Margarine often tops butter when it comes to heart health. 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.
The Best Options
The most heart-healthy options are neither butter nor margarine, but olive oil, avocado oil, and other vegetable-based spreads.
"Tub butters often are the worst; they are usually loaded with unhealthy oils that make them more spreadable," explains Moushumi Mukherjee, MS, RDN, of Dietitian Moushumi LLC.
As part of a healthy diet, CSIRO and Heart Foundation recommend the use of margarine / table spread over butter. Using Nuttelex Original in place of butter will reduce the saturated fat intake by 2.5kg* per year *Based on 20g of margarine versus 20g of butter per day.
For one thing, butter is made up of 63% saturated fat, whereas olive oil only has 14%. Olive oil also contains heart-healthy monounsaturated good fats and antioxidants. Butter's high saturated fat content, on the other hand, is shown in studies to lead to heart disease and other health issues.
Flora ProActiv Buttery has a deliciously creamy and buttery taste. When part of your daily routine, it can help you lower cholesterol in a delicious way. Lowering your cholesterol absorption doesn't mean you have to give up the taste you love.
Is butter good or bad for cholesterol? Butter contains saturated and trans fats, both of which may increase the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or bad cholesterol. Most of the saturated fat in our diet comes from animal products, including red meat, eggs, and dairy.
Saturated fats — such as those in meat, butter, cheese and other full-fat dairy products — raise your total cholesterol. Decreasing your consumption of saturated fats to less than 7% of your total daily calorie intake can reduce your LDL cholesterol by 8% to 10%.
Scroll down to discover the LURPAK® difference.
LURPAK® is a really fresh, versatile, good all-round butter. Its lactic cultures are really evident when you taste it against other butters. These add an element of acidity which makes it a great butter for cooking steak, and it caramelises the meat really well.
LURPAK® QUALITY BUTTER SINCE 1901
The most valuable and flavoursome part of the milk – the cream – is carefully "ripened" before the butter making process. Lactic cultures are added, giving a fresh and slightly aromatic note with the unmistakable creaminess that creates the characteristic Lurpak® flavour. That's it.
Try: swapping butter to vegetable oil spreads like sunflower, olive or rapeseed oil spreads.
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.
Stick margarine
Pros: Margarine is much lower in saturated fat than butter, and it is made from vegetable oils, so it contains no cholesterol.
We found an association of shea butter consumption with lower BP, which provides the rationale for investigation through rigorous study designs to evaluate the benefits of shea butter consumption for prevention of hypertension and improved cardiovascular health.
It's less processed than plant spreads but does contain saturated fats. Based on measurements of over 20,000 individuals, our scientists predict that for 64% of the people, it's OK to eat butter regularly — about every other day — but not every day, and large quantities may have a negative impact.
Get your Flora Spread online
It contains 65% less saturated fat than butter and has no artificial colors or flavors. With a mission to help people look good, feel good and get more out of life, and a background in nutrition research, we have been at the forefront of developing margarine spreads for over 40 years.
That's Benecol®. Our buttery spreads - and now our mouth-watering Soft Chews - contain a plant-based ingredient that actually lowers cholesterol.
Flora ProActiv has been helping people to live well and age well for more than 20 years. Over 50 clinical studies have proven that the plant sterols in Flora ProActiv significantly lower cholesterol.
What is healthier avocado or butter? Avocado oil is generally considered a healthier option compared to butter due to its high content of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and minimal saturated fat.