Margarine began to be sold to consumers as the healthy alternative to butter . In the 80s it was believed that animal fats were the main culprits of cardiovascular diseases and, therefore, the best thing for health was to avoid their consumption. Margarine was presented as a healthy and light alternative as it was obtained from vegetable oils and did not contain as high a level of saturated fats as butter. However, it was discovered that its manufacturing process caused trans fats to form in the product, which proved to be even more damaging to health than saturated fat. This caused true and false data about this food to begin to circulate in an intermingled way, which spread through the network in such a way that it is still difficult to find reliable information about it today.
Consumer confusion forced major brands to take steps to modify the manufacturing process and clean up margarine’s image to re-offer it as a healthy product that supports a balanced diet. Even today it is difficult to distinguish the myth from reality about margarine.
Margarine is an artificial product
Margarine is a product that is obtained from natural ingredients such as vegetable oils and, mainly, sunflower oil. However, since it was invented as a butter substitute, manufacturers have made use of numerous preservatives and additives to closely match the appearance and properties of butter. Today the Flora brand ensures that anyone can make their own margarine at home.
Margarine is high in trans fat
The discovery of the serious detrimental effects of artificial trans fats was a severe blow to margarine brands that manufacturers were forced to react to. Most margarine brands currently marketed in Europe have changed the manufacturing process and guarantee to have minimized the production of trans fat . “Since the 1990s, partial hydrogenation has been eliminated from the margarine manufacturing process and therefore margarines today do not contain trans fat,” says Flora.
This type of unsaturated fat has been shown to be much worse for the body than saturated fat. According to the Saturated fat is not the major issue study , published in the British Medical Journal, trans fats not only increase LDL “bad” cholesterol like saturated fats, but they also lower HDL “good” cholesterol. This is confirmed by Mayo Clinic in Trans fat is double trouble for your heart health . In addition, it is suspected that trans fats could have even more harmful effects, although it has not yet been demonstrated, which is why at the moment only some countries such as Argentina, Switzerland or the United States have prohibited artificial trans fats. In the rest of the worldThey can be found at the moment in any food that the label indicates is made from vegetable fats, as in all industrial bakery products.
Butter is better than margarine
It cannot be said that one product is better than another, since both have different origins and properties and the choice will depend on the tastes and preferences of the consumer. According to the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), both foods are products rich in fats and provide important nutrients for our body.
Which one gets fatter?
Butter and margarine contain the same percentage of fat, so they are exactly the same. It is true that in Spain margarine suele is usually marketed ¾ which has 60 percent fat compared to 80 percent of most margarines. However, it is also possible to purchase low fat butters.
Which is healthier?
Margarines have less saturated fat and more mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids than butter. According to some specialists, these fatty acids help control “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and promote “good” cholesterol (HDL), so its consumption is indicated for people with hypercholesterolemia . However, other recent studies such as Association of Dietary, Circulating, and Supplement Fatty Acids With Coronary Risk ,conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, they question that unsaturated fats are better for health than saturated fats. This coupled with the possibility that margarines contain trans fat (although most brands of margarine guarantee that their recipes no longer include this component) makes some nutritionists advise people who do not have cholesterol problems to replace margarine with butter , always in a moderate way considering its high caloric level.
Which has more nutrients?
Both butter and margarine are an important source of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A , vitamin D or vitamin E. Butter, coming from milk cream , has important minerals such as calcium , phosphorous, sodium, potassium and magnesium .
Margarine has more components artificially introduced by manufacturers, however some of them can be beneficial for health like omega 3 and omega 6.
Is it necessary to give up butter and margarine to follow a balanced diet?
Although both butter and margarine are not recommended for people with obesity , arteriosclerosis or high blood pressure , the OCU is committed to a balanced consumption of both products . “Due to their high fat content, we should not consume them regularly, but neither butter nor margarine should be banished from the diet,” says the Organization of Consumers and Users. Instead, other nutritionists recommend replacing the consumption of both with olive oil, although always in moderation considering that it is a fatty product. “It is preferable to consume olive oilbefore these two products, thanks to their beneficial effects due to the composition of their healthy fat, ”says Vanessa Buitrago, specialist at the Medicadiet slimming and nutrition center .
Margarine origin
According to some stories circulating online, margarine was originally created to fatten turkeys. Myths aside, the true origin of margarine dates back to 19th century France. Napoleon III , the last monarch to have the French, offered a reward to anyone who found a cheap substitute for butter . It was the chemist Hippolyte Mége-Mouriés who came up with the recipe for oleomargarine, a by-product that would end up becoming what we know today as margarine and whose consumption spread especially in times of scarcity, such as in the Second World War.