Butter - Which is better, butter or margarine?
The one you choose can influence heart health by impacting your dietary cholesterol level.
Butter is high in both saturated fat and cholesterol. Both have been shown to raise total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the one that gunks up the arteries and can lead to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke).
Keeping saturated fat to less than 10 percent of total calories and trans fats as low as possible are part of translating the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Replacing butter, lard, solid shortening and hard stick margarine with unsaturated fats of vegetable origin will help. If it comes in a tub, it is likely to be less saturated than a stick. Read the ingredient list and look for oils like olive, canola, sunflower and soy.
"Light” versions of margarines (or butter blends) have been whipped with water and may not perform well in recipes – they may also leave your toast soggy.
For more information, check out: http://eatright.org/ada/files/DIETARY_FATS.pdf |
