August 21, 2003

Prairie Fare: Are Some Fats Healthier than Others?

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

Over the years I’ve been asked many times, "which is healthier – butter or margarine?"

The question really is, "which is less healthy – saturated fat or trans fat?"

Soon we’ll have a new tool to help us compare foods like butter and margarine. By 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require food manufacturers to list the amount of "trans fat" on food labels.

Trans fats are formed from oils during a process called "hydrogenation." Oils, for example, are hydrogenated to make solid vegetable shortening and margarine. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life of fats and improves their overall properties.

Besides vegetable shortenings, trans fats are found in foods like some types of margarine, crackers, cookies, baked goods, snack foods and other foods that contain "partially hydrogenated oils." Trans fats also occur naturally in some foods, including meat and dairy products.

Some food manufacturers already list trans fat content on labels. Look for some foods to be re-formulated to contain less trans fat in the future.

Why List Trans Fats?

Nutrition experts suggest that we try to limit our consumption of trans fats, along with saturated fat. Like saturated fats, trans fats may raise LDL ("bad cholesterol") levels. High LDL levels may increase your risk of heart disease. Trans fats also may lower HDL ("good cholesterol") levels. Having a higher HDL blood cholesterol level is more heart healthy.

On average, Americans eat about 5.8 grams of trans fat daily or about one-fifth the amount of saturated fat. Nutrition experts predict that three years after the trans fat labeling appears, as many as 1,200 cases of heart disease and 500 deaths could be prevented yearly as Americans make healthier food choices.

Butter vs. Margarine

So, which is the healthier spread for your morning toast? The butter/margarine "fat tally" comes out like this:

• Butter contains 10.8 grams of total fat, 7.2 grams of saturated fat and 0.3 grams of trans fat per tablespoon.
• Stick margarine contains 11 grams of total fat, 2.1 grams saturated fat and 2.8 grams of trans fat per tablespoon.
• Tub margarine contains 6.7 grams of total fat, 1.2 grams of saturated fat and 0.6 grams of trans fat per tablespoon.

The best advice on the butter vs. margarine question is to try to limit yourself to a total of 20 grams of saturated fat daily from all food sources. There is no current recommendation for daily trans fat intake; the lower the better.

Overall, tub margarine is most heart-healthy. If you prefer the flavor of butter on your toast, use a little less.

In cooking, use vegetable oils, soft margarines or cooking sprays instead of solid fats. For an overall heart-healthy diet, choose foods low in saturated fat like low-fat dairy products, lean meat, fish, poultry, whole grains and fruits and vegetables.

Have a sweet tooth? Here’s a sugar cookie recipe that’s low in total fat, saturated fat and trans fat.

Lowfat Sugar Cookie Cutouts

1 c. soft-tub vegetable margarine
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. nonfat vanilla yogurt
4 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
5 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cream margarine and sugar. Add yogurt and egg whites. Mix well. Add flavorings. Gradually add dry ingredients. Mix well. Chill thoroughly. Roll dough 1/4-inch thick on lightly floured board. Use minimum of flour. Cut out. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.

Makes 6 dozen cookies. Each cookie contains 67 calories, 1.6 grams fat and 11.4 grams carbohydrate.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

[Editors: We’ve updated the illustrated column identifier for Julie Garden-Robinson’s Prairie Fare column. If you’re using an older version or if you would like to use the identifier, please download this printable EPS file. Prairie Fare (142 Kb eps file)]