Butter vs. margarine

Which is better? What is the difference? Here is more information about the butter vs. margarine debate.

Butter is made from cow's milk (cream) whereas margarine is made from vegetable oil. Margarine must be 80% vegetable oil, if it has less then it is considered a vegetable oil spread.

The best butter options are:
- whipped butter in a tub, because it contains more air and less calories and fat.
- light butter, which has more water and less fat and calories
- a vegetable-oil blend, which has added olive oil or canola oil. This doesn't lower the fat or calories, but provides healthy fat instead of saturated fat which helps lower cholesterol.

The worst butter option is a stick of butter.

The best margarine options are:
- light or low-fat spreads, once again because of the added water.
- butter substitute spray, they have very little fat and no cholesterol.
- soft spreads, because they have less saturated fat and usually no trans fat.

The worst margarine option is a stick of margarine with trans fat. The process of hydrogenation (which adds trans fat) keeps the vegetable oil solid at room temperature. Most solid sticks of margarine contain trans fat or if not, then saturated fat. When baking, use margarine stick with no trans fat.

Other options, such as fortified spreads or spreads with added plant sterols are still up in the air. They may have added omega-3's, but the amounts are so tiny that they may not make much difference. They are typically more expensive too.

The healthiest option may be to go "Mediterranean" and use olive oil for dipping bread and/or cooking.

It is also good to use nut butters as a spread instead of butter or margarine. They still contain fat, but at least it's healthy fat. Plus they usually have protein and a few other nutrients. Try sunflower butter, cashew butter, or almond butter for something new instead of peanut butter.

Regardless of what type of butter or margarine you use, keep your portion or serving small. Fat and calories can add up quickly when you use a larger than a tablespoon amount.

The American Heart Association recommends soft, trans-fat-free spreads instead of regular butter or stick margarine. Choose one that has the least amount of saturated fat and no trans fat. You may need to read the label to tell if it has trans fat, looks for the words "partially hydrogenated." If you see that, the spread has some trans fat, even if only a small amount, which can add up if you use more than one serving.

For more information:
Match margarine to use

Use olive, canola, corn, or safflower oil as your main kitchen fats