Making the case for margarine – can it be a healthful choice?

Making the case for margarine – can it be a healthful choice?

The long-standing and continued debate over whether margarine is good or bad for us still lingers on.  And most likely will stretch out over years to come.  But for right now, let’s explore whether margarine has a place at our dinner tables or not.  Let’s ask ourselves without getting overly heated on the issue can margarine be a healthful choice in cooking and adding flavor to our foods?

What is margarine?

Margarine was invented in France by Hippolyte Mege-Mouries in 1869, during the France-Prussian wars.  The French government held a competition to see who could come up with a cheap and stable substitute for butter allowing soldiers in the war to have available an inexpensive source of food energy.  Butter was expensive, hard to come by, and spoiled quickly.  Mege-Mouries won the contest and the world of fat has never been the same.

Ever since that French contest, margarine has been a butter substitute.  Margarine is an imitation butter spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking and can be found in both a stick form or in a tub.  This non-dairy, fill-in for butter has as its primary ingredient vegetable oils that are emulsified with a liquid, usually water and sometimes milk. 

Why is it often considered bad for us?

In recent years, margarine has gotten a bad rap because it used to contain high amounts of artery-clogging saturated fats and unhealthy trans fats from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.  Both saturated and trans fats should be limited because of their link to increasing heart disease. 

In the past few years, trans fats are slowly and methodically being removed from the U.S. food supply from most foods that have used trans fats in the past.  Many food manufacturers have been reformulating recipes to remove partially hydrogenated oils which also remove trans fats, but the process does not necessarily remove saturated fats.

Not all margarines are created equal

Take a walk down a grocery store aisle containing margarine and you’ll be amazed at the number to choose from.  There are many, many forms of margarine and depending on which you use or choose, makes a difference in how healthful they may or may not be.

Margarines can be found in the following forms: Hard (sold in stick form and in tubs), soft, whipped, liquid, and “spray.”  Depending on which form margarine is in, impacts the fat makeup.

Let’s start with stick margarine.  Many of us use stick margarine in baking cookies, cakes, or some quick breads.  Stick margarine however, is higher in unhealthy saturated fat.  The harder and more solid margarine is at room temperature like stick margarine, the higher the saturated fat content will be.

Softer tub margarine that is easily spreadable unlike stick margarine has a lower content of saturated fat.  In general, the softer the margarine, the less saturated fat it contains.  Sprays or liquid margarines have the least amount of saturated fat, if any. 

Do note that manufacturers are allowed to claim “zero” saturated fats when the product states on the Nutrition Facts Label that it contains less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat per serving.  But to know for sure if any saturated fat is present in margarine, take a look at the ingredient list looking for sources of saturated fats such as palm or palm kernel oil.

How does margarine compare to butter?

When making a comparison between margarine and butter, the stick forms have some similarities – each have approximately 100 calories and 11 grams of total fat per serving which is one tablespoon.  However, when comparing the content of saturated fat and cholesterol, a serving of stick margarine is the better choice over butter – stick margarine has no cholesterol (butter has 30 milligrams; cholesterol is only found in foods of animal origin), and 2 grams of saturated fat versus 7 grams found in butter.

Some stick margarines have as low as 60 calories and only 7 grams of total fat per serving.  Some of the softer and “light” margarines can be even lower in calories and total fat due to the incorporation of air such as “whipped” margarines or also water. 

Margarines are also now being fortified with various nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds such as plant stanols to lower cholesterol.  Even flax and olive oil are being added to margarines to improve their nutritional profile.

How to choose heathier margarines

When trying to make heads or tails as to which margarine to buy, here are some tips on choosing healthier margarines:

·      Look for margarines with less than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving

·      Find margarines that are lower in total fat and calories (whipped, “light,” or soft spreads), but keep in mind they may not work in baking recipes

·      Try margarines fortified with nutrients, like calcium and vitamin D, if these are a concern for you

·      Choose a soft tub margarine with liquid vegetable oil as the first fat ingredient

·      Choose a margarine that lists zero trans fats in the label’s Nutrition Facts Label and has no listing of “partially hydrogenated fat” in the ingredient list

·      Consider choosing a specialty margarine containing plant substances called stanols and /or sterols.  Studies show that food supplemented with at least 2 grams of these substances can help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol by 5% to 15% in 2 to 4 weeks

·      Like with any food, don’t overdo it with margarine.   All margarines contain calories and fat so a little can go a long ways.