Margarine – is it bad, butter or margarine and how is it made?

After red meat, gluten and eggs,  margarine  is now on the list of most controversial foods. This has led people to question whether margarine is bad or if it is a food that has its place in the diet for the maintenance of the body and health.

What is margarine?

The term is commonly used to describe vegetable fats used in place of butter .

At the time of its creation, more than two centuries ago, margarine  was used as a cheaper alternative to butter , although it was also of animal origin.

In the previous century , scientists reported a method to solidify vegetable oils, naturally liquid at room temperature.

Thus, animal fat was replaced in the original formula, making it possible to have up to 20% animal fat in “modern” margarine  .

Although it actually costs less than other butters.

It has gained a lot of space in recent decades due to campaigns by health agencies, which encouraged a reduction in the consumption of saturated fats of animal origin.

Today Margarine  is used not only by those who want to retain money, but by many individuals who believe that it is healthier than butter .

Which is healthier butter or margarine?

Butter, which is a dairy product obtained after separating cream from milk.

It is composed of 80% to 82% milk fat, 16 to 17% water and 1 to 2% milk solids. It is available as salted, sweet and reduced-fat butter.

Butter also contains saturated fats, protein, calcium and phosphorus with some essential fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D and E.

Margarine , on the other hand, is prepared from liquid vegetable oils by the hydrogenation process that saturates the fatty acids through the addition of hydrogen.

Both butter and margarine  contain approximately the same percentage of fat, nearly 70% to 80%.

They differ from each other in terms of their preparation, ingredients, taste, nutritional value and type of fatty acids.

Margarine  raises the level of low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol and reduces high-density lipoprotein or “good” cholesterol.

But not all margarines are healthy, as the amount of trans fat varies between the various types of margarine .

On the other hand, butter is produced from animal milk, such as cow, sheep, goat, yak and buffalo, by the simple mechanical process of stirring.

Contains high saturated fat and cholesterol, but no trans fats. It increases the absorption of other nutrients in food and tastes better than margarine .

Although butter is a better choice than margarine , people who are overweight or obese are generally advised not to consume butter.

Is margarine bad for health ?

Well, trans fat can harm the body, but not all margarines  have trans fatty acids in their composition.

This could mean that not all Margarine is bad for your health , right? Not exactly.

Why is margarine bad?

Margarine  is bad mainly because it has trans fat and high levels of lipids, and in addition, it can cause oxidation in our body.

It contains many additives and is a purely synthetic product compared to all-natural, nutrient-dense butter.

Consumption of margarine can lead to an increased incidence of:

• Heart diseases;
• Cancer;
• Cholesterol levels;
• Reduce the quality of breast milk;
• Decrease the immune response;
• Decrease insulin response.

The secret to margarine is to use it sparingly, which can be understood as consuming a few grams of food during the day.

How is margarine made?

Its multi-step process for food manufacturing involves the use of chemical solvent, metal catalyst, thickeners, emulsifiers, coloring agents.

In addition to a number of other chemicals that are far from making it a healthy product.

With the recent “demonization” of trans fats, many food manufacturers have been forced to turn to another mechanism to manufacture Margarine  with the same texture and flavor.

So choosing foods with fewer processing steps like butter is still a better option than choosing products that just appear to be healthier.