Margarine or butter? - Did you know....?

akbutterfly83 wrote: Do you know the differences between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...it gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at
8 grams compared to 5 grams.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women
by 53% over eating the same amount of butter,
according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption
of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine
has a few - only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine
and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where
margarine has been around for less than 100 years.



And now! , for Margarine...

Very high in trans fatty acids...

Triple the risk of coronary heart disease..

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (the bad cholesterol)
Lowers the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) ....

Increases the risk of cancers by up to five fold...

Lowers quality of breast milk...

Decreases immune response...

Decreases insulin response.

And here is the most disturbing fact....
HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE
away from being PLASTIC..

This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding
margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated
(this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular
structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:
Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in
your garage or some other shaded area.

In a couple of days you will note a couple of things:
No flies, not even those pesky fruit flies, will go near it
(that should tell you something right there)
It does not rot or smell differently.
Because it has no nutritional value, nothing will grow on it.
Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a
home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic.

Would you melt your Tupperware
and spread that on your toast?

akbutterfly83 replied: I think I'm gunna keep buying butter.....

Des replied:

mammag replied: What I found.....



(10/10/2003) It seems like each week we receive an important notice about our health that contradicts what we've long taught about the things we eat. One week butter's bad for you, the next it's good. Misinformed chain-letters like this one illustrate why you should never rely on anonymously authored and randomly forwarded for health advice.
SAMPLE CHAIN LETTER TEXT

BUTTER VERSES MARGARINE

DID YOU KNOW... The difference between margarine and butter?

Both have the same amount of calories Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter according to a recent Harvard Medical Study

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods Butter has many nutrional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added! Butter tastes much better then margarine and it can enhance the flavours of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less then 100 years Now for Margarine... very high in Trans Fatty Acids Triple risk of Coronary Heart Disease Increases total and LDL ( this is the bad cholesterol) Lowers HDL cholesterol * and this is the good one Increases the risk of cancers by up to five fold. Lowers quality of breast milk. Decreases immune response. Decreases insulin response.

And here is the most disturbing fact....

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE from being PLASTIC...

( this fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated , this means hydrogen is added changing the molecular structure of the food )

YOU can try this yourself, purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area, within a couple of days you will note a couple of things, no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it,( that should tell you something) it does not rot, smell differently...Because it has no nutritional value, nothing will grow on it, even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow...Why? because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Yuck!

END CHAIN LETTER TEXT



What you're looking at above is not a coherent essay written by a single, knowledgeable author. It is actually a compilation of facts and opinions from many unidentified sources. As with most chain letters, the truth often is not compelling enough and gains widespread appeal only after sensational and questionable information is tacked on.





It is true that a 1994 Harvard University study, as well as research from other credible sources have concluded that a diet high in Trans Fat doubles the chance for heart attack and decreases life expectancy. While trans fats can occur naturally, they are most commonly associated with chemical preservative techniques. Hydrogenation is one of these techniques and health experts recommend that you limit your intake of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated foodstuffs as much as possible.

While butter and Margarine may indeed have similar caloric values, butter generally ranks higher in saturated fat, which is also known to be detrimental to heart health. Margarines differ from brand to brand, but are lower in saturated fat, and contain small amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (which are generally considered healthier than saturated). Furthermore, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, switching to margarine from butter can greatly reduce blood cholesterol levels.

The final argument in the letter above is what has make it so popular, but is also the farthest from reality and preys on the lay man's general ignorance of chemistry. It is not true that margarine is "but ONE MOLECULE from being PLASTIC." Many items in nature are chemically similar to one another, but that doesn't make them similar in appearance or effect. For instance hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is "but one molecule from" water (H2O), but I don't recommend drinking it. Similarly, Ozone (03) is "but one molecule from" oxygen (O2), but the former can create serious respiratory distress, while the latter can alleviate it.

The "plastic" outrage has been added as the chain circulates and is total bunk, but is unfortunately what appeals to most readers. This is one reason why BreakTheChain.org recommends strongly against relying upon or forwarding health advice via e-mail chain letters. The medium is simply too unreliable. Please break this chain.

Boys r us replied: LOL...wonder about I can't believe it's not butter? That's what we eat!

gr33n3y3z replied: We use SmartBalance

jcc64 replied: Have had this conversation many times in my family, as we have a strong genetic predisposition to both heart disease and high cholesterol, as does a large chunk of the American population. It's still the #1 cause of death here.
What I can tell you is stick margarine is supposed to be horrendous, primarily b/c of the hydrogenation. Partially hydrogenated ANYTHING is bad, bad, bad. Read your labels, guys, it's in most processed foods.
Tub margarine is a better choice, but you have to read the label, and know what to look out for. My personal favorite is called Soy Garden. It's non-hydrogenated and contains no trans fats. It's made from a blend of soy, palm, and olive oil, and contains crushed soybeans (although it looks and tastes just like butter). 1 tablsp has 100 calories and 11 grams of fat. Still not great, but far better than butter for people who care about cholesterol.
I always look to substitute olive oil for either butter or margarine wherever possible.

My2Beauties replied: Man oh man! I just eat plain' ol Country Crock butter! LOL!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I use OLIVE OIL on foods...BUTTER when baking. No margarine in this house.

iluvmysweetiepies replied: We use Smart Balance margarine. It has no trans fatty acids and no hydrogenated oil.

DansMom replied: I love butter! With Daniel's milk protein allergy it's not an option for our family until he outgrows it. I buy Earth Balance margarine from the health food store. It's a tub margarine, with no hydrogenated oils, no GMOs and no trans-fatty acids. It's made with olive, canola and soy oils. We also use olive oil on a lot of things.

redchief replied: Sorry... I find this misleading and feel the need to debunk this continuously circulating email... again.

From: http://experts.about.com/q/767/3201745.htm:

Alex Avery
Hudson Institute
Center for Global Food Issues says:

... The statements on margarine being one molecule away from plastic is funny: sugar is also one molecule away from plastic -- and only a half a molecule away from wood (cellulose, from which several plastics are made)...

The trans-fat hype is wrong. It's not nearly as harmful/detrimental as the email says.


To further debunk this silly chain letter go here:
http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/margarine.html