butter or

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.

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

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

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

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.

BUTTER ...more calories but better for you.

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.

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.

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.

never, ever margarine