Which is healthier for Butter or Margerine?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by wiseowl, Jun 23, 2013.

  1. wiseowl

    wiseowl Admin Staff Member

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    Mrs Woo has said that she is only going to buy an olive oil margarine spread in future on advice from her nurse,I have Googled for an answer and to my surprise have found conflicting evidence ,the some of the establishment are now saying that butter is good and all these low fat spreads containing chemicals will cause more damage than the butter.what are your opinions please,have we been fooled or at least been misinformed by the powers to be.Thank you
     
  2. Ellen

    Ellen Total Gardener

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    I read Women's Fitness mag, and the last one did a comparison between the two. It said that butter was the best out of the two, for the reasons you've put in your post. Natural is often better :)
     
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    • Fat Controller

      Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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      My opinion is that butter should be butter - end of. Sure, butter is fully of fat etc, but surely that his the whole point?

      Its not the fat/cholesterol that is the problem - its the quantity being consumed?

      Our forefathers used to eat and cook with butter, lard and other animal fats and were nowhere near as obese or cancer-ridden as modern society is; however, moderation was also pretty much forced upon them as stuff wasn't as freely available.

      I am the same with sweeteners - can't stand the artificial stuff at all; they have a horrid after taste that I can spot at a thousand paces. Mrs C has even tried giving me one of the 'diet' drinks without telling me, and I spotted it immediately.

      If its supposed to have fat or sugar in it, then I would rather have naturally derived fat or sugar and not artificial chemicals.
       
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      • clueless1

        clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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        The thing about 'official' medical advice, when it comes to diet, is that the advice seems to me to be about 20 years behind the research (but then I'm not an expert).

        For example, take the low fat spreads, often containing 'trans fats' or hydrogenated fats. In lab conditions, they look brilliant, but the body is not designed to cope with the artificially modified fats so some of the recent research shows them to be actually worse than saturated fats that you find in natural products like butter.

        Take the modern trend (starting from the early 1980s as far as I can gather) of the 'low fat diet'. From what I've figured out from lots of reading, our bodies are evolved to have a roughly equal three way split between fat, protein and carbs. If you deviate significantly from that, then the body tries to adapt and can't work as efficiently. Take away all the fat, and apart from losing out on fat soluble vitamins, you also put your body into 'starvation mode' so no matter how much you eat, your body thinks it needs to stockpile.

        I'm not an expert at all, and to be honest I don't eat in a way that fits any advice (unless there is some research that says its best to just eat what you feel like:) ), so I'm probably not the best person to offer an opinion in these matters.
         
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        • Phil A

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          Rats won't eat Margarine, but they will eat Butter. And they are not usually fussy.
           
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          • wiseowl

            wiseowl Admin Staff Member

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            Thank you all,I have been using butter for decades and was reared on it, ,my cholesterol is 4.3. BP 130/80, still walk for miles weight is 12 stone has been for years and will continue to use butter,Mrs Woo keeps force feeding me an Actimel every morning;) But my mentality leaves a lot to be desired Mrs Woo says:heehee: Thank you all for your valuable comments:)

            PS.Zigs it probably slips down the rats throat easier:lunapic 130165696578242 5:
             
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            • **Yvonne**

              **Yvonne** Total Gardener

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              I agree with all the previous comments, the body was never designed to process trans fats which have been heated to such a high temperature the human body doesn't recognize it.
              If your Mrs has been advised to swap to lower her cholesterol, its worth understanding how the readings are read. There are two types of Cholesterol, LDL (the baddie) and HDL (the goody) and when they test your blood sample they measure both and minus one from the other. To lower your net number you can obviously eat less saturated fat but you can also increase your intake of foods such as nuts, seeds and fish which have "heart healthy" oils in them. Also exercise has proven to lower LDL in your blood too, so going for a walk after dinner isn't just good for the dog!
               
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              • Val..

                Val.. Confessed snail lover

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                I agree with what has already been said, natural is best, so butter is best.:blue thumb:

                Val
                 
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                • Phil A

                  Phil A Guest

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                  Don't know about the mentality bit Woo :biggrin:

                  You need fat, as others have said.

                  When I've run out of butter I stick some Olive oil in the freezer for half an hour to set it, you can use that as a spread then without adding anything 'orrible to it.
                   
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                  • wiseowl

                    wiseowl Admin Staff Member

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                    Good evening Yvonne,Val and Zigs thank you for all your comments they are all much welcomed and appreciated my friends,I am just going to have some home made wholemeal doorsteps(thick slices)with lots of butter on;)
                     
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                    • Phil A

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                      Cool, we been munching on homemade herb bread with lashings of butter today too:dbgrtmb:

                      Oh, sorry Woo, accidentally made you admin on GC Facebook :doh::biggrin:;)
                       
                    • miraflores

                      miraflores Total Gardener

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                      I have never thought about freezing olive oil before and use it as a spread, but it sounds like good advice.
                       
                    • Lea

                      Lea Super Gardener

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                      Butter! It's natural, tasty and yellow. :)
                       
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                      • "M"

                        "M" Total Gardener

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                        It freezes!!!????

                        Wow, you learn something new every day!
                         
                      • Madahhlia

                        Madahhlia Total Gardener

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                        I think a moderate amount of butter is perfectly healthy. As well as delicious.

                        Tastes far better than that awful marg stuff.Big business have a vested interest in making us believe it's healthier because it enables them to make big profits from the cheapest, nastiest ingredients. Only one step away from plastic in chemistry terms, is marge, I've read. Or was it the Butter Marketing Board that said that??

                        Does this mean extra-thick double cream is also now officially Good For You? I'm sure it must have loads of vitamins dissolved in it.

                        Are you quite sure you're not wilfully refusing to take the hint, FC?
                         
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