Butter or Margarine

Good afternoon All. Question regarding butter or marg. I have used butter for years but due too a book I read "Eating Clean" it doesn't recommend butter. So I have switched to Nutelex for the moment. Have I done the right thing? Or is there another alternative? I dont eat much of it anyhow so should I just stick to butter?
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Replies

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    Use whatever you want! Personally I prefer butter but if you can’t eat dairy then avoid it - otherwise what you like
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    I use butter and olive oil for added fats. I prefer the taste and texture of these over margerine.
    We ate margerine in our family because of the grand cholesterol scare. These news items, fears and books are losing credibility with me. Its become a matter of taste and comman sense again, like the old days. Well, I speak for myself, but my grandparents lived to be nearly centurians and all they used was comman sense, so I'm going with that.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Trying to precisely define "clean eating" is trying to hit a constantly moving goal post. Ultimately, you have to decide what best helps you meet your goals
  • BrSpiritus
    BrSpiritus Posts: 190 Member
    If a book is telling you margarine is cleaner than butter then you need to throw that book out. I love to use Kerrygold butter but I only really use it for cooking sometimes and on popcorn.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    It's butter in all my baking, and margarine on my toast. It's been a long time since there have been any trans fats in margarine.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    Choose butter!
  • ThereAreManyNames
    ThereAreManyNames Posts: 54 Member
    Go with whatever you think tastes better, just in moderation.

    Either olive oil or real butter for me, even if they're more expensive. I had enough margarine growing up and if that's all that was available I'd rather do without.

    All the stuff that's come out about diacetyl makes me kind of wary anyhow, although I suppose you'd need it in quantities to have it be dangerous.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    In general, worrying about the "better or worse" of one particular food is wasting a lot of energy on minutiae. Especially if it's something you don't eat much of. That way lies madness.

    Short answer is it really doesn't matter. I'd check and make sure the margarine you chose does not include trans fat (partially hydrogenated blah blah blah) as that's probably the only thing you really want to try to avoid. Otherwise, use whichever you like better.

    If a book is telling you to eat some specific foods and to not eat other specific foods, you should probably take it with a grain of salt. What matters is the totality of your diet. A little bit of butter or margarine isn't going to hurt anything if your overall diet is working for you. Do what you need to do to eat a nutritious-enough diet that makes it easier for you to hit your calorie goal before worrying about finer details.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    Kerrygold butter is delicious.

    Amen! +1 to that. I put that in my BulletProof Coffee! Love it!
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Butter
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited July 2018
    Kerrygold butter is delicious.

    Amen! +1 to that. I put that in my BulletProof Coffee! Love it!

    So many votes for that. I was curious about it and bought it, but didn't feel it was special. It felt tasteless like the cheaper butters we have and it wasn't as smooth and creamy as what I'm used to. Maybe because I grew up eating Lurpak which has a unique flavor and feels like it has more butterfat.
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    Going against the grain here, but I’ve say neither.

    For me, this is the answer. I did purchase a Smart Balance vegan margarine about a month ago because I was thinking about making something that used it, but I ended up not making it, and it's still sitting unopened in the fridge. Give me olive or avocado oil any time.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Kerrygold butter is delicious.

    Amen! +1 to that. I put that in my BulletProof Coffee! Love it!

    So many votes for that. I was curious about it and bought it, but didn't feel it was special. It felt tasteless like the cheaper butters we have and it wasn't as smooth and creamy as what I'm used to. Maybe because I grew up eating Lurpak which has a unique flavor and feels like it has more butterfat.

    Ya, Kerrygold is always on sale before St. Patrick's Day and doesn't taste any better than Cabot to me.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    DoubleUbea wrote: »
    Use butter but in moderation, no more than one stick per slice of bread.

    My OH managed to (just barely) have less than one stick of butter with steamers and lobster last night.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    Love butter! (in moderation, of course) I grew up on margarine and the first time I tasted real butter I was in heaven! For cooking I also like coconut oil and olive oil.

    During one really lean period in our young lives my husband worked at a margarine factory for a couple months. Just horrible. He said the process is pretty disgusting. He came home smelling awful and couldn't get the grease out of his hair or off his skin even after a long hot shower. So grateful when he got a different job. To this day he avoids eating margarine.

    My daughter is dairy-free due to allergies so I will use Melt vegan butter substitute if I'm cooking something special for her like cookies or baked goods.