Which is healthier: butter or margarine?

GREENVILLE, SC (WSPA) – Butter and margarine are both popular spreads, but what’s the difference between the two? Also, which one is healthier?

In this week’s Ask the Expert, we spoke to a nutritionist who breaks it down.

Butter and margarine – different origins, ingredients and effects on your health.

“Butter and margarine both contain about the same amount of fat…just the types of fat are different.”

Brianna Grande, registered dietitian, Bon Secours St. Francis

Brianna Grande, a nutritionist, says that butter made from cow’s milk is usually higher in saturated fat.

“It’s the type of fat that we want to limit in our diet because it’s been linked to an increased risk of heart disease,” he says.

Grande says margarine is not an animal product and has less saturated fat.

Margarine is made from vegetable oils that have higher amounts of unsaturated fats, or harder, heart-healthy fats, Grande said.

According to Grande, it’s important to limit saturated fat in your diet, and using margarine instead of butter can help you do that.

I would say less saturated fat is recommended if you have heart disease or pre-existing heart disease. So, you really should watch it. Even having one tablespoon of butter gives you about seven grams of saturated fat, and we want to limit that to between 10 and 15 grams per day.

Brianna Grande, registered dietitian, Bon Secours St. Francis

The downside to margarine is that it’s highly processed, so a better option than margarine or butter is to use olive oil or avocado oil when cooking, or use vegetable butter, Grande says.

“These have monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are heart-healthy fats,” she says. They can actually be linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and can potentially help lower cholesterol.

Too much butter in your diet can contribute to cholesterol and plaque build-up in your arteries over time, which can ultimately lead to heart disease, says Grande.

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