Butter vs. margarine: what to choose and what experts say

Many people cannot agree on what is better: butter or margarine as each of the products has special reasons for sticking to their own opinion.

Jillian Kubala, a certified nutritionist from New York, decided to look deeper into the issue. She shared her thoughts on the benefits and bad qualities of these products with Foxnews.

According to her, many people believe that various butter substitutes are a better choice because they are devoid of saturated fat. However, this is not entirely true. Very often, people misunderstand the very concept of "fats", which even creates a fear of eating them. The truth is that fats are quite complex, and their physiological effects on the human body depend on their origin and composition.

Butter is a product made from natural milk, while margarine contains water, vegetable oils, flavors, and emulsifiers.

The benefits of butter

According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one tablespoon of butter contains:

• 102 calories
• 11,2 grams of fats
• 7,3 grams of saturated fats

If you replace butter with avocado or olive oil, which are more nutritious, it will benefit your health, Kubala says. However, if you start using margarine, the effect will be the opposite, despite the fact that margarine has a lower total amount of saturated fat than butter.

Vegan oils: what are they and what are their benefits

A variety of vegetable oils have recently gained popularity. They are especially in demand among vegetarians and vegans and are most often made from coconut, avocado, or soybean oils. To make them taste as similar to butter as possible, manufacturers add flavors and emulsifiers to their composition.

The nutritionist says that most often such spreads contain a minimum amount of nutrients, but they are all highly processed with the addition of oils that contain omega-6. Therefore, according to Kubala, there is nothing wrong with using this plant-based product. However, she notes that if there is an alternative, it is still better to use a product with a minimal amount of processing. For example, if a person cannot eat butter due to dietary restrictions, it is better to replace it with avocado.

Butter or margarine: what is better

There are several types of saturated fats that have different effects on the body's cardiovascular system, Kubala says, adding that health organizations recommend that people reduce the amount of saturated fat they consume to improve heart function. Thus, according to the nutritionist, butter will not negatively affect the human body if consumed in a reasonable amount. Therefore, if there are no contraindications, it is better to eat butter than to replace it with vegetable spreads or margarine.

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