You are probably aware that consuming too much unhealthy saturated fat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
But what you might not realise is that butter is one of the main culprits responsible for high levels of saturated fat in your family’s diet.
Luckily, The Heart Foundation, through ‘Mums United’, is here to debunk some common myths about butter’s healthier alternative: margarine.
In pictures: The Heart Foundation’s favourite recipes
Myth one: Margarine has higher levels of saturated fat than butter.
Not true! In fact, margarine spreads have a much lower proportion of saturated fat than butter. Whereas butter contains a whopping 50 percent saturated fat, a typical polyunsaturated margarine only contains an average of 14 percent saturated fat.
Myth two: Margarine is full of really unhealthy trans fats.
Not true! Trans fats, whether manufactured or naturally occurring, are bad for the heart. This is why the Heart Foundation began challenging Australian margarine manufacturers to reduce trans fats to the lowest possible levels many years ago. Nowadays, the levels of trans fats in almost all margarines in Australia are amongst the lowest in the world; an average of 0.2 percent compared to butter’s 4 percent. Margarine is a much healthier choice, and Australian varieties can’t be compared to those available in other countries, especially not the US.
Myth three: It’s fine to give butter to my kids because they don’t have cholesterol issues.
Not true! Our children are currently consuming twice the recommended maximum levels of saturated fat. Because eating habits established in childhood are often set for life, your kids can get the good eating habit from an early age by making margarine a part of their regular, everyday diet.
Myth four: Margarine contains fewer important nutrients than butter.
Not true! Canola-based margarine contains an essential fatty acid called alpha linolenic acid (ALA), which we need to look after our hearts, blood, joints and immune systems. ALA is an important part of a healthy diet because we rely wholly on food sources such as canola, linseed, walnut and soybean to obtain it.
Myth five: Margarine doesn’t work well in cooking or baking.
Not true! Most margarine spreads (except the ultra light varieties) replace butter very well in many recipes with minimum difference in taste or texture.
In pictures: The Heart Foundation’s favourite recipes
Visit the Heart Foundation’s Mums united page for quick, low-cost healthy recipes and lots of other practical tips and tools to help you and your family take the first steps towards achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
Video: Aldi gets the Heart Foundation tick
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