Mailbag! The Great Butter Debate SOLVED

Dear Living Well Daily Reader,

You’ve got questions…

We’ve got answers!

We get lots of food questions in the mailbag, but there’s been one that comes up again and again — which is better, butter or margarine?

So today, we are dedicating this reader mail segment to resolving the Great Butter Debate. Plus, we will give you a few tips on how to select a heart-healthy spread.

Let’s dive in…

The Great Butter Debate: Cows vs. Chemicals

Hi Natalie,

For many years, I’ve been eating margarine because the labels say “heart healthy.” However, recently, I’ve heard that it’s made from pretty dangerous ingredients. Is butter actually healthier than margarine? If so, do you know what kind I should be buying?

Thanks,

Etta S.

Thanks for the great question, Etta. Many readers have questions about butter and margarine.

Let’s start by defining them.

Butter is a dairy product made by churning milk or cream. Eventually, the fatty solids will separate from the liquid. These fatty solids are butter, and the liquids are buttermilk. This means butter has only one natural ingredient. If it’s salted butter, then it will have two natural ingredients.

Margarine was designed to be a cheap butter replacement and is often made from GMO soybean oil and other cheap oils like canola or palm oil.

But the bad news doesn’t end there… since these oils are typically liquid at room temperature, margarine is often hydrogenated. This process turns these already not-so-healthy oils into even more dangerous trans fats.

Trans fats can raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol and significantly lower your HDL (good) cholesterol. Plus, even though some margarines are trans fat free, they’re still full of chemicals like emulsifiers, artificial flavors and colorants. Most margarines contain around 10 ingredients.

So just by comparing ingredients, it looks like butter is the better choice. But you’ve probably heard it’s terrible for your heart because of its high levels of cholesterol and saturated fats.

Well, there are a few studies that prove that’s simply not true…

Recent research shows that eating saturated fats or cholesterol won’t affect your cholesterol levels. In fact, these two natural fats can increase your good cholesterol and even change your bad cholesterol to a harmless type of fat that isn’t linked to heart disease.

But not all butter is created equal.

Conventionally raised dairy cows are given hormones and antibiotics, are fed grains and are frequently milked. All of these factors can lead to less nutritious dairy products.

That’s why it’s important to look for butter from grass-fed cows. Not only is it much more nutritious than butter from grain-fed cows, but it’s also rich in vitamin K2 and omega-3 fatty acids. Both of these nutrients are vital for heart health and may even prevent heart issues. While grass-fed organic butter is optimal, it’s not always easy to find.

Organic Valley Pasture Butter is one brand that is both grass-fed and organic. If you can’t find that, Kerrygold is at least grass-fed, though it’s not organic.

Organic butter that’s not grass-fed is your next best choice. For a dairy product to be labelled organic, the USDA requires that the cows be put on pasture for the grazing season a minimum of 120 days per year. Farmers also have to have a pasture management plan in place to protect the fields, soil and water quality. Any supplemental feed must be organic and non-GMO, and the cows cannot be given antibiotics or growth hormones.

Most grocers offer at least one type of organic butter.

Last, there’s conventional grain-fed butter. While this is in last place for butter options since it might can contain milk from grain-fed cows that were given antibiotics and hormones, it still beats margarine by a landslide.

So when given the choice, always choose cows over chemicals.

Do you have any health questions you want answered? Drop me a line nmoore@lfb.org

Live well,

Natalie Moore
Managing editor, Living Well Daily

Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: nmoore@lfb.org – and click here to like us on Facebook.


Sources

[1] Butter vs Margarine – Why I Trust Cows More Than Chemists

[2] How To Survive The Supermarket

[3] Guidelines for Organic Certification of Dairy Livestock

Natalie Moore

Written By Natalie Moore

Natalie Moore is a dedicated health researcher with a passion for finding healthy, natural, and science-based solutions. After a decade of direct healthcare experience in western and natural medicine, she was involved in public health research before joining Living Well Daily.

View More Free Articles

Olive Oil Compound WOWS Researchers

Olive oil has been getting some well-deserved attention the last few years. So it would be easy to assume that the golden oil’s status as a health food was recently earned. But the truth is, olive oil has been considered a healthy staple in the human diet since it was first developed 600 years ago....

Read This

NEW Medicinal Mushroom Benefit UNCOVERED

I’m a big fan of medicinal mushrooms. Almost everyone has eaten a standard mushroom on a pizza or in a spaghetti sauce, of course. But most folks have yet to experience medical mushrooms’ power to improve our health. Medicinal mushrooms are already used to treat heart, liver, and brain conditions. They can boost the immune...

Read This

[SENIORS] Cellular GLITCH Discovered?!

Aging isn’t for sissies, that’s for sure. But hey, I always remind myself the alternative is FAR worse! Besides, when you sit back and take stock, you’ll realize that a life well lived – like your own – is something to be proud of. But those accomplishments, unfortunately, don’t reduce your risk of suffering the...

Read This

Overlooked Diabetes Risk Drives Up Blood Sugar

If you’re concerned about diabetes, you’ve probably done your research. You likely focused on all the common problem areas to ward off rising blood sugar: the grocery store… the gym… and the bathroom scale. And those ARE all great places to start! Eating better, exercising, and losing weight can go a long way toward bringing your...

Read This

Boredom BUSTING Hack Keeps You Sane AND Healthy

This time of year, I start to feel a little stir-crazy. Cabin fever sets in as I tire of the cold and snow. And I start thinking about the warmer weather that’s right around the corner (but still feels SO far away). You see, I enjoy walking, hiking, and running outside. It’s good for both...

Read This

Loneliness Linked to THIS Startling Side Effect

Before the pandemic, we didn’t talk much about being lonely. But when the virus locked us down in our homes, the issue of isolation could no longer be ignored. Some of us were experiencing that kind of loneliness for the first time. But the truth is social isolation has ALWAYS been a common problem for...

Read This

MAILBAG: Ease Prostate Problems NATURALLY

“Are there any natural solutions for an enlarged prostate?” -Mike from Summerville, South Carolina Hi Mike, There are many things you can do to improve your prostate health. Eating better is the first step. This means loading up on nutritious foods, including plenty of fresh organic vegetables and lean meats. (And yes, that DOES mean...

Read This

Ditch Depression WITHOUT Drugs

You think that when you reach “your golden years,” you won’t have much to worry about anymore. After all, many of life’s major stressors, like work, kids, and relationships, are pretty much settled by the time you hit your sixties. So why the heck are we all so darned depressed then?! According to a recent...

Read This

The Ovarian Cancer Risk You NEVER Saw Coming

Cancer research is nothing new. In fact, we’ve been studying this killer since the 1800s. Yet despite all that investigating, there’s still so much we DON’T know. That’s why each time we reach a new milestone in our understanding of cancer, it should be celebrated. And a recent study has helped us make another large...

Read This

Weird Supermarket Secret BEATS Sunburn

In the winter, we tend to ignore the importance of protecting our skin from the sun’s powerful rays. But where I live, in Colorado, I see many folks come down from the ski areas with “raccoon eyes.” This happens when skiers’ faces burn, but the areas around their eyes remain pale because they wear goggles....

Read This