Reasons to enjoy REAL butter

With all the goodies of Holiday Food comes the guilt… too much sugar, too much fat, too many calories. Of course, you could opt for the guilt-free, taste-free option instead but c’mon… it’s once a year. Just in time for the Holidays we bring you this good news from Well Being Journal that may not let you off the hook for everything but will give you a pass on the butteriest treats, and that’s at least a help…

Reasons To Enjoy Real Butter

By Margie King in Well Being Journal, Jan/Feb 2017

Originally titled “10 Healthy Reasons to Enjoy Real Butter” and published on GreenMedInfo.com

Butter has gotten a bad reputation for many years, starting in the last century with the rise of margarine, which we now recognize as a deadly trans fat. More recently, butter has been shunned in favor of olive and other healthy oils. But here’s why we should reserve a place at the table for good old-fashioned butter.

A study from Lund University in Sweden shows that butter leads to considerably less elevation of fats in the blood after a meal compared with olive and flaxseed oils. High blood fat normally raises cholesterol levels in the blood, which according to the discredited “lipid hypothesis”, elevates the risk of atherosclerosis and heart attack.

Why doesn’t butter raise blood lipid levels?

Researchers pointed out that 20 percent of the fat in butter consists of short and medium-length fatty acids. These are used directly as energy and do not stay around long enough to affect blood fat levels significantly. The researchers opined that although butter raises blood cholesterol in the long term, its short-term effects may actually be advantageous.

Not everyone agrees that butter’s advantage over olive or other vegetable oils is only a short-term phenomenon. Sally Fallon of The Weston A. Price Foundation is a staunch and eloquent advocate of the benefits of butter and disagrees that butter or cholesterol is a factor in the increase of cardiovascular disease.

The Vast Fat-Free Conspiracy

Since the early 1920’s butter has been pushed aside in favor of margarine and other fad fats and vilified as a deadly saturated fat that causes heart disease. Yet for thousands of years before that, butter was a dietary staple of many cultures with no evidence of adverse health effects.

Between 1920 and 1960, Americans’ use of butter declined from eighteen pounds per person per year to four pounds, yet heart disease went from a relatively unknown condition to the number on ekiller. So how likely is it that butter is killing us?

According to Fallon, butter is the victim of a vast fat-free conspiracy, formed by those who benefit from replacing healthy butter with disease-promoting mass-produced, adulterated vegetable oils and trans fats.

The truth is that butter is good for you. Here are ten benefits of eating real, fresh creamery butter:

Butter is the most easily absorbable source of vitamin A, which supports the thyroid and adrenal glands, and in turn, the cardiovascular system.
Butter doesn’t lead to excess body fat, since its short- and medium-chain fatty acids are burned for quick energy and not stores. Butter also gives a feeling of satiety that may decrease cravings and over-eating
Butter is rich in antioxidants such as vitamins A and E, as well as selenium, which protects against heart disease and cancer.
Butter is a good source of dietary cholesterol, which acts as an antioxidant to repair damage from free radicals caused by rancid fats, vegetable oils, and trans fats. Cholesterol is also important of the development of the brain and nervous system in children.
The saturated fat in butter consists of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which have anti-tumor properties and also strengthens the immune system.
Butter contains conjugated linoleic acids, which protect against cancer.
When in its raw state and not pasteurized, butter has an anti-stiffness property called the Wulzen factor, which protects against arthritis, cataracts, and hardening of the arteries.
Butter is a good source of iodine in a highly absorbable form, which is necessary for proper thyroid function.
Butter promotes gastrointestinal health and decreases rates of diarrhea in children.
Butter is a good source of vitamin K2, which prevents tooth decay and builds strong teeth and bones.
Remember that the richest benefits are found in raw butter made from pastured cows.