currently made form a genetically modified version of the Rapeseed Plant which is toxic to humans. It is occiasionally expeller pressed but is more often treated with the use of the chemical Hexane. It is heated, which causes oxidation leading to potential increase of ldl cholesterol and it requires it being filtered and deodorized to be edible. This info is all from http://www.canolainfo.org/canola/index.php the industry ortganization whose objective is to promote sales of Canola oil. If you want to research the real bad stuff, try a google search.

It is anything but healthier or a whole and natural food. Nutritionally it is inferior to butter which, if organic and grass fed contains Omega 3 fatty acids, A key element in heart health. There is also a body of research that says that saturated fats like butter and coconut oil resist oxidation in the blood stream and help production of HDL cholesterol. There is also a body of research that contradicts the claims that saturated fat shows any relationship to serum cholesterol in the absence of other mitigating factors like obesity and high triglycerides. Plain and simple, as the nutritionist posted earlier, butter is better.

WHAT?! I thought this was healthy too and is ALL I USE!! OMG!

No, I'm not gonna take your statement and run with it as the gospel, but thanks for posting this as something to research!
>.<

mmapags

Please do! I would strongly advise it.

A couple of links on butter and sturated fats.

http://bodyecology.com/articles/benefits_of_real_butter.php

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/cardiovascular-disease/framingham-follies/

mammaFireBear

I grew up on a large famialy farm. I know why margerine was invented and I will not eat it. I would say use organic butter unless you have allergies.....

spapsidero

I loooove some butter! But I've been putting peanut butter on my toast. I don't like eating breakfast so this is a way for me to eat something with a little protein.

Setof2Keys

We had a nutritionalist come to our job and she said I can't believe it's not butter is only a 2 molecule differance from plastic...WTH? How can they sell this crap?!?!

Real butter, unsalted definately. It tastes better and she also said it has more fat but healthy fats that our bodies need to survive and digest.

crzyone

Put a little cream cheese or laughing cow cheese on the toast!! MMMM!!!

kaiteboo

If you want to try something different try gucamole on your toast, or natural peanut butter, I also like jalapeno greek yogurt too!

WickedGarden

put a tub of butter on the counter...put a tub of margarine on the counter

leave them alone for a month

the butter will grow mold, the margarine won't (because of the preservatives and chemicals)

what would YOU want to put in your body?

Unsalted sweet cream butter...sparingly, for me.

parsnips1980

margarine is full of bad stuff (trans fats, things you can't pronounce), butter is full of other bad stuff (saturated 'animal' fats). there will always be arguments for choosing one or the other when really, neither are 'good' for you. basically you might as well choose whichever one you prefer and stick with it (in small quantities of course)......however if you want an all around healthier alternative, i just found this article about making your own pure olive oil spread. check it out.... http://www.oliveoilmatters.com/olive-oil-spread.html

mmapags

margarine is full of bad stuff (trans fats, things you can't pronounce), butter is full of other bad stuff (saturated 'animal' fats). there will always be arguments for choosing one or the other when really, neither are 'good' for you. basically you might as well choose whichever one you prefer and stick with it (in small quantities of course)......however if you want an all around healthier alternative, i just found this article about making your own pure olive oil spread. check it out.... http://www.oliveoilmatters.com/olive-oil-spread.html

Jus as a point of reference, there is no evidence that saturated fats are harmful in reasonable amounts. That is a myth perpetuated IMHO by Agribusiness and the pharmaceutical industry. There have been multiple links posted earlier in this tread by both me and others that have research info pointing to absolutely no link to dietary saturated fat and serum cholesterol. I would also disagree with your statement that butter is not good for you. There have also been links pointing out the benefits of butter posted eg, Meduim Chain Fatty Acids, help increase hdl cholesterol, Omega 3s etc. Butter is just plain not "full of bad stuff" Not sure what youa re basing this on other than oft repeated conventional wisdom that has been disproved.

parsnips1980

margarine is full of bad stuff (trans fats, things you can't pronounce), butter is full of other bad stuff (saturated 'animal' fats). there will always be arguments for choosing one or the other when really, neither are 'good' for you. basically you might as well choose whichever one you prefer and stick with it (in small quantities of course)......however if you want an all around healthier alternative, i just found this article about making your own pure olive oil spread. check it out.... http://www.oliveoilmatters.com/olive-oil-spread.html

Jus as a point of reference, there is no evidence that saturated fats are harmful in reasonable amounts. That is a myth perpetuated IMHO by Agribusiness and the pharmaceutical industry. There have been multiple links posted earlier in this tread by both me and others that have research info pointing to absolutely no link to dietary saturated fat and serum cholesterol. I would also disagree with your statement that butter is not good for you. There have also been links pointing out the benefits of butter posted eg, Meduim Chain Fatty Acids, help increase hdl cholesterol, Omega 3s etc. Butter is just plain not "full of bad stuff" Not sure what youa re basing this on other than oft repeated conventional wisdom that has been disproved.

...actually, what i was trying to get at is that there seem to be arguments in this thread from both sides, and everyone comes armed with their evidence (or not) making it difficult for people who honestly want to know what's up. while i guess i simplified it a bit too much by simply saying "bad stuff", it was meant more as a recap of the previous posts rather than my version of the truth. the main point was to show that there is another alternative that is easy, healthy, and free of animal products to boot. personally i eat neither as i see both as pointless calories when there are other more flavorful and healthier ways to get fat into your diet. i was just trying to offer a suggestion to the initial poster who seemed to be looking at butter and margarine as the only possibilities.

meredithd13

sure, butter tastes better, but it's not better for you. the 'it's natural' argument is nonsense. it's much higher in cholesterol and has a LOT MORE trans fatty acids. it's bad for you, folks.

http://www.spreadthefacts.com.au/butter-or-margarine/whats-the-healthier-spread.html

jadedone

sure, butter tastes better, but it's not better for you. the 'it's natural' argument is nonsense. it's much higher in cholesterol and has a LOT MORE trans fatty acids. it's bad for you, folks.

http://www.spreadthefacts.com.au/butter-or-margarine/whats-the-healthier-spread.html

They haven't figured out if the transfat in dairy products is equivalent to the ones that are processed artificially.

I tend to think that the transfat in butter is probably a lot safer than the ones created in the lab --- it seems like the worst of our problems are a very modern problem People have been eating butter and presumably natural transfats for a long time.

mmapags

sure, butter tastes better, but it's not better for you. the 'it's natural' argument is nonsense. it's much higher in cholesterol and has a LOT MORE trans fatty acids. it's bad for you, folks.

http://www.spreadthefacts.com.au/butter-or-margarine/whats-the-healthier-spread.html

As has been cited in multiple studies over the last 60+ years, including The Framingham Heart Study, there is no proven relationship between dietary cholesterol serum cholesterol. Additionally, the naturally occuring trans fats in butter have showed no relationship to synthetic transfats in how they oxidize in the blood stream and clog arteries. So I'd say if your interested in facts, you could use a far more complete look other than this misinformed (in my opinion) article. Several have provided useful links in this thread that could give a more complete picture.

From article The 20 Health Benefits of Real Butter. Citations at the end.

And why would I be so insistent that you eat butter? Take a look at the long list of the benefits you receive when you include it in your diet:8
1.Butter is rich in the most easily absorbable form of Vitamin A necessary for thyroid and adrenal health.
2.Contains lauric acid, important in treating fungal infections and candida.
3.Contains lecithin, essential for cholesterol metabolism.
4.Contains anti-oxidants that protect against free radical damage.
5.Has anti-oxidants that protect against weakening arteries.
6.Is a great source of Vitamins E and K.
7.Is a very rich source of the vital mineral selenium.
8.Saturated fats in butter have strong anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties.
9.Butter contains conjugated linoleic acid, which is a potent anti-cancer agent, muscle builder, and immunity booster
10.Vitamin D found in butter is essential to absorption of calcium.
11.Protects against tooth decay.
12.Is your only source of an anti-stiffness factor, which protects against calcification of the joints.
13.Anti-stiffness factor in butter also prevents hardening of the arteries, cataracts, and calcification of the pineal gland.
14.Is a source of Activator X, which helps your body absorb minerals.
15.Is a source of iodine in highly absorbable form.
16.May promote fertility in women.9
17.Is a source of quick energy, and is not stored in our bodies adipose tissue.
18.Cholesterol found in butterfat is essential to children's brain and nervous system development.
19.Contains Arachidonic Acid (AA) which plays a role in brain function and is a vital component of cell membranes.
20.Protects against gastrointestinal infections in the very young or the elderly.


Sources:
1.History of Butter
http://www.dairygoodness.ca/en/consumers/products/butter/history-of-butter.htm
2."Butter" from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter#Worldwide
3.Princely Packets of Golden Health
http://webexhibits.org/butter/ref/MiltonEParker.pdf
4.Why Butter is Better
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/butter.html
5.The Soft Science of Dietary Fat, Science Magazine, March 2001
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/taubes.html#linktop
6.Ibid
7.Polyunsaturated Oils Increase Cancer Risk
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/fats_and_cancer.html
8.From The Skinny on Fats
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/skinny.html
and Why Butter is Better
9.http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/butter.html
10.Fertility Awareness, Food, and Night-lighting
http://www.westonaprice.org/women/fertility.html and
High Fat Dairy May Boost Fertility
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/printnewsbis.asp?id=74590

mammaFireBear

Nicely put and well backed, mmapags......

BrianSharpe

Butter ( a pound lasts forever in our house except when I'm making shortbread.....)

mmapags

Why thank you mamaFireBear!

PaleoPath4Lyfe

margarine? i was wondering which is better for me or if anyone had a better idea. i have been staying away from both but dry toast is really getting to me so which is better or is there something better out there with less calories. any answers or suggestions are great

Butter.........but not just any butter. Butter from grass fed cows and when the Amish have it, I get RAW grass fed butter..........it is the best in the world.

Unfortunately, the Amish products are very in demand around here, so the last time I went to buy it they were out. So, I bought some Organic Valley and Kerry Gold grass fed butter.

NicoWoodruff

Nutella is full of hydrogenated fat the same as margarine is.

Butter all the way!!! (Or use EVOO in place of when you can.)

Actually, the palm oil in Nutella is not hydrogenated -- check their website.

Hmm ok, for my skin-wise though, it's the same difference. All those heavy oils break me out really. If I stick to butter, EVOO, Safflower oil.. all is fine.

3laine75

BUTTER ...more calories but better for you.

invisibubble

I hate butter. I use Flora Light; it's good for your heart n junk apparently.
I don't really use any kind of butter/margarine much, though, I'm not a breada-spreader

NicoWoodruff

Quoting:

They haven't figured out if the transfat in dairy products is equivalent to the ones that are processed artificially.

I tend to think that the transfat in butter is probably a lot safer than the ones created in the lab --- it seems like the worst of our problems are a very modern problem People have been eating butter and presumably natural transfats for a long time.
>>>>>>>>>>

Exactly.

wdwghettogirl

100% butter! Even tho I rarely use butter anymore (except for cooking some things), I'd never use margarine again.

jhyan

Okay .. so the whole Margarine/Plastic thing is getting a little out of hand. It's not true or false - it's vastly over simplified.

The most common plastic (polyethylene) is composed of tightly packed saturated hydrocarbon chains. Saturated fats (triglycerides) are saturated hydrocarbon chains attached to a glycerol molecule. So technically... if you cleaved the glycerol off the molecule you would you would have "plastic".

Fatty acids get cleaved off the glycerol all the time, it's called Hydrolytic Rancidity... and it does not result in 'plastic'. It does result in free fatty acids, which while they may taste or smell bad, are not plastic.

It's true that fatty acids are hydrocarbon chains, and that Polyethylene is a hydrocarbon chain, but Polyethylene is 1) A HUGE chain, and 2) Branched... which makes it very different from short, medium or long chain fatty acids that are relatively small and linear.

kittenmitton

Butter. Margarine is all trans fats. If it comes from a plant, it should be liquid at room temperature. If it's not, hydrogens have been added to it to make it more like animal fat. Although I don't use either. I much prefer olive oil.

iuew

I use Brummel and Brown, it's made with yogurt and has 35% vegetable oil. It has 45 calories for 1 tbsp, 5 grams total of fat, only 1.5 saturated. It tastes like margarine to me. I love it!!

this is what i have eaten for years now. i really like it.

mammaFireBear

No problem....I just call them as I see them...

shamr0ck

never, ever margarine

askme12

butter.