Butter is fat. But that’s okay, because you need fat. Your body converts fat into energy, so that, for example, you can keep your training well full. Fat also protects your intestines and ensures that your body temperature is maintained.
Less vitamin D
Margarine and butter both contain fat. Another similarity is that vitamins A, D and E are found in both types. Butter only has much less vitamin D in butter than in margarine. If you spread butter on your bread every day, it is therefore good to make sure that you get enough vitamin D from other foods.
More saturated fat
Another important difference is that there is more saturated fat in butter than in margarine. Per 100 grams there is 53 grams of saturated fat in cream butter and 19 grams in soft margarine from a tub. And the more saturated fat you get in a day, the greater the risk is that you will get a heart or vascular disease and that your LDL cholesterol level becomes too high. For example, eating too much saturated fat can have an adverse effect on your health.
The Nutrition Center provides an example in case you eat six sandwiches a day. You then get about 16 grams of saturated fat if you put butter on it, about 6 grams if you use margarine and about 3.5 grams if you spread semi-margarine on it. In low-fat margarine is 50 percent less fat than in margarine from a tub, so you get fewer calories if you choose low-fat margarine.
Nutritionist Carina Noordervliet, on the other hand, mentions an argument in favor of butter. “Butter is made from milk: it has no industrial additives, but mainly contains saturated fat. Margarine is made in a factory. In addition, everything is added to margarine, such as E-numbers and vitamins. It is therefore industrially processed. “
Carina also gives a tip to weigh the taste of different products and how quickly you get full after eating them. A full-fat product such as butter has more taste and fills more. As a result, you probably eat less of it, which reduces the aforementioned difference of 16 versus 6 grams. This of course does not apply if you are a big eater and / or an intensive athlete, because then you really need those six sandwiches.
Nutrition Center Advice
Finally, the Netherlands Nutrition Center advises to spread margarine on bread for children up to 4 years of age, as they often do not get enough fats. Everyone above 4 years of age is advised by them to choose low-fat margarine or margarine.