We have all heard of how harmful butter can be to health. It’s high saturated fat content increases cholesterol and poses a risk to heart health. It’s also high in calories.

Those that don’t feel good about including butter in their diet may prefer margarine. Margarine was invented in 1896 by a French chemist when fats and oils were scarce in Western Europe. It was originally an animal fat extract, but today it’s made with a variety of vegetable oils.

So is margarine better than butter? Read on to find out.

How Did the Butter-Margarine Debate Begin?

Butter has long been a favorite in American diets. But in the early 90’s, it became the enemy. People were increasingly fat-phobic and shied away from the high calorie product.

When information came out stating that butter was also bad for heart health, it fueled the fire. Many people switched to margarine, which had lower saturated fat, as nutritionists suggested. But then it was found that while margarines had less saturated fat than butter, older margarines had high levels of trans fats increasing the risk of a heart attack or heart disease.

Furthermore, there was really never any scientific evidence stating that margarine was a better choice than butter.

The State of the Margarine Butter Debate Today

Today, butter remains on the list of things not to eat if you want to stay healthy. Margarine is a little more of a gray area.

Older margarines that are made with trans fats should be avoided. But newer margarines that are made with vegetable oil and are low in saturated fat, high in unsaturated fat, and free of trans fats can be okay to eat in moderation.

Experts advise that you look on product labels to determine how nutritious the product is and how many saturated and trans fats it contains.

Is Butter Back?

There have been reports that butter may be back on the list of things to include in your diet as it provides certain benefits. For example, it is a good source of conjugated linoleic acid which may have cancer fighting properties, help reduce body fat, and improve immunity. It also contains butyrate a type of fat that may decrease inflammation, improve digestive health, and support weight control.

However, butter is still high in saturated fat and calories. Overall, researchers are saying it is a food to continue avoiding.

What’s the Best Solution?

The best solution may be to avoid butter and margarine completely. Instead, choose olive oil and vegetable oil-based spreads that contain mono- and polyunsaturated fats. If you are trying to lower cholesterol, stanol-based spreads may be your best option.

Now you know the downlow on the margarine vs. butter debate. While margarine was once considered a healthy alternative to butter, it now seems that it all depends on the type of margarine you choose. Which product do you prefer to spread on your bread?