margerine sensitive?

Question
Hi
I have noticed this on two occasions now, that when I spend time with my inlaws-who use real butter not margerine-my overall soreness as well as indigestion after a meal improves. On googling this I discovered that margerine, or at least sunflower oil, contains omega 6 acids that are inflammatory in sensitive individuals. I would think being celiac or gluten sensitive-which I am- would count. It also contains other man made compounds that are inflammatory. Plus I think it might just stick to your insides more-try washing margerine off your hands after cooking compared to butter.
I cant find much online about margerine allergy or sensitivity however. Have you come across this? Thanks!

Answer
Dear Sue,

Sorry to have kept you waiting. The computer is not always a willing slave!
As regards margarine: not exactly my favorite product, either. There is a very scathing analysis of the stuff at http://www.stop-trans-fat.com, explaining how (most commercial) margarines are made which might put you off for life. You basically know the upshot of it, already, namely that it is full of inflammatory stuff. It is simply a really de-naturalised product, which demands way too much of our system to process (and eliminate all that "alien quality" irritating the body).
So it's not necessarily even an allergy to one element, but just a natural aversion to the whole recipe.

The methods and ingredients described on the aforementioned page may vary greatly per country and brand. But you may have hit on a point that there could be relatively too much omega 6 in most margarines: and too much of a good thing is no longer any good!

However, there are some organic margarines which are made from healthy oils (sunflower, olive, palm). They should not use methods which involve toxic chemicals, either. Some may contain soy, though, which can give alternative problems in some cases. I am no great soy fan for a number of reasons.

The oils in margarine would make it a lot "stickier" to wash off but in the bowels other elements come into play. It would more likely aid than hinder lubrication - but that is not always a great thing either. The added minerals and chemicals or what-not might be harder to send down the system. In any case, whenever polysaturated fats or transfat is involved, holistically speaking you have a highly mineralised product - far removed from a living substance (plant or animal). It costs the body quite a lot to process all this, which raises the inner heat, while oils/fat are already full of heat/fire. If one is prone to inflammation, or there are places in your system/metabolism where the life-force is weak you are going to feel this pretty instantly after ingesting impure fats.

Fat in general, in our diet, supports the life-processes of our organs. Holistically, we can go so far as to see how they provide a constant inner warmth, which frees up energy for more spiritual activity (clear thinking). We always hear about how too much fat is bad for us (very true), but we must not forget a lack of fat (on that level, in a diet) ultimately leads to sclerotic and rigid disorders.

Butter (provided it is the real deal, which is not always guaranteed unless you go organic or very fresh/raw) is a totally different kind of foodstuff in comparison. One fat is not another. With dairy we must bring the gentle, passive, rural cow into the picture, with all her nurturing and mothering, warm properties. These become "translated" in her dairy products without containing actual animal-protein (meat). Although, there are disadvantages to butter, strictly speaking from a compositional analysis (cholesterol, high calories etc.) there are loads of benefits too. You could find a list of them at, for example, http://bodyecology.com (The 20 Health Benefits of Real Butter, under articles).

Since the cow is such a special gift to us, providing us with rich nutrients, it is worth the effort/money to invest in maintaining her positive, loving energy, and choosing to guard her  welfare by buying organic dairy products. I would even add, that nowhere more so than with dairy, perhaps, can you learn to appreciate a further enhancement reached with bio-dynamic farming. You might be able to notice a distinct improvement in flavour on top of the honest taste of standard real butter.

Dairy fats contribute greatly to a sense of well being and generous life-force. Too much milk, cheese, butter, cream (and such fat) will indeed make you phlegmatic, and your digestive tract too acidic. But yoghurt, curds, fresh cheese (cottage cheese), butter milk, and acidophilus milk are truly boosts to your health on a deeper level than nutritional values can reveal.

It is recommended to avoid using butter where cold pressed vegetable oils can be used for preparing meals. A lot of benefits are also lost in heating butter, while sunflower or corn oil are happy to reach higher temperatures. But adding a knob here and there (occasionally!) makes a real treat. Bread and butter should really mean exactly that! It is scrumptious to have (real) bread (yeast or sourdough, flour, water, salt and nothing else!) and real butter as a simple lunch or accompaniement to a salad for a summmer dinner. Furthermore, I tend to say that there is little point in eating (fattening) cake if it has not been made with real butter! Just remember, moderation in all things.

I hope you keep up the excellent research you were prompted to do by yourself already. It always impresses me and gives me much hope that you will end up choosing the most delicious and nutritious foods and really enjoy the bounty our planet has to offer, respectfully and gratefully.

Keep up the good work, enjoy your natural flavours!
Love,Evelyn.

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