Margarine
Margarine is a spreadable food product primarily made from vegetable oils, water, and various ingredients, serving as a substitute for butter, which is derived from milk. Its development dates back to the nineteenth century when it was created as a cost-effective alternative to butter, initially gaining popularity among the military and lower classes in France. The introduction of margarine to the United States sparked significant controversy, particularly regarding its labeling and perceived health effects, leading to various restrictions and taxes in the late 1800s. The debate between margarine and butter has persisted into the twenty-first century, focusing on health implications, particularly concerning fats. Margarine typically contains less saturated fat and potentially harmful trans fats, while butter contains natural animal fats. The health benefits of each have been a subject of extensive research, with conflicting studies suggesting different conclusions about their effects on heart health and diseases. As some people gravitate towards margarine to reduce saturated fat intake, others prefer butter for its natural ingredients and taste. Ultimately, the choice between margarine and butter reflects personal preferences, dietary goals, and beliefs about health and nutrition.
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Margarine
Margarine is a spreadable food product that is used similarly to butter. Butter is made from milk, but margarine is made from vegetable oils, water, and other ingredients. Margarine can be used as a substitute for butter as a spread or as an ingredient in cooking or baking. Its introduction to the United States in the nineteenth century led to much contention between butter and margarine manufacturers. For a time, the United States imposed restrictions and taxes on margarine, and some states even banned it. While margarine has been marketed as having less fat and calories than butter, its health effects have been debated.
History
Butter can be traced back to ancient times. It was made from storing milk in pouches fashioned from animals' organs or skin. As people traveled carrying the bags of milk, the movement churned the liquid into butter. Margarine was not developed until much later during the nineteenth century.
The French government was looking for a cheaper butter alternative in the nineteenth century, and Emperor Louis Napoleon III offered a financial reward for its development. In 1869, Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès, a French chemist, created a spread made from beef tallow. It was called oleomargarine, which was derived from the Latin word oleum, which means "beef fat" and the Greek word margarite, which means "pearl." Originally made as a cheaper alternative to butter, margarine did not become popular with the lower classes and military for whom it was made specifically. Mège-Mouriès eventually sold his patent for margarine to the Dutch butter company Jurgens, which later became Unilever. As of the twenty-first century, Unilever remained one of the top margarine producers in the world.
Margarine, which was sometimes called butterine, reached the United States in the 1870s, but not everyone embraced the butter substitute. The dairy industry lobbied against it because it feared that margarine would be sold as butter to unknowing customers. It received a boost in 1887 with the passage of the Oleomargarine Act (also called the Margarine Act). The act taxed margarine and imposed rules on margarine manufacturers, such as the banning of dyed margarine, to try to prevent butter fraud in the United States. (Undyed margarine is an unappealing white color; it is usually dyed yellow to make it more appetizing.) Some US states even banned margarine.
The butter versus margarine debate continued into the twentieth century. Butter defenders claimed that margarine was filled with chemicals and unhealthy, while margarine-makers opposed these claims. During this time, margarine production decreased, but bootleggers illegally began to offer dyed and tax-free margarine to meet the demand. The Great Depression helped to boost margarine sales, as it was cheaper than butter.
Eventually, manufacturers began to use hydrogenated vegetable oils (canola, olive, corn, sunflower, soybean, and safflower oils) over animal fats to make margarine healthier. Margarine manufacturers boasted that the spread was healthier because it contained fewer saturated fats than butter. People again embraced margarine, and it became popular. President Harry Truman lifted the margarine restrictions in 1950. Even First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt claimed that she preferred margarine on her toast.
Overview
Margarine and butter manufacturers continued to compete against each other into the twenty-first century. Scientists, physicians, researchers, and nutritionists debated which was healthier, margarine or butter. Butter is made from real ingredients, while margarine is a synthetic, manmade food product.
However, butter is made from animal fats and contains more saturated fat than margarine, which is made from vegetable oils and contains unsaturated polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats can help reduce bad cholesterol levels or low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Saturated fats, on the other hand, can increase bad cholesterol levels and lead to health problems such as heart disease.
Some margarine contains trans fats, which are found to lower good cholesterol levels or high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Trans fats are similar to saturated fats because both can increase blood cholesterol levels and the risk of adverse health problems such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Solid margarine usually contains more trans fat than less solid margarine. For example, sticks of margarine usually have more trans fat than spreadable tubs of margarine. Some companies make margarine that is free of trans fats.
Numerous studies have been conducted on both butter and margarine throughout the years, and each has different results. Some studies favored butter as better for health, while others claimed that margarine was healthier. The Harvard School of Public Heath studied the diets of more than one hundred thousand health workers for thirty years, releasing its findings in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in late 2015. The study found that the risk of heart disease can be significantly reduced by swapping saturated fats with unsaturated fats—swapping butter for margarine.
On the other hand, a study by the University of Cambridge in 2015 claimed that saturated fats found in dairy foods such as butter may protect people from developing diabetes; a 2015 study by McMaster University in Canada found no link between saturated fats and negative health effects. Other studies have shown that people should reduce their intake of all animal fats, not just butter. In addition, studies have shown that the trans fat found in some margarine might be worse than the saturated fats found in butter.
As of 2016, however, the butter versus margarine debate continued. Some people choose margarine over butter to avoid saturated fats, while others choose butter because they avoid consuming processed products. Studies aside, some people say they choose butter in favor of margarine because they believe real butter tastes better.
Bibliography
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"Butter vs. Margarine." Harvard Health Publications, June 2006, www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/butter-vs-margarine. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
MacMillan, Amanda. "Butter vs. Margarine: How to Choose." Health, www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20509217,00.html. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
Peters, Justin. "I Can't Believe It's Not Legal!: A Brief History of the Bootleg Margarine Trade." Slate, 27 Mar. 2013, www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/03/27/hippolyte‗mege‗mouries‗a‗brief‗history‗of‗the‗bootleg‗margarine‗trade.html. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
Quinn, Sue. "Butter Vs Margarine: Which Is Really Healthier?" Telegraph, 1 Oct. 2015, www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/healthy-eating/butter-v-margarine-which-is-healthier. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
Rupp, Rebecca. "The Butter Wars: When Margarine Was Pink." National Geographic, 13 Aug. 2014, theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2014/08/13/the-butter-wars-when-margarine-was-pink. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
Ware, Megan. "Butter vs. Margarine: Which Is Healthier?" Medical News Today, 21 Dec. 2015, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/304283.php. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
Zeratsky, Katherine. "Which Spread Is Better for My Heart—Butter or Margarine?" Mayo Clinic, 14 May 2015, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/butter-vs-margarine/faq-20058152. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.