Debunking the Myths About Margarine
This article from Health 24 debunks many common myths surrounding margarine. The Internet is a constant source for information but often it ends up providing misinformation. In order to prevent any additional false information being spread (no pun intended!) about margarine, I have included some of the factual information included in this article:
“Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys”
This statement then goes on to say that margarine killed the turkeys, which made the manufacturers turn to a human audience instead.
According to www.margarine.org, "margarine was created by a Frenchman from Provence – Hippolyte Mège-Mouriez – in response to an offer by the Emperor Louis Napoleon III for the production of a satisfactory substitute for butter.
"To formulate his entry, Mège-Mouriez used margaric acid, a fatty acid component isolated in 1813 by Michael Chevreul and named because of the lustrous pearly drops that reminded him of the Greek word for pearl – margarites. From this word, Mège-Mouriez coined the name margarine for his invention that claimed the Emperor’s prize in 1870."
So, no turkeys were involved.
“Butter has many nutritional benefits, where margarine has a few only because they are added!" – incorrect
Butter is a source of energy and vitamin A, as is margarine, but whereas margarine is nowadays enriched with a variety of other nutrients such as vitamins E and D, and calcium, butter only contains traces of these nutrients.
"Margarine is very high in trans fatty acids" – incorrect
While this may have been true before the danger of trans fatty acids was identified about 15 years ago, manufacturers have taken great care to ensure that modern margarines only contain traces of trans fatty acids and in some cases, none at all.
Be logical – if you were a manufacturer and were told that your product contains potentially harmful fats, would you not also take great care to remove these fats and adapt your manufacturing process to make sure that your product is free of these harmful fats?
I'm sure you would, and this is precisely what margarine producers have done.
"Margarine lowers the quality of breast milk" – incorrect
The quality of breast milk is not solely influenced by eating margarine, but by the entire diet ingested by the nursing mother.
“Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys”
This statement then goes on to say that margarine killed the turkeys, which made the manufacturers turn to a human audience instead.
According to www.margarine.org, "margarine was created by a Frenchman from Provence – Hippolyte Mège-Mouriez – in response to an offer by the Emperor Louis Napoleon III for the production of a satisfactory substitute for butter.
"To formulate his entry, Mège-Mouriez used margaric acid, a fatty acid component isolated in 1813 by Michael Chevreul and named because of the lustrous pearly drops that reminded him of the Greek word for pearl – margarites. From this word, Mège-Mouriez coined the name margarine for his invention that claimed the Emperor’s prize in 1870."
So, no turkeys were involved.
“Butter has many nutritional benefits, where margarine has a few only because they are added!" – incorrect
Butter is a source of energy and vitamin A, as is margarine, but whereas margarine is nowadays enriched with a variety of other nutrients such as vitamins E and D, and calcium, butter only contains traces of these nutrients.
"Margarine is very high in trans fatty acids" – incorrect
While this may have been true before the danger of trans fatty acids was identified about 15 years ago, manufacturers have taken great care to ensure that modern margarines only contain traces of trans fatty acids and in some cases, none at all.
Be logical – if you were a manufacturer and were told that your product contains potentially harmful fats, would you not also take great care to remove these fats and adapt your manufacturing process to make sure that your product is free of these harmful fats?
I'm sure you would, and this is precisely what margarine producers have done.
"Margarine lowers the quality of breast milk" – incorrect
The quality of breast milk is not solely influenced by eating margarine, but by the entire diet ingested by the nursing mother.
Labels: heart health, margarine
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