“I have heard a lot of controversy lately about whether butter or margarine is healthier. Which is the healthier choice?” ~ Amy
Great Question Amy; thank you so much for asking! The short answer is organic, grass-fed butter is healthier. Traditional margarine/shortening is made by the process of hydrogenation; the process of turning a liquid oil into a solid by extreme heat, pressure and a nickel catalyst. This type of fat is very dangerous and inflammatory, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, depression, infertility and other serious health risks. Trans fats, hydrogenated fats and partially hydrogenated fats are the type of fat you want to strictly avoid.
The part where many people get confused- and who can blame them- is that non-hydrogenated spreads/butter substitutes are unhealthy too. While they are heavily marketed as being heart healthy the opposite is actually true. Recent meta-analysis has concluded that replacing saturated fats (like butter) with oils high in omega 6 (margarine, non-hydrogenated spreads, and corn, soy, canola, sunflower, safflower and cottonseed oils) increases the risk of heart disease and death by all causes. This is not surprising, since heart disease rates have steadily climbed since we have been eating more of these heavily processed and inflammatory oils. For more information on the real healthy fats and why, check out this article.
So does that mean that we should all start eating tons of butter on everything? No. But some organic, grass-fed butter in moderation is fine for most people, especially if you mix it 50-50 with a high quality first cold pressed extra virgin olive, avocado or flax oil. Mixing the two also makes a great “spreadable” butter straight from the fridge, making it a convenient and healthy choice.
Looking for a vegan or dairy-free alternative? I would recommend either keeping a small covered amber glass container of first cold pressed extra virgin olive or avocado oil in the fridge (it will harden into a semi-solid spreadable “butter”), use pure cold pressed coconut oil (not virgin) as it doesn’t have a strong coconut taste or mix the two together just like the spreadable butter and olive oil mixture.
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