How are margarine and solid vegetable fats made? Are they bad for health?

Question

I’m from a country where margarine and solid vegetable fats (shortening and vegetable ghee) are widely produced and consumed, children used to eat slices of bread with margarine outside and TV advertorials were bombarded with margarine commercials.

It’s said that there are only one molecule of difference between plastic and margarine, and no insects won’t settle on margarine when a piece of it are left outside, and solid vegetable fats are harmful for health.

What’s the truth about margarine and solid vegetable fats and the whole margarine vs. butter battle? Are the claims I wrote in the previous paragraph (plastic and no insects) any true? Are solid vegetable fats bad for health?

In: 145

Answer 1

There’s no meaningful health difference between solid vegetable fats and their two cousins (liquid vegetable fats and solid animal fats). All fat should be consumed in moderation, but margarine is not extra-bad. If insects in fact avoid margarine, it is likely because it is salted.