Butter, Good or Bad?

I have had many people ask me about butter and why in "my opinion" do I think its good for you. Well to be honest up until very recently, I was like most of you and believed that butter was bad for me. Then I saw a friend sharing blogs from Dietitian Cassie and my eyes were open to the error of my ways. Don't get me wrong to much of a good thing can be bad. However butter, especially butter that comes from grass fed cows, is in fact very healthy for us. Before I get into the health benefits of adding butter to your diet, let me first explain a little bit about what exactly Fat is.

We need fat, yes I know sounds crazy. How can we possibly need fat when that is the one thing we are trying to lose. Fat is a high source of energy, yeilding 9 calories per gram. In addition to providing energy, fats act as carriers for fat-soluable Vitamins A, D, E, and K. Fat helps our bodies absorb Vitamin D, fats help make calcium available to body tissues, especially our bones, and teeth. Fat surrounds, protects and holds our organs in place; such as the liver, kidneys and heart. It insulates our bodies and perserves body heat. Fat prolongs the digestion of our foods, which help us feel fuller longer.

Now that we've touched the surface of why fats are important for us. (I will discuss in greater detail the importance of Fats in another blog, when I discuss the importance of a good balance between Fats, Carbs and Proteins) Let me expain why butter is so good for us.

We as a species have been consuming butter for 1000's of years. It wasn't until around the 60's that butter recieved its bad reputation. At the turn of our century, heart disease in America was rare. By 1960, it was our number one killer. During this same time period, butter consumption had decreased - from eighteen pounds per person per year, to four. Yet the notion that a healthy diet is one with minimal fat, particularly saturated fat, has persisted. While we have reduced our intake of natural animal fats like butter, the processed food industry, particularly the low-fat food industry, sky rocketed. Since the early 1970's, Americans' average saturated fat intake has dropped considerably, while rates of obesity, diabetes, and consequently, heart disease, have surged. Butter is a natural food source, with so many health benefits that we can reap the rewards from and yet many people believe that it is unhealthy for use.

Here are just a few of the health benefits we get from butter:

1. Butter is rich in fat soluble vitamins A, E, D and K
2. Contains anti-oxidants that protect against free radical damage.
3. Has anti-oxidants that protect against weakening arteries.
4. Excellent source for the very important mineral selenium.
5. Butter, especially the type from grass fed cows, contain Conjugated Linoleic Acid, also known as CLA, which is a potent anti-cancer agent, muscle builder, and immunity booster
6. The cholesterol found in butterfat is essential to children's brain and nervous system development.
7. Is a source of quick energy, and is not stored in our bodies adipose tissue.

Whoa, SHUT THE FRONT DOOR....what was that last one? Butter is not stored in your adipose tissue? That's right and here's why. Yes, butter is a fat but a fat that is primarily made up of short and medium chains fatty acids. What does this mean? Well short and medium chain fatty acids are not stored in adipose tissue, which is a fancy way of saying the fat in butter will not be stored in your fat cells. Before people jump the gun on this butter on its own will not make you fat, spreading it all over white bread will. Apply some common sense, butter on white bread B.A.D, butter on steak, veggies, and used to cook your eggs is.....AH-MAZING!!!

So there you have it! Go out there and enjoy butter to quite literally your hearts content!