“Butter is the queen of fats, especially when it comes from grass-fed cows.”
Sally Fallon Morell – The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care
A lot of people may think that a healthy diet means limiting your saturated fat and cholesterol, especially when it was proposed decades ago that saturated fat and cholesterol attributed to coronary heart disease (though many studies have failed to support this claim). This then led to families replacing butter with margarine—which was marketed as the healthier alternative. Very few questioned this man-made alternative, and now Americans’ average saturated fat intake has dropped, but obesity, diabetes, and heart disease have increased.
So what does that all mean? Simply that, “reducing healthy sources of dietary fat has contributed to a serious decline in our well-being,” and now the processed food industry is thriving. But what many people don’t know is that natural animal fat found in raw butter is good for you!
In fact, for millennia, butter has been valued for its health benefits. “[It’s] a rich source of vitamins A, D, E, and K—all needed for the body and brain. Without these we are unable to utilize the minerals we ingest. Butter fat contains Glycosphingolipids, a type of fatty acid that protects against gastrointestinal infections. Butter contains Lecithin, which assists in the proper assimilation and metabolization of cholesterol and other fats, and it contains cholesterol.”
But isn’t cholesterol a “no-no” for a healthy diet? Not entirely. In fact, here are several reasons why we need cholesterol:
- Every cell of every organ has cholesterol as a part of its structure
- Every cell in the brain and the nervous system needs cholesterol
- Cholesterol protects us against depression
- Hormones are made from cholesterol, and without it, women would not be able to get pregnant
- The liver needs cholesterol for bile production to digest and absorb fats
- Immune cells rely on cholesterol to fight infections and repair the cells
So then what’s the best butter option? Definitely not margarine, and definitely not butter that’s made from pasteurization because too many nutrients and vitamins are lost. Instead, it’s best to buy organic, raw butter. I buy raw, organic, grass fed cultured butter because it is tasty and really the best you can put into your body. Raw, grass fed butter supplies the body with essential fatty acids for longevity, hormone balance, heart health, sharp vision, glowing, moist skin and energy. And it promotes brain and nervous system function, has strong anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties, helps absorb calcium, prevents the hardening of the arteries, protects against gastrointestinal infections, helps the body absorb minerals, and helps heal skin and ward off inflammation. Surprised by butter’s healthy side?
I hope so, and I hope that you start opting for organic, raw, grass fed butter in the future because if you’re not eating it raw, it’s really not worth it to your body and health both short and long term!
Sources:
Body Ecology—20 Health Benefits of Real Butter
Whole Lifestyle Nutrition—Benefits of Raw Cultured Butter