"I prefer butter over margarine I think just because it seems to be a simpler more natural product compared to margarine which I picture as being overly processed."

Ah, the butter vs. Margarine battle. It's been churning for decades. 20 or 30 years ago, the standard advice was to ditch the butter and use margarine instead. Today we often hear that butter may be better. But is it really? Well, it depends on what type of margarine you're comparing it to.

Butter has gotten a bad rap because it's relatively high in saturated fat.

Margarine, which is made from vegetable oils, is lower is saturated fat.

But the process of converting these oils into solids can result in trans fats, which are thought to be even worse for us than saturated fat.

Research shows the people who eat the most margarine, whether on their bread or in foods like cookies and pies, have a higher risk of heart disease.

A possible reason is that margarine lowers HDL, so-called good cholesterol.

When researchers directly compared butter to various types of margarine, the big loser was stick margarine.

Overall, it was found to be even worse for subjects' cholesterol levels than butter.

The winners were soft and semi-liquid margarines, which were more healthful than butter.

When buying margarine, check labels. Look for brands with zero trans fat--and ideally--no partially hydrogenated oil.

If you prefer butter, go with one that has the lowest amount of saturated fat.

Better yet, avoid both butter and margarine whenever possible. Instead of spreading them on your bread, try dipping it in a little olive oil. It's a better way to keep those arteries smooth as butter.