Margarine or butter: which is the healthier option?

There is no other way to say this: margarine is bad news. No doubt, you thought it was the healthy option for your family, and better still, it tastes so good with bread.

Surely it can’t be all bad then? I say margarine is unhealthy because it contains trans-fats.

Before I jump into this though, let me briefly talk about fat in general.

There are “good” fats, and there are “bad” fats. The healthy unsaturated ones are used by your body for repair, keeping cell membranes in tip top shape and for energy production. This is why you should make sure your family gets plenty of foods like nuts, fish, avocados and olives. Most importantly, good fats do not raise cholesterol. On the contrary, bad fats, the saturated fats found in meat, chicken, butter, and palm or coconut oils raise cholesterol.

So, where do “trans-fats” fit into all this? While trans-fats are present in small amounts in red meat and dairy, most of the trans-fats in our diet come from processed foods containing hydrogenated fats. A trans-fat is basically a transformed fat, and came about when food companies decided to use oil to preserve food for longer periods.

To do this, they had to turn liquid fat into solid fat, so that the fat would not leak out of the product as it sat on the shelf.

To transform something that is liquid into a solid, (think of the difference between liquid oil and stick margarine), they used a process called hydrogenation. This is why these fats are also called hydrogenated fats).

Hydrogenated margarine does not go bad nor become rancid, (great for manufacturers) but the fact that rodents and insects will not eat it should motivate you to steer clear of it too. Even they instinctively seem to know that their bodies can’t digest it properly.

In addition to margarines, products that fall into this category include biscuits, many baked goods and snacks. Note that trans-fats are also created when any unsaturated fat is heated for a long period, for instance if sunflower oil is used to deep-fry.

So what’s the problem? Numerous studies have shown that trans-fats are more of a risk factor for heart disease than saturated fat. For example, while the saturated fat in butter raises LDL (bad cholesterol), the trans-fats in margarines not only increase levels of LDL cholesterol, but they also depress levels of “good” HDL cholesterol. Not only has margarine and trans-fats been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks, but have also been linked to a major increase in cancer, arthritis, fatigue, and nearly all chronic illness.

AVOID FRYING

To limit your consumption of trans-fats as much as possible, make a habit of reading the “Nutrition Facts” section of food labels. Be on the lookout for phrases such as “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated.”

When preparing food at home, avoid frying food, and replace trans-fats and saturated fats with unsaturated ones (olive, soybean, corn and sunflower oils).

Although soft margarines are lower in trans-fats than the hard stick variety, I will tell you the same thing I tell my patients: avoid them and choose unsalted butter instead.

Something else to remember: the farther a food is from its natural state, the more chemical additives it will contain, and the less likely it is to contribute to your health and overall wellbeing.