If you’re determined to lead a healthier lifestyle, one of the most important things to do is to always watch what you eat. The goal is to make the healthiest choices of foods as much as you can.
While certain choices are simpler (sugar is bad, veggies are good) others are a little more complicated. And today, we’ll be looking at two products that seem similar but are actually quite different – butter and margarine. Which do you think is better for your health?
For margarine to be made, the oil must be hardened first. This process is achieved by the hydrogenation of the vegetable oil at a very high temperature. This process creates trans fatty acids, man-made acids that can cause you harm.
Research has shown that trans fats lead to such health issues as obesity, diabetes, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and increased risk of colon cancer. So yup, margarine sounds pretty bad. But is butter any better?
Yes. When comparing the two, butter is the healthier option. It contains a lot of healthy saturated fats which is actually good for you. Additionally, butter contains short and medium chain fats, which are metabolized differently from other fats. They help keep you full for longer and even increase fat burning.
One study actually examined the effects of butter and margarine on cardiovascular disease and it turns out that margarine does put you at an increased risk while butter has no effect at all.
In fact, another study showed that butter does the opposite. This is because it contains Vitamin K2 and high-fat dairy which actually reduces the risk of heart diseases.
So there you have it. You now know that when given the choice, butter is a healthier option than margarine. In fact, making it a part of your diet can be a good thing.
