Something Different: What's Better, Butter or Margarine?

Good morning and happy cooking day to you. Today is all about butter or margarine and which is better for good health.

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making and pan frying. Butter consists of butterfat, milk proteins and water. Butter comes salted and unsalted in many forms such as in a bar, stick or tub.
You can even buy it whipped or not.

I buy a lot of butter when I buy butter. I get both salted and unsalted butter (now that I am officially a "taught" cook:)

I use the sweet salted butter as a condiment, and I use the unsalted butter for cooking. Using unsalted butter allows me to control the amount of "salt" I add to food in the prep stage. I keep the butter I am not using in the freezer.
I store our everyday sweet butter cold in the refrigerator. I have a real nice dish that I got from my daughter Kim. It has a lid and matches our dishes. It looks real nice when I move the butter dish (lid on) to the table and serve it with bread.

Butter is made from animal fat, so it contains cholesterol and high levels of saturated fat. Also, salt, flavorings and preservatives are sometimes added to butter.

Did you know that butter is manufactured from the milk of cows, as well as sheep, goats and buffalo. Huh?

Is Butter Better than Margarine?

Margarine is an alternative many choose. But… not all margarines are created equal. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, some margarines are worse than butter. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fat it contains — so stick margarines usually have more trans fat than do tub margarines. Like saturated fat, trans fat increases blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

Healthy and Smart Butter Choice

I buy Smart Balance Butter, which is a spread — NOT margarine. It has a rich buttery taste, and it is a lot better for my health. It actually improves the ratio of HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL, the bad. It has no hydrogenated oils and no trans fat. It's an excellent source of Omega 3,Vitamins D, B6 and B12… and it's gluten free. It's a real winner. Yea! I love it.

If you love the look and taste of butter on your food, be sure to weigh your choice to the impact on your health.

Thanks for following my blog.