Daily Q&A: Butter or margarine?

Butter or margarine?

-Verni Jackson, St. Petersburg

Here's the answer from Bonnie Liebman, director of nutrition for the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

"Margarine is better than butter. Butter is loaded with saturated fat (7.5 grams per tablespoon), which raises the risk of heart disease. Margarine used to be high in trans fat, which also increases the risk of heart disease.

But now it's easy to find margarines that have no partially hydrogenated oil (a major source of trans fats). We recommend margarines with no partially hydrogenated oil and no more than 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving.

Some examples: any Promise margarine, Smart Balance Light, Olivio, and Country Crock Omega Plus."