Butter vs Country Crock or other types of margarine?

[NACHO]

Looking for some expert non biased information.

I had always heard butter was better for you than margarine.

Then I heard margarine makers had refigured their formulas getting rid of transfat completely.

So I started looking around the net and it LOOKS like something like Country Crock would be better for you than butter.

I realize that neither butter or margarine are a healthy choice to pick up and start eating but which one is worse for you?

[Aoife]

Butter tastes better, therefore I eat butter. Who says it's not a healthy choice? It's just fat. And people need a certain amount of saturated fat in their diets. I mean, prolly not best to go overboard, esp during attempting fatloss… but *shurg*

[LisaS]

I eat butter.
The alledged dangers are overrated in my non-expert opinion.

[Leigh P.]

The only problem that COULD be is the contents of trans fat. To what degree that is an issue we don't know, i personally stay on the safe side of little as possible. That is it though, the sat fats aren't the issue, just make sure you get your balance of fats.

[NACHO]

Originally Posted by Aoife

Butter tastes better, therefore I eat butter. Who says it's not a healthy choice? It's just fat. And people need a certain amount of saturated fat in their diets. I mean, prolly not best to go overboard, esp during attempting fatloss… but *shurg*

Yea I understand this. I'd rather get my fat grams from a juicy cut of steak than butter but I know what you mean.

Originally Posted by Leigh P.

The only problem that COULD be is the contents of trans fat. To what degree that is an issue we don't know, i personally stay on the safe side of little as possible. That is it though, the sat fats aren't the issue, just make sure you get your balance of fats.

Most margarines have completely eliminated trans fat. Per serving most have less fat than butter.

Based on what you're saying butter would be worse than margarine.

[LisaS]

before you can assign labels like better or worst - you need to define those terms in how you are using them. It seems like you are going for calories per gram of spread or some such feeling. Fine. But you have to define that as your criteria before assigning labels.

Butter is less processed and closer to a natural food. I can make butter at home from fresh cream. To some, that would be better and the processed nature of marg would make it worst. Butter has compounds in it that occur naturally in the milk and it has different fats (medium chain FA) with different uses in the body. Marg. doesn't.

[OldGuy]

Butter: Cream, salt

Margarine: Water, Vegetable Oil Blend [ Soybean(s) Oil Liquid, Soybean(s) Oil Partially Hydrogenated], Salt, Vegetable Mono and Diglycerides [ Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (Used to protect quality)], Polyglycerol Esters Of Fatty Acids, Soy Lecithin, Lactic Acid, Flavor Artificial, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene for color retention, Whey from milk

Tough choice.

[Etana]

Originally Posted by OldGuy

Butter: Cream, salt

Margarine: Water, Vegetable Oil Blend [ Soybean(s) Oil Liquid, Soybean(s) Oil Partially Hydrogenated], Salt, Vegetable Mono and Diglycerides [ Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (Used to protect quality)], Polyglycerol Esters Of Fatty Acids, Soy Lecithin, Lactic Acid, Flavor Artificial, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene for color retention, Whey from milk

Tough choice.

I've been using olive oil much more than butter now, though I don't use much of either. When I use butter, it's maybe 5-7gm. So I want the real thing. Butter is better.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by NACHO

Most margarines have completely eliminated trans fat. Per serving most have less fat than butter.

Not true. Some have, but you have to actually check the ingredients, not just the nutrition labels. Nutrition label laws let you have transfats under a certain amount per serving and still be labeled zero.

Food manufacturers are allowed to list amounts of trans fat with less than 0.5 gram (1/2 g) as 0 (zero) on the Nutrition Facts panel. As a result, consumers may see a few products that list 0 gram trans fat on the label, while the ingredient list will have "shortening" or "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" on it. This means the food contains very small amounts (less than 0.5 g) of trans fat per serving.

source


I was in the store the other day and most of them had partially hydrogenated vegetable or soybean oil.

Soybean oil and vegetable oil are reason enough not to have most margarine, btw.

[realcdn]

Originally Posted by OldGuy

Butter: Cream, salt

Tough choice.

Not really

[hazeldazel]

also keep in mind that a lot of manufacturers have switched out trans fats with "interestified" (sp?) fats which are just as bad.

I go with unsalted butter, the fat contents the same the crap content is less. I'm only eating maybe 1 tablespoon a day so big deal. I think people (especially parents) really need to watch their processed crap intake instead of worrying about butter.

[scribess]

Originally Posted by hazeldazel

I go with unsalted butter, the fat contents the same the crap content is less. I'm only eating maybe 1 tablespoon a day so big deal. I think people (especially parents) really need to watch their processed crap intake instead of worrying about butter.

Hear hear.

[NACHO]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

Not true. Some have, but you have to actually check the ingredients, not just the nutrition labels. Nutrition label laws let you have transfats under a certain amount per serving and still be labeled zero.

source

I was in the store the other day and most of them had partially hydrogenated vegetable or soybean oil.

Soybean oil and vegetable oil are reason enough not to have most margarine, btw.

Thank you this is exactly the kind of information I was looking for! Here is another link I found for the less scientific amoungst us.

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/20...hink_again.php

Originally Posted by hazeldazel

also keep in mind that a lot of manufacturers have switched out trans fats with "interestified" (sp?) fats which are just as bad.

I go with unsalted butter, the fat contents the same the crap content is less. I'm only eating maybe 1 tablespoon a day so big deal. I think people (especially parents) really need to watch their processed crap intake instead of worrying about butter.

Excellent points. Found some links on interesterified fats. *You almost spelled it right*

http://www.transfatfree.com/pages/ar...rified_fat.htm

http://diabetesnutritionblog.com/?s=interestification

So in conclusion butter remains better for you than the new and improved margarines dispite the true (but misleading) propoganda from margarine manufacturers.

[LisaS]

The new slogan Margarine: not as bad as it used to be wasn't working so well for them.

[purplekale]

If I wanted extra fat, I'd use coconut oil or Earth Balance. No trans fats in either, since they're made with naturally solid oils.

[scribess]

I love coconut oil, too! Not using it (or butter) so much at the moment, however, as I'm in a deficit. Most of my fat is coming from my diet itself, though I'm also supplementing with cod liver oil.

[MQ5]

Coconut oil is really good on toast.

[graycyn]

I use coconut oil, olive oil and the latest find, butter AND olive oil combined. Tastes like butter, but you get a hit of olive oil as well. It's soft enough to spread out of the fridge. Ingredients: Sweet cream, olive oil, salt. Made by Land O' Lakes.

Cynthia

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by purplekale

If I wanted extra fat, I'd use coconut oil or Earth Balance. No trans fats in either, since they're made with naturally solid oils.

I'm not sure what it's supposed to be balanced in, but like Smart Balance, this one is pretty bad for us. The solid fats are fine, but it still contains soybean oil. Soybean oil (and corn oil) should be avoided because it's so high in omega-6 fats.