Choosing your spread: Butter emerges as the healthier option

Many people can't imagine a sandwich without a spread – most commonly, we use butter or margarine. But is that the right choice? Does margarine actually have fewer calories than butter? Which of these products is more beneficial? We'll try to explain.

The debate about the health benefits of butter and margarine has been ongoing for a long time. This is no surprise, as they are highly popular bread spreads, but not only that. Butter consists of at least 80% animal fat and provides vitamins such as A, which supports vision, E, known for its antioxidant properties, and D, which strengthens bones and teeth. Margarines are divided into soft ones, used as a butter substitute, and hard ones used for frying or baking.

Butter contains saturated fats, while margarine contains "artificial" trans fats. This is a very important difference. Both saturated and trans fats negatively affect LDL cholesterol levels while simultaneously lowering HDL levels. However, trans fats are more harmful to health than saturated ones.

Even though butter contains saturated fats, it also has short and medium-chain fatty acids. Thanks to this, the fats are not as detrimental to our body. It has been proven that butter is the healthiest and easiest to digest among all fats known to us.

And what about calorific content? In this case, the matter is not entirely clear. Margarine indeed has fewer calories, but due to the presence of trans fats, it is not a recommended substitute for butter. Trans fats are responsible for the development of dangerous diseases, including heart disease, depression, and cancers, and they also increase the risk of infertility.

The expert strongly advises against consuming margarine, regardless of age, emphasising that even with the addition of vitamins or herbs to margarines, they still do not constitute a healthy, natural choice. From a health perspective, butter is definitely the better choice.

However, many people decide to completely forgo both butter and margarine. Increasingly interesting alternatives for spreading on bread include options such as nut creams, avocado spread, or hummus.