Butter or Margarine - which one is better for my health?

Yes, you read that right. I will explain in just a moment. But, to quickly answer your question, I would have to say, Butter is far more healthy than margarine. Though, I do know there are those who would disagree with me. There are those who would choose the latter. I don't fault them for that, nor do I say they are wrong. (That would make me look so opinionated.) -However, in my opinion, they would be just sooooooooo wrong!-

Why do you say that, Akeejaho?

Thanks for asking.

First of all, if you have ever read any of my Hubs, you might notice that I am a Naturalist. (No I don't garden in the Nude.) I do, though, lean toward a diet that is as close to Natural as possible. I have too.

Again, if you have seen any of my Hubs, you may or may not notice that I am a Bipolar. More, I control my Bipolar in a different way than most. I control it by adjusting my surroundings, my food intake, and my stress. I do not take any of the medications that are available to fight manic/depression. I find personally, the affects of the drugs, and the side effects caused by them are often times worse than the Syndrome they supposedly help to control. Worse, the combinations that some of the "Doctors" can come up with make you more like a walking bag of soup than a viable, useful human being with something to offer society at large. (Not that I do, but I do try!)

By controlling what I take in, I find I can (sometimes) lesson the twists and turns Bipolar Syndrome throws at an individual. (Except for last week!) By having peaceful surroundings, by keeping a healthy diet of good foods that are as natural as possible, and controlling the negative situations which lowers my stress, I pretty much move along one foot at a time.

Healthy food is important. Important to everyone, Bipolar or, as I term those who are not, the "Normy's". Good healthy food is the basic fuel our bodies need to function. The source for everything the body needs to produce cells, enzymes, chemicals key to our survival is found in the foods we eat. (Wow!, I sound like a nutritionist.)

With me so far?

Foods that are processed and made from something else to make something nature already has is really an amazing feat, but in my opinion, a very large waste of time, money and resources. (Kinda like Washington DC, but that's a Hub in itself.)

The human body is far more capable of breaking down natural foods than those that are processed with chemicals and whatnot. Butter is a product of those big fuzzy beasts you see out munching on grasses and stuff. You know. Umm, oh yah. Cows. While margarine is made from stuff that came from other resources. Oils and preservatives, and stuff to keep it from spoiling.

Side thought. I sorta feel jealous of future archeoligists who stumble across the ruins of one of our grocery stores. They will find a virtual feast of processed foods that will probably be ready to eat!

Butter is best in my opinion, because it is so close to nature as you can get. Especially if you purchase sweet butter. It is fresher. Salted butter is okay if you do not have to control your salt intake. But that is what the choices are. Sweet or salted. Not preservatives, no spun oils, no artificial ingredients, wrapped in wax paper and not in a plastic tub (that can make nifty cereal bowls) to further taint your foods.

If you want to remove the solids, you can render the butter down. This is called Clarifying butter. In doing so, you end up with a pure butter. The solids drop out in this process and what rises to the top is pure butter flavor, and a liquid that won't burn easily when used for sauteing foods.

How come?

Because the solids are the part of butter that burn. And by adding olive oil to the pan with an equal amount of clarified butter, you can raise the cooking temp with even less of a chance of burning, lessening the harmful oxidants which can cause cancer.

Oh.

Some say the cholesterol in butter is bad for you. What they don't tell you is that there are good cholesterals in there too. With a proper diet, this fear is lessened. I have eaten butter for years, and my counts are far below the national average. (guess I got good Genes!)

So, in answer to your question, Butter is better.

In case you need one more point if you need one. Margarine is not far orr from plastic, if you look at it from a molecular perspective. So, what do you want with your bread? Butter or plastic?

If you want to learn more about Bipolar, check out some of my other Hubs, or watch for the one I am working on now, titled "Tick..Tick..Tick...Defusing the Bipolar time bomb".