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What is Margarine and what goes into it?

It’s a true fact: the foods and drinks that we decide to put inside our bodies can have a profound effect on our health and the way that we feel. Eating a balanced diet (with occasional indulgent treats to keep life sweet) means that we are able to maintain a balanced, active lifestyle for ourselves and our families simply by making the right choices when it comes to what we eat and drink.

Based on this fact, it is then really important for us to be aware of the foods we include in our diet, especially those items that we use every day – such as that go-to spreadable marvel: margarine. We lather it on our toast in the morning, blend it in our baking and (increasingly these days) choose it as a lighter option for cooking – it’s a huge part of our lives.

So what is margarine, exactly? We’re here to give you the skinny about what goes into your favourite spread; what is margarine made of?

Let’s take a look at some Margarine True Facts:

Here are the main ingredients that most modern margarines are made of: Vegetable oils, water, preservatives, emulsifiers. And that’s it. The oil is taken from plants, seeds or even nuts from round the world to bring home to you. Once added to the mix, these oils help good quality margarines to contain plenty of the good unsaturated fats our bodies need, and fewer of the bad saturated fats than butter.  Decreasing the consumption of saturated fat (known as SAFA for short) in your diet helps tour body to maintain normal cholesterol level. Which is great news for our heart!

The oils are then blended with good, old-fashioned water with an emulsifier to keep the two from separating. An emulsifier might sound a bit strange, but it’s just an ingredient that binds everything together. In fact, egg yolk contains lecithin – one of the most common emulsifiers used in making margarine. You can pick up lecithin from your local health food shop or online.

Next we add a dash of salt and seasoning, but don’t worry; there are so many blends of margarine out there that, if you’d prefer less, or even no salt, then there’s a range of spreads for you to choose from. Vitamins (such as A, D and E) are then added as a little healthy boost for your eyes, bones and hair, a dash of preservatives to keep your spread nice and fresh and we’re ready to go!

Making margarine is easy enough for you to even make your own unique blend of it at home, adding flavours and spices for a personalised spread that your family will love.

Sue Batty

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