Friday Food Face Off: Margarine vs. Butter

Not much of a contest. Butter is so much better than margarine–in colour, texture and definitely in taste!

Since Meghan describes butter as a “fabulous fat” (in small doses, of course), I’m thrilled that it is the contest winner.

Butter: An animal fat made from the churned fat/cream that rises to the top of milk if it’s left to sit.

Unlike margarine, butter contains natural fatty acids that are good for our bodies and it is a source of Vitamins A, D, E and K. And while it may be slightly higher in fat, it has the same amount of calories.

So why does the Heart and Stroke Foundation still recommend margarine over butter? “Cook with olive, canola and peanut oils (monounsaturated) or safflower, sunflower and corn oils (polyunsaturated) when cooking. Also use non-hydrogenated margarine and substitute it for butter in your recipes.”

I am not a nutritional expert, but I’m coming round to the idea that a whole food is always preferable to one that is processed, contains additives and/or preservatives.

So for me, it’s butter all the way.

Update for my regular readers: I bought some of the infamous organic Almond Butter and I am officially converted. It is currently standing upside down in my fridge!

The beautiful pic of the buttery stick is courtesy of yours truly.