To all the Scientist out there. Do you know the difference between butter and margarine?

Is one better than the other?

Butter is made from animal milk (usually cow's milk) Margarine is made from vegetable oil.

Butter is made from milk, and margarine from plant fats.
I prefer the creamy taste of butter, but I know I should be having marge (it's better if high cholesterol runs in the family)

Butter is a natural product, where margarine is man-made. Butter is cream that's churned & solidified, usually w/ salt added. When it melts, it's still butter. You can melt it & remove the solids that you'll see separate from the liquid. That's called clarified butter.

However, when you melt margarine, chemicals are released and it's actually not good for you. True it's made from vegetable oil, but it actually sticks to your arteries worse than butter. Plus, who needs chemicals?!

Olive oil is probably the healthiest fat to cook w/ or just eat on bread.

Butter can be simply made with cream, whole cream. You can do it in your home. You will need to buy from a dairy farm as it is unprocessed and not yet pasturized. Simple and elegant. Margarine you would need a lab to properly extract the oils, then emulsify them (make them solid) usually this is by hdrogenating it. In case you wondering hydrogentated oils are the worst type of fat your body can consume. Not all margarines are hydrogentated. Becel which is heart healthy contains canola oils and is non hydrogentated. This is closely related to olive oil with omega 3 fatty acids that actually are good for you. But becel is in the minority of margarine. Many hospitals use it. It is the processing of oils or milk solids (in the case of butter) that make it a less healthy choice than olive oil. Butter does not contain the same fats that meat does as there are some lipase and monolipid differences, but it is recognised in your body much the same way. Butter while natural is still a bad fat, like a trans fat, and should be used in moderation. Margarine while on the whole unhealthy due to it's processing is available in heart healthy styles as mentioned above. If you are looking for something with the health benefits, try olive oils for dipping bread, or use canola oil non-hydrogentated margarine. However, nothing beats the taste of butter.

Butter is better for you. We have been told to eat margarine because butter raises our cholesterol and is bad for our heart. The truth is that margarine eaters have twice the rate of heart disease as butter eaters (Nutrition Week 3/22/91 21:12).

We've also been told that saturated fats, the kind that are in butter, clog the arteries. But according to a study published in The Lancet (1994 344:1195), the fatty acids found in artery clogs are mostly unsaturated, not saturated, as we have been led to believe.

Butter is a natural fat, made from cream. Margarine is an artificial concoction of chemicals. Not only does butter taste better, but it's good for you. Butter is a source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and important trace minerals magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium and iodine. Purchase organic butter produced without the use of hormones, steroids and antibiotics. Raw butter from pasture-fed cows is even better.

Butter is natural and tastes great. Margarine is semi-synthetic and tastes like crap.

Well pretty much it all comes down to milk and animal fats. Can you guess which is which. The marg is made of animal fats, and the Butter comes from natural milk. Your body cannot properly digest the marg, but it can however digest the natural foods.

Butter is more natural, more fatty, more expensive, and better for baking. Margarine is less fattening, has bad-for-you trans fats, is cheap, and is okay for baking. And margarine softens more quickly.

Butter is made with milk (at least 80% fat), margarine is made with oil, flavoring and milk.
Butter, taste wise is much better.
Margarine health wise is better.

Butter is 80 to 90 percent milk and margarine is one molecule less from being plastic. So hey take a bite out of tupperware.

margarine is less faty than butter,but i think if u want to cut on the fat,you should use butter but just less of it,because they add stuff to margarine in place of what they use in the butter,so it propb. isnt good to eat it so much just because its less faty.you should always stick to natural =D

I have been hearing that not only can you not digest margarine but that the polys in it actually act like bits of plastic in your system. Then again, coffee is back in this week, and the nitrates in bacon aren't bad for you anymore either so, eat what you like and take your chances.

Butter rules.