Which Is The Healthiest Margarine?

— polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These types of fats help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol when substituted for saturated fat.

Margarine is often touted as the lower fat alternative to butter, which makes it a lot healthier. Nowadays, the argument for fat is about as heated as the butter debate. Butter was thought to be unhealthy because it was so high in saturated fats.

Margarine is often recommended as a heart-healthy replacement for butter. Butter is a natural food made from milk, while margarine is a processed food made from chemically altered vegetable oils.

The 5 Best Substitutes for Margarine

1. Olive Oil. Olive oil is an excellent substitute for margarine when you are cooking.
2. Coconut Oil. Coconut Oil is also an excellent substitute for margarine because of its flavour in dishes that you cook.
3. Peanut Butter. Peanut butter is a creamy and smooth alternative to margarine, used in many foods.

Why is margarine worse than butter? Butter contains a lot of artery-clogging saturated fat, and margarine contains an unhealthy combination of saturated and trans fats, so the healthiest choice is to skip both of them and use liquid oils, such as olive, canola and safflower oil, instead. How is margarine made and how is butter made?

Which is better, butter or margarine?

View Work. Margarine is better for managing cholesterol levels than butter. Image Credit: Mizina/iStock/GettyImages. When it comes to matters of health, margarine usually wins out over butter any day.

Additionally, it contains zero trans fat. Smart Balance margarine items are, instead, chock-full of good-for-you omega-3s, vitamins, calcium and protein. And Smart Balance doesn’t just stick to butter alternatives. Among the company’s other products is a flax-oil-infused peanut butter for a heart-healthy sandwich spread.

A lot goes into the creation of margarine, from a process designed to make it solid to the use of additives, emulsifiers and colors to give it that buttery feel. In short, margarine is a highly processed food product. Advertisement. Read more: Butter Substitutes to Improve Cholesterol.

When it comes to healthy margarine, Smart Balance may come to mind. With no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, Smart Balance may be one of the best cholesterol-reducing margarine brands on the market. Additionally, it contains zero trans fat.

Plant-Based Margarine. Made with plant stanol ester, Benecol margarines are proven to lower cholesterol levels , according to the company’s website. Often found in corn and rye, plant sterols and margarine with plant sterols work by partially blocking the intake of cholesterol by the gut, so less is absorbed into your bloodstream.

What is the best butter for weight loss?

Yogurt butter is a blend of nonfat yogurt, vegetable oils (soybean, palm, palm kernel and canola) and water. Low-fat and lowest in calories, it can help you with weight loss. 5. Margarine- 60 to 100 calories with 0.5 to 2 grams of saturated fat in one tablespoon.

Otherwise, choose a butter olive oil blend which provides 2.3 grams of saturated fat for 1 tablespoon if you would like more volume. Keep in mind all other butter blends or margarines contain unhealthy plant oils and additives such as food coloring, fillers and gums.

Many stick margarines may contain trans fat, so tubs are usually better. For heart health, try brushing your bread or toast with olive oil. Become an expert label reader at the grocery store and always check ingredients on the label. Be aware that even margarine that’s advertised with zero trans fat may contain up to 0.5 grams.

Policy. “Sure, butter is creamy and spreadable, but it provides a significant source of saturated fat which in excess can lead to elevated blood cholesterol,” says preventive cardiology dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD. “Margarine, made from plant-based fats and oils, is supposedly heart-healthier. However, not all margarine is created equal.

What is margarine made of?

So what is margarine actually? “Margarine is a semi-solid emulsion made of water and vegetable oil, ” Samara explains. “So unlike butter that’s made from milk fat, margarine is made from vegetable fats and it can contain some milk ingredients.”.

Andrea agrees that the texture is smooth, but says the taste is a little salty – although both taste testers agree there isn’t an overpowering olive flavour. “Consumers may be confused, because as you can see there’s a whole bunch of different kinds of margarines on the market with different property,” Samara explains.

Margarine is higher in “good” fats – polyunsaturated and monounsaturated – than butter. “They’re all unsaturated fats so they’re all healthy, from that perspective,” Samara says. “I think it’s just really based on your personal taste, which ever you like better.”.