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Nutritional Comparison

As shown in the nutritional comparison table below, butter is high in saturated, trans fats and cholesterol. Too much of these ‘bad’ fats in the diet have been shown to raise cholesterol levels which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease.

Margarine spreads, in contrast, are made from ‘good’ oils like canola, sunflower and olive oils and contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. That's why most margarine spreads contain at least 65% less saturated fat than butter.


SERVING SIZE: 10g   margarine spreads*
QUANTITY PER SERVING		  vs  butter
QUANTITY PER SERVING
ENERGY
This tells you how much energy (measured in kilojoules) you get from eating one serving of this food. You’ll be interested to know this especially if you’re managing your weight. A moderately active adult needs around 8700kJ per day, however your energy requirements may be higher or lower depending on your needs.
240 kJ   300 kJ
PROTEIN
Protein is needed for growth and development. An average adult needs between 60-80g of protein a day.
<1 g   <1 g
FAT, TOTAL
This tells you how much total fat there is in one serving of this food. Fat is an important part of everyday eating and we should not try to exclude it. A moderately active adult should eat around 70g of total fat per day.
6.5 g   8 g
- saturated
Watch this one! The lower the saturated fat content of a food the better as eating too much saturated fat raises cholesterol levels which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease. We should minimise the amount of saturated fat we eat – try not to eat more than 15-20g per day.
1.7 g   5.4 g
- trans
Danger! The lower the trans fat content of a food the better as eating too much trans fats raises cholesterol levels which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease. It is advisable to eat as little trans fats as possible – try not to eat more than 2g per day.
0.05 g^   0.3 g
- polyunsaturated
This tells you how much ‘good’ fat there is in one serving of this food. Polyunsaturated fats provides us with essential nutrients like omega-3 and we should try to eat around 20g per day.
1.6 g   0.2 g
- omega-3
This is a type of polyunsaturated fat and is very beneficial to overall health. You can find these ‘good’ fats in oily fish and canola oil and spreads.
0.45 g   0.1 g
- ALA
This stands for alpha-linolenic acid which is a type of omega-3 fat. ALA is a ‘good’ fat and we should try to eat around 2g per day for optimal health.
0.5 g   0.5 g
- monounsaturated
This tells you how much ‘good’ fat you get from eating a serving of this food. Monounsaturated fats like canola and olive oils provides us with essential vitamins and antioxidants.
3.2 g   2.1 g
CHOLESTEROL
Cholesterol is found only in animal foods. If you have high cholesterol levels, you may need to eat less cholesterol-containing foods.
<0.3 mg   <8 mg
CARBOHYDRATE
This tells you how much sugars, starches and fibre is in one serving of this food.
<1 g   <1 g
- sugars
Sugars are a type of carbohydrate. A small amount of sugars is acceptable in a balanced diet.
<1 g   <1 g
SODIUM
This tells you how much salt is in one serving of this food. We should all try to eat less salt and this is particularly important for people with high blood pressure – limit to no more than 920mg per day.
59 mg   70 mg
VITAMIN A
This vitamin is needed for good eyesight and vision, especially to help us see in dim light. It is also important for defending the body against infections. We need between 700-900ug per day.
100ug
  70ug
VITAMIN D
This vitamin works along with calcium to build strong bones. An adequate intake of vitamin D is 5ug per day for both men and women.
1ug   0.5ug
POTASSIUM
Potassium is needed to regulate the balance of water and acidity in our blood. An adequate intake of potassium is between 2800-3800mg per day.
5 mg   2 mg
     
*Based on MeadowLea Original, a standard margarine spread.
#All specified values are averages
^ Virtually free of trans fatty acids

Click here for a more detailed comparison of butter and margarine.