re: Butter versus Margarine Debate

Interesting facts. I knew I always liked butter better. Enjoy the day. Elissa A story like this made the rounds of the inter-net before but this discussion has additional information: Margarine was developed by the French chemist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès in the late 1860s. Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring, churned with ripened skim milk to a smooth emulsion and sold it to people at less cost to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings made usually from vegetable oils. It is used in cooking and as a spread as a substitute for butter. DO YOU KNOW... the difference between margarine and butter? Butter has been around for centuries and presumably known since the advent of animal husbandry. Butter has long been used as a cooking fat and as a spread. It was traditionally a farm product, but with the advent of the cream separator in the late 19th century it began to be mass-produced. It is a high-energy food, containing about 715 calories per 100 grams. Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study. Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods. Butter has many nutritional benefits, where margarine has a few only because they are added! The fats used in margarine have varied widely; polyunsaturated oils such as corn, canola, and sunflower oil, Butter tastes like butter and is much better than margarine, and butter can enhance the flavors of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries. And now, for Margarine¦ Margarine: Triple risk of coronary heart disease. Margarine is a very high in trans fatty acids. Margarine increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol), and lowers HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Margarine increases the risk of cancers up to five fold. Margarine lowers quality of breast milk. Margarine decreases immune response. Margarine decreases insulin response. Here's the most disturbing fact.... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING! Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC. This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance). You can try this yourself: Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things: No flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something). It does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weensy microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because margarine is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast? Share This With Your Friends.....(If you want to "butter them up")!

you might enjoy reading this http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/butter.asp

Of course this only applies to generic margarine. Benecol, Brummel and Brown are much healthier for you than using butter (both being close to zero trans fats). This summary of butter vs. margarine is very one-sided, probably published by someone with stock in a cow. The debate forgets to tell you how much fat you get using butter and assumes you are using yellow-colored margarine. Have you ever gone to the movies and ordered a tub of butter with popcorn? Here is information from Prevention Magazine: Talk about confusing: Some stick margarines have more trans fat than butter does. So which to choose? Add up the trans and saturated fats (almost equally unhealthy) in each, then compare. Most tub margarines win hands down, as this chart shows. Spreads (1 tablespoon) Trans fat Saturated fat Total bad fats Cholesterol Butter 0.3g 7.2g 7.5g 30mg Stick margarine 2.8 g 2.1 g 4.9 g 0 mg Tub margarine 0.6 g 1.2 g 1.8 g 0 mg Keep daily intake at or below 0 g 20 g* 20 g* 330mg 24 g* 24 g* Limits based on average daily calories: *1,800 for women, **2,200 for men *Brummel & Brown® Original Spread Contains 5g Fat; 1g Saturated Fat per Serving Do BENECOL® Spreads contain trans fatty acids? The amount of trans fat contained in BENECOL® Light and Regular Spread is less than 0.5 grams per one tablespoon serving. BENECOL® Spreads are labeled as 0 grams trans fat because the spreads contain an insignificant level of trans fat.

Rob....too much time on your hands! LOL. I don't eat enough butter or margarine to worry about the ill effects! I would be lucky to get a tsp a day in....Hope everything else is going well for you. Hugs and Fleece Blankets from Da Star Deb

Debbie, Much too much time on my hands. Do you know that there TV is actually on during the day, albeit not much that requires much brainpower. Tomorrow see the surgeon first thing and I am hoping beyond hope that the drains will get removed. They really cutdown on your mobility. See you soon Star, Rob

Elissa and Rob, Another reason you were missed at the meeting on Tuesday night. That is the topic we discussed. WHATS HIDING IN OUR FOODS? And the main topic was FATS. You always add such great information. Hope all is going well, sorry I couldn't make it to the Thursday meeting. Had a conflict of schedule at the church. Hope all is well, God bless, Faye

Hi Faye, Sorry I missed the topic. I think that I actually enjoy talking about nutrition more than excersize (since I enjoy doing this!). I'll definitely be at the next meeting. BTW, who is the star this month (I didn't get it again, did I (big head, I know!). Feeling better every day. Your friend, Rob