As you may know from my other articles and promotions, it is one of my passions to educate people about the dangers of chemicals in food, and toxic ingredients in body care products. I have known about the dangers of margarine and other hydrogenated oils for many years now, and I am amazed when I visit people and they ignorantly have so many toxic products in their homes and are unaware that they are regularly poisoning themselves and mother earth with these toxins.
And one of these is margarine, which is a completely toxic synthesized creation of the profit driven food industry.
Margarines are made from hydrogenated oil, or oil that has had hydrogen pumped into it, to solidify the oil. It also has colors, preservatives and flavors that have been added, that are all unnaturally synthesized in chemical laboratories, to mimic the taste of butter.
Hydrogenation (or hardening), is definitely one of the most destructive methods of processing oils, in addition to frying, as well as refining, bleaching, and deodorizing. Each method, renders something healthy, into something toxic and unhealthy, so that it can be transported and stored on shelves and won’t go rancid. “Frying has been known for 40 years to increase cancer and heart disease.
During frying, oils are exposed to the destructive effects of light, air, and heat, all at the same time. Cooking is best done with water (steam, poach, boil, pressure cook).” Hard (saturated) fats (ghee, lard, coconut, palm) are damaged less when used in frying than are the liquid oils”. The best oils to cook with are butter, ghee (clarified butter) & coconut oil.
I do not recommend eating anything with palm oil which is an inferior toxic oil. Often ingredient labels on products just say vegetable oil, unfortunately, companies are not required to tell you what kind of “vegetable” that oil has come from and it’s probably palm oil. Also, Palm oil plants are typically grown in Indonesia, where rainforest and Orangutan habitat has been destroyed, to make room for palm plantations.
Please see the Orangutan links below. I also do not recommend canola oil, or buying anything with canola oil, which is a trade name (Canada oil) for rape seed oil, a genetically modified plant/oil, originally designed for industrial purposes, that was decided to be used as a food oil because it was so cheap to produce.
More about Hydrogenation
Hydrogenation, produces trans-fatty acids, which are twisted molecules. When these molecules are twisted, they become toxic poisons, which attack the artery walls and cause heart disease. They also attack the liver, spleen, intestine, kidneys, and gallbladder, causing the internal organs to operate much less efficiently.
“According to the Harvard School of Public Health, trans-fatty acids double risk of heath attack, kill at least 30,000 Americans every year, and increase diabetes. Other research shows that they interfere with vision in children, interfere with cerebral cortex function (lower intelligence), interfere with liver detoxification, make platelets more sticky, correlate with increased prostate and breast cancers, interfere with insulin function, and in animals (no human studies done) interfere with reproduction. They also interfere with EFA [Essential Fatty Acids] functions, and make EFA deficiency worse.”
Unfortunately, hydrogenated oils are in virtually every single pre-packaged product you buy in a corporate grocery store. But if you only shop in health shops, and you educate yourself about which oils to eat and which ones to cook with, and read labels carefully, you can avoid hydrogenated oils, and lead a much healthier life.
I know that everyone has been told that margarine is good for you and butter is bad for you. This is a blatant lie, propagated by the corporate controlled mega food industry, so that they can make more money from cheap man-made products. The fact is that the complete opposite is true, butter is far superior, especially if you can get your hands on raw organic butter, which is full of life.
Margarines and other hydrogenated oils are deadly poison to your body, a medical fact that is certainly not promoted enough, but is finally being supported by the medical community.
Essential Fatty Acids
We need a daily supply of good Essential Fatty Acids from cold-pressed, certified organic oils. These are the oils that are essential for our health. These naturally come in whole raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, but we typically need more than these sources can supply.
I recommend a tablespoon of EFAs per day, the good EFAs are flax oil, Sunflower, sesame and Hemp Oil. Flax oil is extremely rich in Omega 3s, but is lacking in Omega 6. Sunflower and sesame seeds contain Omega 6 but no Omega 3.
Hemp oil is probably the best of all oils, as it contains an excellent ratio of all three essential oils: Omega 3, 6 & 9. Additionally, Udo's Choice™ Oil Blend is the bees knees of oil blends, with the perfect blend of all the oils your body needs, including: flax, sunflower, & sesame, and it contains phytosterols, which block absorption and re-absorption of cholesterol from our gut, and both normalizes and stabilizes immune function.
It also contains lecithin, medium chain triglycerides, and also rice and oat germ oils. It also contains the anti-oxidants vitamin E, tocotrienols, and rosemary oils.
References:
Information on Hydrogenated Oils in this section, courtesy of Kevin Trudeau, Page 146, of his totally awesome book, “Natural Cures “they” don’t want you to know about” - www.naturalcures.com http://www.naturalcures.com> & www.thewhistlerblower.com http://www.thewhistlerblower.com
More Butter or Margarine? Which is Better?
The below information about Butter and Margarine originated from L. Eugene Arnold, M.Ed., M.D.; a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Ohio State University.
Here's what Dr. Arnold writes:
"Do you know the difference between Margarine and Butter?
Butter
* Both margarine and butter have the same amount of calories.
* Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.
* Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
* Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added!
* For most people, butter tastes better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods. (The best flavor claim margarine can make in ads is that it tastes the same as butter.)
* Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.
(Addition): * Children who eat butter or drink whole milk with butterfat have better resistance to infection.
Margarine
* Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.
* Very high in trans fatty acids.
* Triple risk of coronary heart disease.
* Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol)
* Lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol).
* Increases the risk of cancers by up to five fold.
* Lowers quality of breast milk.
* Decreases immune response.
* Decreases insulin response.
Plastic Margarine
Dr. Spreen, author of “Nutritionally Incorrect: Why the American Diet is Dangerous and How to Defend Yourself” (Woodland Publishing), refers to margarine as ‘plastic butter’ in his book, because margarine is just ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC!
Margarine is not remotely alive and is not food!!!!!!!!!! Food, that is at least remotely alive and has at least some nutritional value, if left exposed to the air, will become a culture for bacteria, and bugs will want to eat it. This is absolutely not the case with margarine.
Test it for yourself: leave a tub of margarine lying around for days, and you will notice that nothing grows on it, and nothing wants to eat it. It also does not rot or smell differently. “Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?”
So go ahead and enjoy your butter!
Oily Love!
ZaKaiRan
www.ZaKaiRan.com
References for this section:
L. Eugene Arnold, M.Ed., M.D.; a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Ohio State University.
Reference for “plastic margarine”: The Health Sciences Institute - http://hsibaltimore.com/2005/11/30/margarine-or-butter/ http://bodyecology.com/07/07/05/benefits_of_real_butter.php
More about Butter
(Excerpts of) “The 20 Health Benefits of Real Butter”
By Donna Gates for BodyEcology.com http://www.BodyEcology.com%20 * Butter is rich in the most easily absorbable form of Vitamin A necessary for thyroid and adrenal health.
* Contains lauric acid, important in treating fungal infections and candida.
* Contains lecithin, essential for cholesterol metabolism.
* Contains anti-oxidants that protect against free radical damage.
* Has anti-oxidants that protect against weakening arteries.
* Is a great source of Vitamins E and K.
* Is a very rich source of the vital mineral selenium.
* Saturated fats in butter have strong anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties.
* Butter contains conjugated linoleic acid, which is a potent anti-cancer agent, muscle builder, and immunity booster
* Vitamin D found in butter is essential to absorption of calcium.
* Protects against tooth decay.
* Is your only source of an anti-stiffness factor, which protects against calcification of the joints.
* Anti-stiffness factor in butter also prevents hardening of the arteries, cataracts, and calcification of the pineal gland.
* Is a source of Activator X, which helps your body absorb minerals.
* Is a source of iodine in highly absorbable form.
* May promote fertility in women.9
* Is a source of quick energy, and is not stored in our bodies adipose tissue.
* Cholesterol found in butterfat is essential to children's brain and nervous system development.
* Contains Arachidonic Acid (AA) which plays a role in brain function and is a vital component of cell membranes.
* Protects against gastrointestinal infections in the very young or the elderly.
Raw, Organic Butter is the Best
Believe me this is only a partial list. If a woman is pregnant, hopes to become pregnant or is nursing her baby, I think it should even become a law for her to eat butter for her baby's developing brain, bones and teeth.
The best butter you can eat is raw, organic butter because pasteurization destroys nutrients. Unfortunately, the sale of raw butter is prohibited in most of our 50 states.
You can, however, make your own healthy butter, and it is easier than you think. Look into our Body Ecology Culture Starter, which you simply add to organic cream. After letting this mixture sit at room temperature for 24 hours, chill it, beat it with a whisk, and voila! You'll have healthy, probiotic butter that is delicious!
Cultured butter is full of health sustaining good bacteria like lactobacillus planterum, and lactococcus lactis. These microflora are essential for a healthy inner ecosystem.
Sources of Healthy Butter
If you don't want to culture your own butter, I recommend butter from grass-fed animals only. A good source is U.S. Wellness Meats.
I also recommend Activator X and Vitamin rich butter oil, made by Green Pastures.
Reference for this section courtesy of: “The 20 Health Benefits of Real Butter” http://bodyecology.com/07/07/05/benefits_of_real_butter.php
By Donna Gates for BodyEcology.com http://bodyecology.com - http://bodyecology.com/07/07/05/benefits_of_real_butter.php
More about Oils & EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids) - (N-3/6 = Omega-3/6)
(Courtesy of: http://www.udoerasmus.com/FAQ/FAQ_index_en.htm)
* Cooking oils are made by treating oils pressed from seeds with corrosive base, corrosive acid, and bleaching clays. This is done to remove 'minor' ingredients, which have major health benefits, but shorten the shelf stability of the oil.
* Bleaching turns oils rancid, and they acquire a bad odor of rancidity. They must then be deodorized to remove the rancid odor, and this process is carried out at frying temperature. * Oils treated this way have lost most of their minor ingredients, are unbalanced, and contain about 0.5 to 1% molecules that have been changed by the processing from natural to toxic.
* All of the cooking oils normally found on store shelves have been treated this way (these are the refined, bleached, deodorized or RBD oils), except for extra virgin olive oil, which has not undergone RBD processing and retains its minor ingredients intact.
* Extra virgin olive oil should not be used for frying. Italians traditionally used butter and lard for frying, fried seldom, and added extra virgin olive oil to foods after these have been cooked with water.
* Saturated (hard) fats like butter, dairy fats, pork, beef, and lamb fats, and tropical fats are natural. All foods contain some. The body uses them for energy and in cells and tissues. These fats cause problems only if we do not get enough EFAs in our diet.
* EFAs and saturated fats have opposite effects in the body. EFAs (especially n-3) increase insulin sensitivity and make platelets less sticky, making a clot in an artery (stroke, heart attack, embolism) less likely. Saturated fats, on the other hand, increase insulin resistance and make platelets more sticky. * To prevent the negative effects of saturated fats, we need to make sure that we optimize our intake of EFAs before we start using saturated fats in our diet. And we need to make sure that EFAs always win the competition with saturated fats.
“What are the functions of essential fatty acids?
Essential fatty acids have many functions throughout the body. They are involved in:
* Energy production. In a study with athletes in Denmark, we showed that within one month of giving athletes one tablespoon per 50 pounds of body weight per day of an oil blend with an n-3: n-6 ratio of 2:1, stamina increased by up to 40 or even 60%.
Athletes could exercise longer before reaching exhaustion, recovered more quickly from fatigue, could exercise more often without over-training, healed quicker from injuries, built muscle faster, and had less joint pain.
Energy improvement is also seen in non-athletes and older people. The EFA blend also improves mental stamina.
* Brain Function. In our work with the blended oil, we have seen consistent improvements in brain function, and research with EFAs from other sources has also shown brain benefits.
Among these are elevated mood, lifted depression, increased calmness, better handling of stress, less hyperactivity, better focus, better mental processing, faster learning, increased intelligence, better concentration, and improved motor coordination.
Among the mentally ill, EFAs can decrease hallucinations in schizophrenics, elevate mood, lift depression, improve symptoms in bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and improve brain function in Alzheimer's disease and autism.
EFAs are also required for vision.
* Skin, Hair, and Nails. EFAs are required for healthy skin and hair, and are required for normal nail growth. They moisturize skin and prevent dryness.
* Cancer. N-3 EFAs lower cancer risk.
* Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). N-3 can decrease most CVD risk factors, including high triglycerides (blood fats), blood pressure, platelet stickiness, fibrinogen, and lipoprotein(a). N-3 also keep the inside of our arteries smooth. N-3 and n-6 keep the heart beat regular.
* Diabetes. EFAs are required for insulin function. N-3 make diabetics more insulin-sensitive.
* Weight Management. N-6 slightly and n-3 more effectively help reduce fat production in the body. They also increase fat burning and heat production in the body, and shift the body from burning glucose to burning fats. Saturated, monounsaturated, and trans- fatty acids do not help to manage weight.
Sugar triggers increased fat production in the body. Starch can also lead to overweight.
* Digestion. EFAs improve gut integrity, decrease gut inflammation, and decrease 'leaky gut' that can lead to allergies.
* Allergies. EFAs reduce symptoms of allergies. They work best if digestive enzymes rich in protein-digesting protease are also used.
* Inflammation. N-3 reduce inflammation. Digestive enzymes are also helpful.
* Autoimmune Conditions. N-3 dampen the over-response of the immune system in autoimmune conditions. Again, enzymes are also helpful.
* Injury. EFAs speed the healing of injuries.
* Bone Minerals. N-3 improve bone mineral retention, thereby inhibiting the development of osteoporosis.
* Stress. EFAs, by optimizing serotonin production, improve response to stress. People report feeling calmer, getting stressed less easily, dealing with stressful situations more calmly, and losing their temper less often.
* Sleep. EFAs improve sleep in some people.
* Hormones. EFAs improve hormone functions. Hormone levels may decrease, yet the effects of hormones remain normal. EFAs thereby ease the work load of glands.
* Organs. EFAs are required for liver and kidney function.
* Reproduction. EFAs are required for sperm formation, the female cycle, and pregnancy.”
“What happens when we don't get enough good fats?
The short answer is: Every part of the body gradually deteriorates and falls apart. No cell, tissue, gland, or organ can function normally without them. Here is a longer list:
* Dry skin
* Constipation
* Low energy levels
* Brittle hair and hair loss
* Poor nail growth
* Deterioration of liver and kidneys
* Behavioral changes due to brain deterioration
* Glands dry up
* Immune system deteriorates, resulting in more infections, poorer wound healing, and increased cancer
* Digestion problems, inflammation, bloating, allergies, autoimmune conditions
* Bone mineral loss
* Reproductive failure: sterility in males and miscarriage in females
* Retarded growth of children
* Tingling in arms and legs due to nerve deterioration
* Vision and learning problems
* Insulin resistance
* Increased risk of overweight
* Increased cancer risk
* Increased cardiovascular risk
* Decreased ability to cope with stress
* In mental illness, increased symptoms
* Decreased lung function
* Decreased tissue oxidation
References:
All information in this section, courtesy of: http://www.udoerasmus.com/FAQ/FAQ_index_en.htm, also see this link for a well-spring of information about Oils and Fats, including Essential Fatty Acids, from the master of Oils, Udo Erasmus
Source:http://www.zakairan.com/ZaKaiRansArticlesBooks/Articles/ButterOrMargarine.htm
Replies
Margarine has been advertised so much and been stated that it is healthier then butter so that is the reason why so many fell for the Margarine trap.
Organic Virgin Olive Oil is good but there was a issue that although this was stated in the bottle label do of the suppliers added other ingredients that were not really good without stating them .. There was an issue about this case recently.
You have to go beyond the labels and do more research.
I'm sure there is still places where you can buy "old style" margarine.
Well, actually I wouldn't buy that, because is disgusting, here is the history of margarine:
In 1813, a French man named Michel Eugène Chevreul discovered something he called "margaric acid" (which later was learned to be a combination of stearic acid and palmitic acid). The substance was the colour of pearls, so he coined a name for it based on the Greek word for pearls, "margarites".
By the mid-1800s, it was clear that a cheaper butter alternative was needed to feed the army and the working classes. During the Paris Exposition of 1866, Napoleon III announced a competition to decide who would do the research. A man named Hippolyte Mège-Mouries (1817-1880), a French chemist, won the competition (it was pretty fixed, anyway), and got both the funding and the right to conduct his research at the Imperial farm called "Faisanderie" in Vincennes. There, he invented a butter substitute he called "oleomargarine". He made it based on beef fat, which he clarified, put under pressure to extract liquid from, mixed with water and butyrin, and let solidify.
Read more: http://www.cooksinfo.com/margarine#ixzz2L6Amn12D
The tradition to put "stuff" into food to make it last longer, or add flavour is old, for instace, in the past they used to add bonemeal to flour, and strawberry seeds to the strawberry jam to make it look more authentic.
There actually have been laws against margarine (because everyone was using it instead of butter because it was cheaper)
They didn't allowed the margarine companies to use dyes to make the margarine more butter-like color, so one company even sold the dye and the margarine in a bag, and you had to mix them: