Home Shopping Chef, Butters you up!

Where did the word Margarine come from anyway? The only thing I found close to this explanation was the Greek word "Marg" meaning Pearl. Hmmm..I would never consider Margarine a pearl, or a diamond or anything that resembles quality. In fact, Margarine is so bad for you that you would be better off spreading bacon grease on your toast than this so called weird name butter substitute.

 Butter and margarine have the same amount of calories; with butter being slightly higher in saturated fat. However, margarine can increase heart disease in women by over 50 % just by eating the same amount of butter according to a recent Harvard medical study. This is because margarine is very high in Trans Fatty Acids which increases the level of your bad cholesterol and lowers your good cholesterol levels. When your good cholesterol is lowered, it can increase the risk of cancers five fold. Eating margarine and lowering your good cholesterol can also lower the quality of breast milk for expecting mothers.

OK, so I have given you the medical reasons why butter is far superior to margarine. So now, let me get away from all of the medical jargon (although very important) and put the cookies on the bottom shelf so all can understand. Simply put, Margarine is just one molecule from being plastic. You see this butter substitute is a hydrogenated product. This means that hydrogen was added to make it a solid, which is not its natural state. Here is a good test. Take a tub of margarine or your favorite butter substitute. Take the top off and take the tub outside and place it in a shaded area. (This reminds me of a grade school class experiment?) Now you will notice that even after a couple days, this tub of wax...I mean margarine has not attracted any bugs or flies not even fruit flies, nothing seems to go near it. It will not rot or have any odor, all because it has no nutritional value. This is because it is nearly plastic.

So the next time you are at the store or out to eat or even at a friends house, just ask yourself, would I like some nice flavorful butter on my toast, or some melted Tupperware? I hope I have buttered you up.

Chef Brian Lewis

Certified Trained Executive Chef

www.homeshoppingchef.com

Culinary Graduate, Baltimore Culinary College

Culinary Graduate, Vill'e Dest'e Culinary Program, Lake Como Italy

Expertise: Chef Brian has mastered the art of creating soups and sauces; He has tremendous communication skills, which allow him to teach effectively.

Chef Brian had the knowledge to create foods from around the World.

Achievements: Chef Brian has owned and operated several restaurants in Florida as well as Washington DC., he has been featured on TV, RADIO, and Infomercials for food products and various cookware.