Butter is best!

For decades, butter has been demonized by nutritionists, dietitians, and other diet dictocrats. When I was growing up in the eighties I remember that my mom started buying margarine because she believed the dietary directives about margarine being healthier than butter. I was never a big fan of margarine and was pleased when a few years later my mom decided we would switch back to the real stuff. In recent years, we've learned the truth. Margarine and those other imitations butters are full of bad stuff like trans fats, artificial flavors, preservatives, and other toxic substances. Butter is starting to make a comeback, but the stigma is still there. Many people are still afraid to eat butter or too much.

Don't believe the hype! When nutritional information gets confusing, just think about what's real and traditional. People around the world have been eating butter for thousands of years and we only recently started eating fake fats like margarine, "Smart Balance," "Earth Balance," and other pale imitations. And it is only recently that we started having problems with high rates of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. The ironic fact is that, while butter consumption in the United States has plummeted post-World War II, chronic disease rates have risen dramatically. We do not know all the reasons for these epidemics, but butter can't be to blame because the trends are going in opposite direction.

Butter is one of the best foods that you can eat. It's a nutritional powerhouse -- and it makes almost everything taste better! We have been lead to believe that butter (and other saturated fats) are linked to heart disease. In reality, butter contains many nutrients that protect us from heart disease. It is one of the best and most easily absorbed sources of vitamin A which is needed for the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands - both play a role in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart and cardiovascular system. Butter contain lecithin, a substance that assists in the proper assimilation and metabolism of cholesterol and other fat constituents (it's worth noting that this is completely different from soy lecithin, a common additive in processed foods that should be avoided). Butter also contains a number of antioxidants that protect against the type of free radical damage that weakens our arteries. Vitamin A and E, both found in butter, play a strong antioxidant role. Butter is also a very rich source of selenium, a vital antioxidant.

Butter is a good source of many trace minerals, including copper, zinc, iodine, and chromium. The vitamin A found in butter is important to maintain a healthy immune system. Vitamin A and D in butter are crucial to the proper absorption of calcium and other minerals and therefore necessary for strong bones and teeth. True Vitamin A is found only in animal foods like butter. You might have heard that there is Vitamin A in orange, yellow, and green vegetables; however, it's really pro-vitamin A or beta-carotene. Beta-carotene must be converted in the body into vitamin A and the conversion can be difficult, especially for babies, children, the elderly, and people with diabetes or thyroid disorders. Vitamin A is fat-soluble which means that it needs fat to be properly absorbed. So butter those carrots, if you want to get the full nutritional benefits.

And don't worry, butter will not make you gain weight. The short and medium chain fatty acids in butter are not stored, but in fact are used for quick energy. Fat tissue in humans is composed mainly of longer chain fatty acids which come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils as well as refined carbohydrates.

When choosing butter, it's best to buy grass-fed, raw (unpasteurized) butter. Raw butter is difficult to obtain, but worth the effort, so I recommend trying to find a local source through the Real Milk website. Raw butter has the "Wulzen" factor. This hormone-like substance prevents arthritis and joint stiffness, ensuring that calcium in the body is put into bones rather than joints and other tissues. The "Wulzen" factor is destroyed by pasteurization and therefore only present in raw butter and cream. Grass-fed butter is your next best choice. When butter comes from grass-fed cows, it contains high levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a compound that gives excellent protection against cancer and also helps the body build muscle rather than store fat. Grass-fed butter can often be purchased at the farmers' market or your local natural foods store. Imported European butter is often a good choice, though less environmentally-friendly. Kerrygold butter from Ireland is very good quality, as is Organic Valley's special pasture butter (in the gold foil wrapper). If you can't get grass-fed or organic butter, even your average supermarket butter is acceptable. It will still have a good nutritional profile and is certainly far superior to the rancid vegetable oils that fill our supermarket shelves.

So don't fear butter. Make it a daily part of your diet and you will reap the benefits of good nutrition and superior taste. As the legendary French chef Fernand Point once said: "Butter! Give me butter! Always butter!"