Butter is one of the most ubiquitous ingredients in food today. And like most foods, it is harmless in moderation.
That's the problem.........Deen doesn't use it in moderation:
The "butter is bad for you" argument is an excellent example of why we shouldn't use "consensus science" as you guys are trying to do with Global Warming. For years, decades, the consensus view was that we should eat margarine instead of butter because butter would kill you.
Yes, Dr. Inode.......thanks for your words of wisdom.
Now, decades later, that has been shown to have been false. Butter is high in saturated fats, bad consensus science caused almost everyone to believe that butter was harmful. In fact, butter for a time was almost unavailable. The government got involved, actually going so far as to REQUIRE butter to be sold without food coloring in it so people could tell the difference. Idiot regulators had restaurants cutting butter pats differently than margarine (margarine diagonally, butter into rectangles) so no poor idiot would consume the wrong one by accident.
And then, it turns out butter is actually better for you than margarine, and has several important health benefits associated with it. It doesn't cause heart disease (tell your buddies at Huffpo and Daily KOS) and butter LOWERS heart risk compared to margarine.
Which spread is better for my heart — butter or margarine?
Answer from Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D.,
Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Margarine usually tops butter when it comes to heart health.
Margarine is made from vegetable oils, so it contains no cholesterol. Margarine is also higher in "good" fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated — than butter is. These types of fats help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol when substituted for saturated fat.
Butter, on the other hand, is made from animal fat, so it contains cholesterol and high levels of saturated fat.
But not all margarines are created equal. Some margarines contain trans fat. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fat it contains. So stick margarines usually have more trans fat than tub margarines do. Trans fat, like saturated fat, increases blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fat lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol levels. So skip the stick and opt for soft or liquid margarine instead.
Look for a spread with the lowest calories that tastes good to you, doesn't have trans fats and has the least amount of saturated fat. When comparing spreads, be sure to read the Nutrition Facts panel and check the grams of saturated fat and trans fat. Also, look for products with a low percent Daily Value for cholesterol.
If you have high cholesterol, check with your doctor about using spreads that are fortified with plant stanols and sterols, such as Benecol and Promise Activ, which may help reduce cholesterol levels.
mayoclinic.com |
