Margarine may contain trans fat, which raises LDL (bad) cholesterol, lowers HDL (good) cholesterol and makes blood platelets stickier, increasing heart disease risk. Margarine containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils contain trans fats and should be avoided.
Flora has less saturated fat than butter. All around the world, health experts recommend that you should reduce your intake of saturated fats and eat more 'good fats' that is, Omega 3 and 6, which help to maintain normal cholesterol levels. Flora is made with nutritious seed oils that are packed with Omega 3 and 6.
Butter contains a lot of artery-clogging saturated fat, and margarine contains an unhealthy combination of saturated and trans fats, so the healthiest choice is to skip both of them and use liquid oils, such as olive, canola and safflower oil, instead.
Margarines are made with a combination of monoglycerides and lecithin, and cake mixes with a mixture of monoglycerides and propylene glycol monoesters.
Since margarine has a variable but high trans fat level, the consumption of margarine may lead to an increased incidence of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases when compared with butter. Hence, butter is considered healthier than margarines.
Nuttelex is virtually free from trans fats at 0.4% or lower. Nuttelex also contains 65% or less saturated fat than butter. In addition, Nuttelex is made with vegetable oils. Vegetable oils contain higher content of the good fats (monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat) and are lower in saturated fat.
Margarine (such as Flora) contains no bad fats, is cholesterol free and has a lower saturated fat content. Margarines are also sometimes fortified with other vitamins.
At the request of the dairy industry, the American government passed the Margarine Act in 1886. This act applied a heavy sales tax on the product, and an expensive licensing fee in an effort to make margarine more expensive than butter. Several states went a step further, and banned margarine outright.
Margarine was originally made from animal fat, as a cheaper alternative to butter. But the spread is now commonly made from vegetable oils like soy, sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, or corn oil.
Margarine is a blend of oils that are mostly unsaturated fat. Butter is made from cream or milk. The type of fat found in animal products, such as cream, is mostly saturated fat. Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In fact, butter is about 50 to 60 per cent saturated fat, while margarine is only about 9 per cent saturated, which is why margarine is usually the healthier choice.
With no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, Smart Balance may be one of the best cholesterol-reducing margarine brands on the market. Additionally, it contains zero trans fat. Smart Balance margarine items are, instead, chock-full of good-for-you omega-3s, vitamins, calcium and protein.
Margarine may contain trans fat, which raises LDL (bad) cholesterol, lowers HDL (good) cholesterol and makes blood platelets stickier, increasing heart disease risk. Margarine containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils contain trans fats and should be avoided.
Plant Butters
Pros: Much like margarine, they're often made from a combination of plant oils, such as soybean, canola, olive, and avocado. They can be lower in calories and saturated fat than dairy butter and have more heart-healthy mono- and poly- unsaturated fats.
If you've ever wondered, “Can you use Flora for baking?” the good news is: yes, you can! You will be pleased to know that you do not need to give up your favourite home-baked goodies just because you have made the switch from butter to a butter substitute.
Made in Australia since 1939, MeadowLea Spread has become an Australian household staple. This spread contains natural colour and flavour and is a classic spread for your favourite toast toppers, ham and cheese sandwiches or for baking cakes and cookies.
Nuttelex Original is the trail-blazer that set the modern standard for a healthier way for us all to enjoy our daily bread. It was Australia's first cholesterol oil free, 100% plant based spread to be sold nationally in supermarkets and today remains a leader in its category and a true family favourite.
Butter can absolutely fit into a healthy diet, says registered dietitian Abbey Sharp, and grass-fed butter is the healthiest butter money can buy. Before we get into the health benefits of this type of butter, let's break down the fat content in butter in general.
When that refined oil is used in margarine, the two compounds often go in with it. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, under the World Health Organisation, classes glycidol and 3-MCPD as class-2 carcinogens – both “possibly carcinogenic”, based on animal tests.
In Canada, the manufacture and sale of margarine was forbidden by an Act of Parliament in 1886. The ban was enforced until 1917, when wartime shortages of butter brought legalization; it was banned again in 1923.
1939 First Meadow Lea margarine released. Margarine was developed in the mid-1800s in France. Meadow Lea was one of the first margarines marketed in Australia. The brand was founded by Oliver Triggs, a Melbourne grocer who moved to Sydney and began a manufacturing operation.
Try: swapping butter to vegetable oil spreads like sunflower, olive or rapeseed oil spreads. switching whole milk to skimmed milk. using natural yogurt instead of sour cream or double cream.
New Zealand. Plant based Flora Original is made with sunflower seed oil and contains 65% less saturated fat than butter. It spreads easily and taste delicious with NO artificial colours or flavours.
It was originally a partially hydrogenated sunflower oil-based spread, different from the current preparation. The company now markets the product as a fully plant-based vegan product.