M.I.A.


Hi Friends! I'm touched that some of you noticed that I had been missing in action for the past 2 days and inquired about it. Thanks and really appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Well, I had been squashed by a merciless mountain of work. And I just don't have that drive/push left to post something when I reached home sweet home but just helplessly and passively diffuse into dreamland out of extreme mental and physical exhaustation. And by the way, the previous post took me at least 8 hours to complete. No kidding!

I still don't have the time to post anything up, but so that you won't be disappointed by just reading the ramblings of a tired man, here's a "cut-and-paste" of my reply to a friend of mine who asked me which is healthier - margarine or butter? I'm sure you had also received the forwarded email from somebody, or maybe read about it somewhere, since this is one of the most circulated emails.


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Hi NAME DELETED,


Happy New Year to you, and I want to wish you Gong Xi Fa Chai too, since it's almost CNY! I'm sure I'm the first right? Sorry for the delay in replying. You know lah, the amount of work I have...


Anyways, the answer to your question is a difficult one, because both have pros and cons. You have to decide yourself, but I will list down the points and counterpoints for margarine and butter.


The below-quoted compilation began circulating on the Internet in June 2003, often under the title "Butter vs. Margarine," and surprisingly enough there was a fair bit of truth to it, at least at the time (2003). According to the latest findings in the medical world in 2003, margarine could increase the risk of heart disease, depending upon the type of fat contained in the spread. Previously, the dietary "bad guy" in the development of coronary disease was presumed to be saturated fat , but new evidence points the finger at trans fat. Although butter has its own set of dietary shortcomings, it does not contain trans fat.


In 1994, Harvard University researchers reported that people who ate partially hydrogenated oils, which are high in trans fats, had nearly twice the risk of heart attacks as those who consumed much less of the substance. Several large studies in the United States and elsewhere, including the Nurses' Health Study conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, have also suggested a strong link between earlier death and consumption of foods high in trans fat.


The US FDA, the US National Academy, the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the American Heart Association all recommend consumers limit their intake of trans fat wherever possible. Moreover, the federal government passed regulations requiring that by 2006 all food labels disclose how much trans fat a product contains.


Because butter is an animal product, it contains cholesterol, amounting to 30 mg per tablespoon or 10% of the USDA RDA. Margarines, because they are non-animal products, do not.


Although a great deal of the information given in the e-mail is valid, one bit of intelligence is nothing more than hyperbole tossed in by the author in an effort to make his point more strongly. The claim that some comestible is but a "single molecule away" from being a decidedly inedible (or even toxic) substance has been applied to a variety of processed foods:

[Collected via e-mail, November 2005]
I was told that the difference between Cool Whip and Styrofoam is one molecule... is this true???

[Collected via e-mail, December 2006]
Is velveeta processed cheese food really one molecule different from plastic?

[Collected via e-mail, March 2007]
heard that Pam spray is 1 molecule away from plastic and is therefore dangerous??

[Collected via e-mail, January 2008]
I am tired of hearing my husband say that Cheez Whiz is only 2 ingredients different from garbage bags. Can you please help me set him straight?


These types of statements (even if they were true) are essentially MEANINGLESS because the substance (margarine) will not change to become "1 molecule less" under normal circumstances, or even exposure to extreme heat or UV light.


Contrary to the claim, margarine was not invented as a turkey fattener. It was formulated in 1869 by Hippolyte Mege-Mouries of France in response to Napoleon III's offering of a prize to whoever could succeed at producing a viable low-cost substitute for butter. Mege Mouries' concoction, which he dubbed oleomargarine, was achieved by adding salty water, milk, and margaric acid to softened beef fat. By the turn of the century, the beef fat in the original recipe had been replaced by vegetable oils. You can read more about that here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippolyte_M%C3%A8ge-Mouri%C3%A9s

So, what is the conclusion, you might ask? The healthier choice is margarine products that carries the word "NO TRANS FAT", and contains a lower saturated fat amount. Alternatively, butter with "NO CHOLESTEROL" and lower saturated fat is also ok.


I hope this is useful. Take care.



Regards,
John

>>> FRIEND'S NAME & EMAIL DELETED FOR PRIVACY PURPOSES > 7/29/2008 11:23 AM >>>



John,
Which is better? Need to ask expert, Plz help.



Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys.
When it killed the turkeys, people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.
DO YOU KNOW.. the difference between margarine and butter?
Read on to the end...gets very interesting!
Both have the same amount of calories.
Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.
Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.
Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarinehas a few only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years .
And now, for Margarine..
Very high in Trans fatty acids.
Triple risk of coronary heart disease .
Increases total cholesteroland LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)
Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.
Lowers quality of breast milk.
Decreases immune response & insulin response.
And here's the most disturbing fact.... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC..
This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).
You can try this yourself:
Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:
* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)
* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic . Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?