A few years ago there was that big thing about how margarine has trans fats and how it was closer to being plastic than it was to being butter. after all that my family switched to butter. even though it has more fat and calories than fake butter.
But now they have that "Trans fat free" margarine out there and I was wondering if it's safe to eat now or is eating the real thing always going to be better than eating something that's me homoginized?
Personally I like the taste of real butter. it took time to get use to but now I love the lightly sweet taste of real butter.
I haven't used butter or margarine in years. I really see no need to do so.
Butter is saturated fat and pure fat at that. It is not a heart healthy ingredient. There are margarines that are heart healthy although not every one of them is.
I recently did have a recipe that called for a margarine type ingredient and I decided to buy Earth Balance (a vegan buttery spread). I was trying to follow the recipe exactly or else I would've gone without. It was pretty good but it will basically sit in my fridge until I throw it out or give it away or find another recipe with it in it and which I want to follow exactly.
But basically I'd say it depends on your goals. I don't think butter is healthy but not everyone cares about health as a primary goal. It is caloric (100% fat) but not everyone cares about that. I personally see no real reason for butter or margarine but everyones tastes are different. I think there are other substitutes as well that can be used where butter is used for less calories and just as 'tasty'.
I am a big believer in eating *real* food in moderation. I'd much rather have 1 tsp of butter than any amount of fake butter.
But that's just me!
.
Well, I'm not so sure margarine is less real than butter. Milk goes through a process to separate out the fat and become butter. Other ingredients (olives, soy beans, etc) go through a process to separate out the fat and become 'butter like'. Other than the flavoring that may be added, which can also be naturally derived.
Although I have other reasons for not eating butter, I wouldn't think that one is really more natural than the other unless it has chemical ingredients in it.
We do eat real butter, but usually only for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. The rest of the year we don't eat butter or margarine. We just happen to not eat foods that require either one. We cook in olive oil. When we do choose butter (holidays) it's because of the flavor.
Not natural? You can put whole cream into a jar, shake it for 5 minutes, and come out with butter. What's more natural than that?
Oils have to be processed and chemical emulsifiers added in order for them to retain a solid form. Much less natural.
And I'm not sure I like the implication that anyone who eats butter doesn't care about health. You may not think butter is healthy, but I do think that in moderation, there's nothing UNhealthy about adding a little butter to your diet.
I rarely use butter (usually only when baking). I just get the real stuff. Like liking vegetables, I figure the fact I don't like buttery rice, potatoes or bread to be one of my "lucky" weight loss issues.
I use real butter in baking, for taste and tradition. In other kinds of cooking, we use olive or canola oil. Occasionally I have some butter on bread for a treat, but it's really, really occasional. (I prefer to have my treat fats in the form of avocado, or some mayonnaise in a homemade salad dressing.)
I am a big believer in eating *real* food in moderation. I'd much rather have 1 tsp of butter than any amount of fake butter.
But that's just me!
It's not just you. I have no problems with a small amount of real butter, when I want it. It adds flavor for an acceptable amount of calories. I feel the same way about real sugar. I'd rather have a little of the real thing, than a lot of the artificial.
There's something about the taste of butter. This sounds gross, but it's definitely one thing I could overdo. I can't get enough. I'd rather have it any day over a chemically made spread. However, despite my affirmation for the creamy treat, I can only recall maybe using it a total of 3 times in the past few months. I consider that one of my biggest NSV's!
And I'm not sure I like the implication that anyone who eats butter doesn't care about health. You may not think butter is healthy, but I do think that in moderation, there's nothing UNhealthy about adding a little butter to your diet.
.
I'd say that someone who eats butter doesn't care that it isn't healthy versus other options that are healthier. Also, from the original post, margarine was given up because it had trans fats which are worse than saturated fats but saturated fats are worse than other types of fats. So if someone cares purely about how healthy an item is compared to other similar items, then they would probably avoid the less healthy item.
I just saw this really great lecture on you tube about food and marketing. There was a doctor by the name of Dr. Gassow who said this.
"I prefer butter to margarine because I trust the cows more than the chemist." This is why I am off of anything artifical.
And I also believe something natural in moderation is much better for me than an equal amount of processed food. I'm not disparaging anyone else's choices, just stating my own preferences and what I know works for me.
I'd rather eat unsalted butter than low-fat butter any day. Both of the following taken from the Land O Lakes website:
I just saw this really great lecture on you tube about food and marketing. There was a doctor by the name of Dr. Gassow who said this.
"I prefer butter to margarine because I trust the cows more than the chemist." This is why I am off of anything artifical.
Cows don't create butter. There's nothing "natural" about it. I may not trust chemists, but I certainly don't trust the dairy industry to recommend or sell healthy foods to me.
Real Butter Vs. Fake Butter.
