As a child growing up in the 1950s and ’60s you’d remember your mum using butter in everything, from cookies and cakes to lathering a thick helping onto a crunchy piece of toast. It was a staple in the kitchen cupboard and no one doubted whether it was good or bad for your health back then.
Over time though, margarine crept into the market and it didn’t take long for Aussies to ditch butter altogether. During 2011-12 there was a rise in Australians using margarine with 27 per cent of respondents in an Australian Bureau of Statistics survey claiming they consumed the spread, compared to 15 per cent who said they eat butter.
However, with the uncertainty over which is better for your health there has been yet another switch in preferences in recent years. Research compiled by company Roy Morgan found over 8.6 million Australians bought butter in an average month throughout 2018, while just 5 million bought margarine.
But the question still remains, which is the better option, butter or margarine?
A big chunk of butter on a warm piece of bread sounds delicious but, unfortunately, it’s not that great for your health. According to the Heart Foundation, butter can raise cholesterol levels which in turn, increases the risk of heart disease.
Even for a generally healthy person an excess of butter can be problematic. But it’s even more of a risk for those who already have high levels of LDL (the bad cholesterol).
Too much LDL in the body can cause plaque build-up in the arteries, which slows down or blocks the blood flow to your heart. You may experience chest pain, or in the worst cases, a heart attack.
But you shouldn’t let that scare you off butter altogether. If you eat it in moderation it’s perfectly okay. The World Health Organisation recommends a person’s diet consist of no more than 10 per cent saturated fat which works out to be 10g of saturated fat for every 100g of food eaten.
So, instead of eating 1 tablespoon of butter on your toast, aim for 1 teaspoon instead.
Unlike butter which is derived from dairy milk, which contains a lot of saturated fat, margarines can be made out of different oils. The most popular options include coconut oil, sunflower oil, olive oil and canola oil.
According to the Heart Foundation the healthiest options are those made out of olive, canola or sunflower oil as they contain a higher level of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat. These are described as healthy fats and can help to lower the risk of heart disease, decrease inflammation and even help with weight loss.
However, Evangenline Mantzioris, a lecturer in nutrition at the University of South Australia, said you should check margarine labels before making a purchase because they can be misleading.
“Using olive oil based margarines is going to contribute very very little to your daily intake of extra-virgin olive oil,” she wrote in a piece for The Conversation.
Despite margarine being labelled as being made from olive oil, it may contain only small amounts of olive oil and not be as high in monounsaturated fats as expected.
Some margarines also contain plant sterols which help to reduce cholesterol levels as well. These are naturally occurring cholesterol-like substances that are also found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and cereals.
Consuming a small amount of butter every now and then is not going to do any damage to your health. However, if you have high cholesterol and eat a lot of butter, you should consider switching to a low saturated fat margarine.
Alternatively, you can try other products which are high in healthy fats such as pure olive and canola oils, tahini, avocado and nut butters. They contain the good monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats and no trans fats meaning they won’t raise bad cholesterol levels.
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