Comparison of Butter and Margarine

Butter vs. Margarine

When taking control of your health, you should always do research and compare the labels of foods you intend to buy and use. The following is a comparison of a popular brand of margarine with good old fashioned butter.

Margarine:

Ingredients; Liquid soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, whey, salt, vegetable mono- and diglycerides and soy lecithin (emulsifiers), potassium sorbate and sodium benzonate (to preserve freshness), artificial flavor, phosphoric acid (acidulant), vitamin A palmitate, colored with beta carotene (source of vitamin A).

Contains: Milk

Serving size; 1 Tbsp., Calories per serving; 80, Total Fat; 9g., consisting of saturated fat 2g., polyunsaturated fat 3g., monounsaturated fat 2.5g.,( where's the other 1.5g. of fat coming from?)Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 110mg, Carbohydrates 0g, Protien 0g.

Not a significant source of dietary fiber, sugars, Vitamin C, Calcium or Iron.

Butter:

Ingredients; Cream, salt. (Already sounds better)

Contains: Milk

Serving size; 1Tbsp, Calories per serving; 100, Total Fat 11g., consisting of saturated fat 7g, trans fat 0g. (again where is the other 4g of fat from), Cholesterol 30mg, Sodium 95mg, Carbohydrates 0g, Protein 0g.

If you are leaning towards a more natural choice of food items, then butter would be the better choice. Margarine if full of additives that probably aren't good for you anyway. Butter does have cholesterol, but since your brain does need some cholesterol to function properly and if you take into consideration that most people are watching their cholesterol intake from all sources, it's a safe bet that a little bit of butter is still a better choice than margarine.

Butter is more expensive than margarine, but I have found that you actually use less butter than margarine because it gives a better flavor. A little butter can go along way.