I got this paper in a class of mine. Note that I am not claiming any authorship or copyright of this document, but simply retyping it. The paper did not contain any recognition towards an author, so I will retype it almost word-for-word, just as I received it. Butter vs. Margarine Do you know the difference between margarine and butter? Both have the same amount of calories. Butter is slightly higher in saturated fat at 8 grams compared to margarine's 5 grams of saturated fat. Eating margarine, however, can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter according to a recent Harvard Medical Study. Butter: 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. Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavor of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries where as margarine has been around for less than one hundred years. Margarine: Margarine is very high in trans fatty acids and triples hte risk of coronary heart disease. Margarine increases total cholesterol, more-specifically LDL [AKA bad cholesterol]. Margarine lowers HDL cholesterol [AKA the good cholesterol] and increases the risk of cancers by up to five times. Margarine also lowers the quality of breast milk and decreases immune response. Along with that, margarine decreases insulin response. Here is the most interesting, yet most disturbing fact about margarine: Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC. Try this out yourself to prove this fact: 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, such as no flies [not even pesky fruit flies which should tell you something], it doesn't rot or smell differently [because of no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it], and from a microscopic perspective, no micro-organisms will grow on it. Why? Because it is almost plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware container and spread it on your toast? Like this article? Digg It?
Thanks at least now I can tell my parents that margarine is no good. I have been forced to be on margarine because of the bad publicity over cholesterol etc on butter. I hate it, it tried to be like butter but the taste is totally not there.
Yes, margarine is like plastic because it's hydrogenated (check the label of any product and you will se something like "partially hydrogenated"). This causes the molecules to be very strong, giving them longer shelf live, which is good for business but bad for you.
Theres the random fact of the day. haha. joking. Did you know that 80% of people would rather spend an hour in jail. than an hour at the doc's?
I know that using real butter, unsalted is better for cookies and cakes. I always have both in the house because my husband prefers eating margarine over butter because it spreads easier. I tried making some no-bake cookies once with margarine and they wouldn't even set up, so the kids ate them with a spoon. My great grandma is almost 100 and she eats real butter on everything, and in excess too. So for those of you who think butter is bad think again.
MaryMary says chew on this... I think some people are just blessed, they can eat and do whatever they want their entire life and live to 100 (not saying your GG is a butter scarfing, whiskey drinking, chain smoking lady) but then on the other hand the healthy guy jogging has a heart attack @ age 44! butter at room T spreads just fine, of course we cannot do that in TX, otherwise it would be a pool of butter, not a stick!!
thanks for the great info egs. Now im afraid to eat margarine, my mother bought margarine and bread everyday for our breakfast will warn her about that.