Butter vs Margarine

I'm not in favour of consuming anything artificial. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that everyone has to go organic, but I'm a strong believer in the phrase "You are what you eat". So, if you're eating a lot of stuff that is man-made, it's pretty obvious to me that you're setting yourself up for some long-term health problems. One of the big debates that I've heard about is the one between margarine and butter. In fact, this has been going on since I was a kid. Back then, everyone derided the fat and cholesterol content of butter - implicitly saying that margarine was much healthier. I kind of bought into it myself - partly because I could order "roti planta" without feeling guilty! But a few years back, I realized that margarine wasn't natural.

So, I've compiled some facts about both butter and margarine. Before I go on, you'll want to check this out yourself because this is unreferenced material.

Point 1: Do you know the difference between margarine and butter?

• Both have the same amount of calories;
• 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 the 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've been added(!);
• For most people, butter tastes better than margarine, and it can enhance the flavours of other foods (the best margarine can do is claim that it tastes just like butter); and
• Butter has been around for a long time, whereas margarine has only been around for less than 100 years.

Point 2: Some disturbing facts about margarine

• Very high in trans fatty acids (KFC is being sued in the US for this);
• Triples the risk of coronary heart disease;
• Increases total cholesterol and LDL (the bad cholesterol);
• Lowers HDL cholesterol (the good kind);
• Increases the risk of cancers by up to five fold;
• Lowers quality of breast milk;* Decreases immune response; and
• Decreases insulin response (diabetes runs in my family).

Most damaging, however, is the fact that margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being plastic! This is because it's hydrogenated - meaning that hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance. I haven't tried this out myself, but if you take some margarine and leave it in a shaded area for a few days, it won't rot! I mean, not even pesky fruit flies will go near the stuff - simply because it's nearly plastic. Would you melt your plastic containers and spread it all over your toast?"

But, like I said, I'm no expert, and I compiled these "facts" over a period of time. So, you should talk to someone who is an expert and see if they're true. My point, however, is that you don't need to check any facts with butter - which has been consumed for centuries - that says a lot in itself.

The above information was made available by a friend and you can subscribe for other similar and interesting articles by sending a mail to ccp@kailife.com. In the meantime, I will continue to post other interesting information that I come across on a regular basis.