Butter vs margarine: who wins the fight?

Butter and margarine have been waging a silent war with regards to their position as the best consumable for individuals.

Let’s face it! The trend for low fat butter was driven by butter and it's unhealthy impact on the heart. Butter has long been a staple of our daily meals, table spreads, snacks and what not! Butter is one of those pivotal ingredients that no average Indian household can seem to do without at any cost. However, experts have been vocal about the long term cholesterol impact and health effects that arise from consuming butter in sizeable doses. This has led to a long drawn battle between both butter and margarine in terms of their position as healthy table spreads. Margarine wins the first battle when it comes to overall costs of purchase and production. Margarine is cheaper to produce and more often, it’s not regulated like the mainstream dairy industry which imposes taxes and other charges on customers.

If you’re stuck in the proverbial butter or margarine dilemma, you should definitely not go by taste alone. Butter will win on account of actual taste as it does add a special zing to several snacks, bread and other essentials. Butter has a unique taste of its own and this can never be perfectly rivaled and reproduced by artificial flavorings and imitations. However, margarine is the real winner in terms of healthy content and overall impact on the heart. Margarine contains lower amount of cholesterol and saturated fats which are present in high volumes in butter. Butter has an average of 50 grams of saturated fat for every 100 grams while the count for margarine barely crosses the 10-30 gram. Saturated fat in higher amounts is usually held responsible for heart disease and other related cardiovascular ailments. Margarine also contains several compounds like MUFA and PUFA which may also fight cholesterol, thereby helping you stay healthier and fitter for the long haul.

Margarine is thus the clear winner when it comes to good health and keeping your heart in mint condition! Also, margarine will help you come up with healthier and better low fat snacks, every time you get that sudden craving or rush. Both PUFA and MUFA are contained in Nutralite which is a better alternative in comparison to butter. This is a specialized table margarine which has cholesterol in miniscule amounts and is completely free from any hydrogenated fats. Nutralite wins over other margarine spreads for its delectable taste. This is one area where Nutralite successfully bridges the gap!

Shivani Shetty is a leading nutrition and health expert and advises contemporary individuals on making the right health and nutritional choices.

Jenni Sands is a hospitality expert and advises visitors on Dubai's accommodation options and local culture.