Butter vs Margarine

Which is better: butter or margarine?

Butter has 100 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 7 grams of saturated fat per tablesppoon. Healthy oils, like canola and olive oils, have similar amounts of fat and calories, but what makes butter unhealthy is the saturated fat. Saturated is a fat that you want to limit. It increases blood cholesterol levels and leads to heart disease.

There are whipped butters which is butter with air introduced into it to make it fluffier. Spreadable butters are butter with oil in it, making it easier to spread. 

Margarine is 80% fat, similar to butter. Some margarines have lower total and saturated fats, but not all.

Reading Nutrition Fact Labels is always important, but even more so when choosing a spread. Check the ingredient list for the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated.” These mean the product has trans fat, another fat you want to keep to a minimum in your diet to support heart health.

Stanol- or Sterol-containing spreads are a mixture of oils plus stanols or sterols. Stanols and sterols are plant-based compounds that are thought to reduce blood cholesterol. The nutrition content is about 70-80 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 2.5 grams of saturated fat.

When it comes down to which is better: butter or margarine, the answer is “it depends.” Products vary so greatly you have to compare the Nutrition Fact Labels to make an educated decision. Watch out for products with “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” listed under the ingredients. Also, keep track of saturated fat, the lower the better.