This is a debate that has been going on for years: Should we eat butter or margarine?

Well, that is a personal choice. My grandmother would say butter all the way! I think moderation is the way to go, especially since our margarines and margarine spreads have gotten better over time.

Here are the basics I use for making margarine choices:

1. It must be trans fat free! NO exception. This means it must NOT have partially-hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list. Remember that hydrogenated oil is OK and does not indicate trans fat.

2. The next thing I look at is saturated fat. You want your margarine to be low in saturated fat with no more than 2.5g saturated fat.

Whether you choose margarine or butter, it is important to use a moderate hand and use them on healthy foods (vegetables for example).

Overall, it is a good idea to have a mixture of oil, butter and margarine to use for specific needs. There is no one perfect food -- it is the combinations of foods that create a healthy diet.

Click here for a bit more information about butter and margarine. Note: This article mentions to stay away from stick margarine because it is higher in trans fat. That is true, for the most part, however, there are several stick margarines available that do not contain trans fat. They are: Promise, Country Crock, Imperial and Kroger brand. There may be others I am unaware of but these are the ones I found at my local Kroger store.

Until next time: Eat well, live well!

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