Calories in Butter

As that old tongue twister goes about Betty buying some terrible butter and then getting some of better quality to make it taste better, it is fair to say that of all the people around, Betty didn't give a hoot about the calories. Betty clearly was one of those who smeared the butter over her morning toast, without a care in the world. But the rest of us do want to know about the calories in butter before we decide whether to use it on our sandwiches at all!

Counting the Calories

Let's face it, irrespective of the calories, we know we need it to spread it on our bread and give it a better taste. The word 'butter' has gone with 'bread' for so many centuries now that it is almost impossible to separate one from the other, the fattening notwithstanding. Apart from bread, we need it for cooking several other food items as well. So life without butter, as some would put it, would be simple terrible.

But the non-sadistic, well-meaning chap that I am, I would still want to enlighten you about the calories in butter. So that next time, when you pick up a heft spoonful of the delightful bread-spread, you might be tempted to think twice!

Butter without Salt
The main difference between butter with salt and butter without salt is that butter with salt contains a lot more sodium, which dietitians claim is not good for the human body. The calories from a 9.4 g tablespoon of butter are equal to 67. And as butter contains no carbohydrates, the calories are all from fat.

One of the most alarming butter nutrition facts is the high saturated fat content. Already, the calories from butter are mainly from fat and most of them are the even-less-healthy saturated fats. From the aforementioned tablespoon of butter, one stands to gain almost 4.8 g of fat. There are 0.26 g of polyunsaturated fats and almost 2 g of monounsaturated fats.

Along with the above, butter without salt also contains 20.5 mg of cholesterol. Like I said, since butter without salt doesn't have any salt, the sodium content in it is negligible.

Butter With Salt
Assuming the same above given portion of butter, the calories in butter with salt are the same as the butter calories from butter without salt. That tablespoon of butter will add 67 calories to your daily calorific intake. All of which are from fat as butter with salt too contains a negligible amount of carbohydrates and proteins.

The saturated fat content in butter with salt again is alarmingly high-around 4.7 g with polyunsaturated fats around 0.3 g and monounsaturated fats equal to 2.2 g. Cholesterol content in butter with salt stands at 21 mg, while the sodium content is 78 mg.

Margarine
Margarine is widely touted to be a healthier option to butter. Why so? Let us examine the calories and nutritional facts about margarine. I'll continue with the same 9.4 g tablespoon measure so that it becomes easier to compare the two.

So while the calories in margarine are more or less the same as butter, and seeing that there are neither any carbohydrates or proteins in margarine, it is just the fat which contributes the 67 calories in margarine. So what's the big deal about margarine then? Well, margarine has lesser saturated fats, which are comparatively less healthier. One tablespoon serving of margarine contains only about 1.2 g of saturated fats. The amount of polyunsaturated fats again is less,1.6 g, while the amount of slightly healthier monounsaturated fats is higher 4.4 g. Which means that while the total calories in butter and margarine and their respective amounts of fat, 67 and 7.6, are the same. And there is almost no cholesterol in margarine either.

As you can see, the butter calories are same whichever butter you use, salted, unsalted or margarine. The differences lie in their sodium, cholesterol and fat contents. So, since you now know all about the vital butter nutrition facts, you can take a better decision with your butter. Much like Betty!