One stick of butter in 24 hours
I ate a quarter pound of butter today. Yep, that is one whole stick. If you want to know how that is possible, let me explain:
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2 tbs. mixed into half a batch of Paleo Cornbread Muffins
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2 tbs. slathered on top of said muffins
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2 tbs. stirred into warm butternut squash pureé
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2 tbs. tossed with steamed carrots, salt, and chopped fresh thyme
You may be holding back a gag reflex after reading that. Perhaps you are still staring at your computer screen mute shock. In either case, you are probably wondering WHY I committed this senseless act of nutritional suicide.
I eat butter because I am on a mission to heal my body. And, believe it or not, butter is a healing superfood. Here’s why:
1. It’s the highest source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)
Yep, butter is the highest dietary source of this powerhouse fatty acid. Not surprisingly, CLA concentration varies on the animal’s environment. CLA concentration is 4 times higher in summer milk than winter milk, due to pasture grazing (Paroti, 1997).
What is so great about CLA? It inhibits cancer, according to one report in the Journal of Nutrition:
“In a number of studies, conjugated linoleic acid, at near-physiological concentrations, inhibited mammary tumorigenesis independently of the amount and type of fat in the diet. “
Additionally, this fatty acid has been shown to inhibit the growth of skin, colon, breast and lung cancer cells. Multiples studies reveal that CLA reduces the size of tumors in lab rats.
These studies also show why butter is so important for children to eat! CLA fed to rats before the peripubertal period prevented the growth of tumors, but when the rats weren’t fed CLA until maturity, they had to consume the fatty acid for the rest of their life to prevent tumor growth (Paroti, 1997).
2. Beautiful Butyric Acid
Butter contains 4% butyric acid, an anti-carcinogenic short-chain fatty acid. A couple of studies have explored butyric acids effect on tumors and found that it inhibits the growth of mammary tumors. Butyric acid is also a biological response modifier, a substance that arouses the body’s response to infection (Pouillart, 1998)
3. It does NOT make you fat
You can’t blame the butter when Paula’s recipes make your jeans a little tighter (that
would be the Crisco, white flour and sugar). Butter is a rich source of short and medium chain fatty acids, and these molecules “are not deposited to any extent in the adipose tissue” (Enig, 2000).
4. It has the X Factor! (Activator X, to be exact)
Weston A Price, an early 20th century dentist who studied the effect of diet on tooth decay, discovered the astounding therapeutic use of butter for treating illness. He credited its health-giving properties primarily to an activating substance. “For want of an accepted identification,” he wrote, “I have referred [to it] as Activator X” (Price, 1939). Now, we have discovered Activator X is vitamin K2 (source).
In his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Weston Price recorded his investigation of this vitamin. He found that butter high in the activator, combined with “a favorable selection of natural foods” successfully treated tooth decay. Interestingly, the concentration of the Activator X in butter varied greatly depending on the cow’s food with a prominent increase when the cows were pasture grazing (Price, 1939).
Scientists continue to explore the importance of K2 in diet. A recent study published by an European nutrition journal showed that an increased consumption of K2 may reduce the risk of prostrate cancer by 35 percent (Kresser, 2008).
5. Packed with Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Butter, a potent source of vitamins A, D, and E, is the perfect carrier for these vitamins because it provides the fat necessary for their absorption. As a matter of fact, it offers these vitamins to your body in the most assimilable form (source).
Take vitamin A, for example. All vitamin A must be converted by the body to create a useable form of vitamin. In animal sources, vitamin A is a retinol and requires little work by the body to make this conversion. On the other hand, the body is very inefficient at converting cartenoids from plant sources (like beta-carotene in orange veggies) into useable vitamin A. Read more about fat-soluble vitamins in Jenny’s excellent article here.
What about heart disease and cholesterol?
In the 1950′s, Ansel Keys formulated the diet-heart hypothesis which states that a diet high in saturated fat increased the risk of heart disease. His hypothesis and research skills, however, were a complete FAIL.
The diet-heart hypothesis has been proven false over and over. I am not going to list all the studies here, because books have been written on the subject. Put Your Heart in Your Mouth (Natasha Campbell-McBride, Cambridge: Medinform Publishing, 2007) and Nourishing Traditions (Sally Fallon, Washington DC: NewTrends Publishing, 1999) are great books that list numerous studies to prove the diet-heart hypothesis wrong.
Butter is a Superfood!
Life presents us with wonderful serendipities… like making this delicious food truly nourishing! So what are you waiting for? Eat well and heal!™
Do you agree that butter is a superfood? Then use the sharing icons below to spread the word!
Photos and sources: pictures 2 and 3 are free images from SXC. Click here for my Works Cited.
shared at: Make Your Own Monday, Homestead Barn Hop, Monday Mania, Traditional Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Party Wave Wednesday, Allergy Friendly Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Healthy 2Day, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Rural Thursday, Thank Your Body Thursday, Freaky Friday
Lauren, your article is interesting. I never thought of butter as a superfood but instead a really good match with seafood.
Yes, I can’t think of anything that goes better with crab besides plenty of melted butter
I’m unsure of how to add my own comment so forgive me for attaching it to this post.
I just think you should mention that the kind of butter makes a huge difference too. When you’re listing all these true, positive benefits it should be mentioned that these are found only within natural, unprocessed, organic butter that comes from pasture-fed cows (like Organic Valley’s Pasture Butter). The darker yellow-orange the butter, the better it is for you. I just don’t want people to think if you go out and buy and generic, highly processed butter it will provide these beneficial effects.
Love your blog! I’m going to start trying the honey shampoo ASAP!
Great article. I passed it on and emailed it to some others. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad you enjoyed this post!
I noticed you said you used the butter in your cornbread, but your recipe calls for coconut oil. Are they better with butter or the oil? I plan to make them this week.
Thanks!
I’ve made the muffins with butter, coconut oil and lard. I like butter the best, but they’re all good! I’ll made that note in the recipe, so thanks for mentioning it!
i have seen an upswing in my health since upping my butter intake. I have finally lost my baby weight from two pregnancys which is hard to get used to, to be frank. My oldest is five and a half. We are talking about 35 lbs.
I no longer use oils, except coconut oil and very rarely EVOO. I have a stick on my counter all the time because it spreads better out of the fridge. We go through a lot so I don’t see spoilage at all. Thinking about getting a butter bell. any advice on that?
I often take my butter out of the fridge when I wake up and put it back in when I go to bed, so it is spreadable all day. But we did try a butter bell a while back, I think it is lost now, but from what I remember it worked well.
Salt in butter acts as a natural preservative. I leave mine out all the time (I use a covered dish, not a butter bell) It takes me about 2-3 days to go through a full stick and it’s never, ever gone bad, even when it’s warm. Unsalted, however, stays in the frig at all times.
Oh, that is interesting about the salt! That is good to know!
Hi Gail.
I have always left my butter out (I, too, use a covered butter dish – ceramic) – spring, summer, winter and fall. I’ve been doing this for approximately 20 years.
I actually do not use salted butter. I use unsalter butter exclusively.
One stick can last me as few as 2 or 3 days – or it can last as long as 5-6 days.
In all the years I have been doing this, my butter has never gone bad nor have I ever gotten sick from eating un-refrigerated unsalted butter (and I have lived in a variety of climates – cold & dry, versus hot & humid).
Be blessed.
I leave my butter out all the time. It doesn’t go bad — sometimes we use a lot, sometimes not so quickly.
I have tried a butter bell and found it to be a pain. I remember there being some moldy type growth. It’s been a while, so I don’t recall exactly. You have to change the water a lot. Then I just put it in a covered butter dish and left it on the counter and it was fine, so what was the point of the butter bell, you know? I realized my grandma always left it out, so I tried that and have done so for years now with no issues.
We always leave ours out on the counter, too, (in a covered buttered dish) and never have any problem because we go through SO much of it.
Kelly
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kelly! I go through a lot of it, too, so I guess it would be easier just to leave it out.
So does regular high quality grocery store butter fall under this, or only the kind we can’t get let alone afford—-grassed butter? :/
Organic regular butter is better than no butter, for sure!! It won’t have as much CLA or vitamin K2. Costco sometimes carries grassfed Kerrygold butter for a good price.
Yum! Real butter is one of my most favorite real foods. I put it on pretty much everything… I’ve even put a little in my morning coffee. So yummy!
LOL, butter in coffee! I like you without even meeting you
Butter in coffee – check out the Bulletproof Executive for a great recipe with coffee, butter, MCT oil and/or coconut oil
I use butter and coconut milk in my coffee. It’s delicious.
Ok I LOVE LOVE LOVE butter-but in your coffee. Wow this is a first…:)
I’m from WI. We Love Butter. I had Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I guess I didn’t eat enough butter. I do believe its better then spreads made by a chemist!! Butter is natural.
I’m so sorry to hear that you had cancer! And you are so right– anti-carcinogenic butter beats toxic margarines any day!
Wow! This can be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We’ve ever arrive across on this subject. Basically Magnificent. I am also an expert in this topic therefore I can understand your effort.
I suspected as much when I started reading about the many benefits of raw dairy milk/cream. Question: do you know if the health benefits are affected when eating the butter cooked rather than cold?
This is from the Weston A Price Foundation FAQs regarding heating raw dairy in general: Gentle heating is probably okay, such as putting cheese in an omelet, warming milk (but not more than you can touch it without burning). But high heat does change the dairy products. If you have a high tolerance to dairy, heated cheese is probably okay in small amounts.
I would never buy pasteurized milk, but I think pasteurized butter is better than no butter. And I bake and cook with butter ALL the time. So I don’t know the answer to this, but I’ll do more research!
Hi, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam comments? If so how do you protect against it, any plugin or anything you can suggest? I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any help is very much appreciated.
Hi Helene,
according to the book by Elaine Hollingsworth – Take control of your health and avoid the sickness industry (fantastic book that I recommend to anyone who wants to heal naturally), heating butter (and olive oil) causes its oxidization and as a result it becomes carcinogenic.
I grew up watching my mom eat “a little bread with her butter”. She is such a tiny woman I used to warn her it would catch up with her eventually. Looks like the joke was on me! I started eating liberal amounts of grass fed butter as part of a switch to “real food” two years and I’m now at my ideal weight. I would have never imagined this back when I was eating “reduced fat buttery spread” with my white bread products, and I couldn’t understand why weight loss was so difficult! I enjoy my food now, and I look and feel better. Amazing.
That is a great testimony to the health powers of butter!
I’ve always been a margarine person. I was brought up on it. We never used “cow butter” when I was growing up. Consequently, I greatly dislike the taste of butter, and the feel of it in my mouth makes me gag. Any helpful hints as to how I can overcome this problem? I should probably say that I’ve never been able to drink milk either. It always comes back up.
My first suggestion is to learn more about the toxicity of margarine… once you know how bad it is, it will probably less palatable. This article is lengthy, but very good. And this one explains about why plant oils–the base of margarines–are so bad for our bodies.
Next, if it is the mouthfeel of butter that puts you off, use melted butter in place of any plant oils if you bake. You can start using ghee (clarified butter, suitable for high heat cooking) for sautéing. As for the dislike of milk, have you ever tried raw milk? It is a whole different deal–it tastes AMAZING and it is much, much more easy to digest than pasteurized milk.
Good luck with your transition from margarine to butter! Your body will thank you for the change!
My favorite way to indulge in butter is with blue corn chips. it reminds me of nachos. You can also spread it on graham crackers for a similar tasty treat. Maybe this will help you learn to love butter.
Butter in Coffee? – try this.
http://yourpersonalwellnesscenter.com/reference-center/tweaked-bulletproof-coffee/
CLA is not a short chain fatty acid. It has 18 carbons.
Sorry, my mistake. I’ve corrected that above. But the important thing is that is still boasts all those anti-carcinogenic properties!
I love butter and love this post! One question though – you don’t normally eat a whole pan of muffins in one day, do you? I say this with love, from one Gaps Dieter to another – too many baked goods in a day aren’t good for us, even if they are grain-free.
Hi Eileen! I appreciate your concern and advice! But one batch of those muffins is only 1/4 cup coconut flour, 2 eggs, and a little bit of honey and applesauce (my recipes usually have small yields because I’m used to cooking just for me). I never eat more than 1/4 cup coconut flour a day. I couldn’t agree more that we shouldn’t over-do it on the baked goods!
Lauren, your site is so inspiring, thank you!
But I want to ask you: Doesn’t butter make your belly painfull? Because many people who suffer from colitis or irritable bowel sy. cannot tolerate a big amount of butter. What is your experience? And what is other’s readers’ experience about butter and the stomach sensitivity to big amounts of it?
Thanks for your kind words! Yes, I know that many with IBD and IBS don’t tolerate high fat, especially lots of butter. I think the low tolerance for fat usually correlates to following a very inflammatory diet that the doctors suggest, which is based on lots of white bread, other refined grains, sugary foods… things that are supposed to go down easy. I think the SCD/GAPS diet works to help your body digest fat better. I think the first step anyone with IBD/IBS should do is reduce grain consumption, preferably eliminate it for a while. I’ve found the longer I’ve been on GAPS, the better I tolerate very large amounts of fats. And the more good fats one gets, I believe, the faster one heals!
This is something else you may want to check out ~ talking about natural things. My husband was recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and my family (me too) has a long history of very bad hemorrhoids. This has made a life changing difference in our house.
Combining healthy eating with proper elimination position can make better health more attainable.
http://www.squattypotty.com
I LOVE the Squatty Potty! I use a stool by my toilet for now, because it is more economical… but the real thing certainly looks more attractive. I’m sorry to hear of your husband’s diagnosis. It’s a tough thing, but I think it is important to start treating it early on with diet (I wish somebody had told me that when I was diagnosed). Glad to hear that squatting helps both of you!
I always see terms like “grass fed”, “cultured”, “organic”, etc. thrown around with butter and I never know which ones are more important. I know they are *all* important but I can’t seem to find butter that meets all the criteria. Could you recommend a good source for the “best” butter, or rank the criteria a little so I can make an informed choice on regular grocery store brands? Thank you, excellent post as always!
Yeah, it sure is confusing! I think the term “grassfed” or “pastured” is most important. Kerrygold butter is usually pretty easy to find, it is grass-fed/pastured but not organic. Even though it isn’t organic, I’ll by it in a pinch. You can even find it at Costo sometimes! I prefer to get Organic Valley Pasture Butter, which I get at Whole Foods, just because it is organic. “Cultured” can mean two things. First, the milk was soured before churning into butter. In this case, it is usually made from raw milk. Here is a good tutorial on how to make it. “Cultured” can also mean that a culture was added for microbial/probiotic action.
The ultimate butter–which, of course, is most pricey–is raw, organic, pastured butter. I am able to get this from the Amish, and it is AMAZING. But, like I said, really expensive… so I supplement it with the Organic Valley one.
Seems like a lot of hassle when you can just chew down on a stick of butter. Yum! AND it’s carb-free GMO-corn free! Nice list of benefits. Thanks.
I can’t chew down a stick of butter… yet
I’m getting there!
I like butter – although I don’t usually eat a stick a day
Me, either–because I can’t afford it! But if I could, I probably would
Stopping by from Rural Thursday. I had no clue how healthy butter was for a person. We only use butter in out home non of the articical spreads but I never really heard about its health benifits. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by! Glad this was useful info for you!
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I too go through a TON of butter! Glad to know I’m not the only one. Thanks for all the detailed info on one of my favorite foods!
Oh Dear GOD in Heaven, let this study be correct! I hate the guilt I feel, each and every day when I indulge my butter addiction!
STOP the guilt! Please don’t let the brainwashing from the Diet Dictocrats cause you one more ounce of anguish. God knew what he was doing he gave us the most delicious, nutritious taste treat on the planet. Butter is the only medicine we need!
So what about heavy cream? Is that good for you as well? I’m hoping so:)
I would certainly consider raw heavy cream a nutritional powerhouse. But I don’t suggest buying pasteurized milk or cream. At least, avoid ultra-pasteruized cream.
Girl, that’s HALF a lb of butter! lol Eight tablespoons is half a lb. A box of butter is 2 lbs. Still love it! Butter is so good and good for you. Yum!
Maybe the packaging varies in different areas or countries. Where I’m from, one stick of butter (8 tbs.) is a quarter pound. But I’m glad you still love it even if I could 1/2 a pound of butter in a day… which I probably could
Yes, 8 tablespoons is half a CUP not half a POUND so Lauren was correct.
You and me would get along reeeeeeeal good. I seem to be going through more butter than ever (3lbs in 2 weeks or so?) and I’m not even baking as often as I used to! I use butter as often as I can. I still battle with the “butter is bad for you” that’s been engrained in my head for so many years, but a few licks (as my daughter does it) and those words seem to disappear.
This post was tortuous for me because today I am trying to eliminate dairy to see if I have an allergy. Otherwise, I eat a ton of butter. I consider bread just a vehicle for it. I sneak bits of it on a knife as i am cooking. I remember watching my grandmother cook and adding pats and pats of butter in everything. Her cooking was amazing. She passed away at 95 and weighed under a 100 lbs soaking wet. Thanks for this post confirming how good it is for me. For my healthy body and soul.
does this apply to ghee as well??
Yep!
Please read the following for complete information on the topc. http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/debunking-diet-myths-weston-a-price-foundation-stupid-traditions.html
Well, now we’re at the point where we can go back and forth between “my scientific studies are better than your scientific studies!” I don’t want to play that game. I have done adequate research to write this article and, based on my research, I feel that my position is correct. I’m sharing what is helping me heal. You don’t have to take my advice if you don’t want to. It’s not like I’m shoving butter down your throat… only mine
Actually, the link he is pointing to is interesting. The original post has little scientific validity, but it winds up being a great discussion about traditional foods in the comments, with some very informed and interesting posts.
This is hardly “complete” info on the subject, since its from a website that espouses a vegan diet. I’d call it a complete opinion, myself.
good post. i like it!
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back tomorrow when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts!
Butter is NOT a Superfood guys and gals! Sorry Paula Dean!
Their first 2 reasons for calling butter a superfood were its CLA content and butyric acid content. Let me explain why you don’t need butter to get butyric acid nor CLA, which isn’t even good in excess!
#1. It’s the highest source of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
Ok CLAs are a family of at least 28 isomers of Linoleic acid which is
found mainly in meat and dairy products derived from cud chewing animals like cows “ruminants”. As the name implies, the double bonds of CLAs are conjugated, with only one single bond between them. Poly-unsaturated fatty acids contain double bonds which decrease the melting temperature of fatty acids and raises the freezing point. These naturally occurring double bonds are in the cis-configuration.
Linoleic acid is an Omega-6 essential fatty acid (double bond is on the 6th carbon) found mainly in meat and dairy; also sunflower, safflower and corn oil.
What’s it do? It’s a precursor to INFLAMMATORY chemical mediators such as prostaglandins & bradykinin…these things flood areas of the body during an allergic response which brings inflammation to the part of the body so the healing can take place. [Inflammation brings with it white blood cells and things to “handle” the invader]. CLA has had the claim to fame of helping decrease body fat because of its polyunsaturated fat nature.
Well so are polyunsaturated fats good for losing weight or not? Depends on the quality and type! CLA they are saying to consume meat and dairy to get it? CLA is MAINLY found in cows fed exclusively a GRASS diet. When the cows are fed grains which most today are, their ability to produce CLA diminishes considerably. Not to mention most people cook with butter and its subject to being heated. Well now you are converting the bond from cis to trans, yup trans fats. Heating things raises the melting point (MAKES IT HARDER TO BREAK THE BONDS = NO BUENO), decreases the freezing point which increases shelf life so products last longer.
Ratio’s are important here! Both Omega-3 and Omega-6 are important for normal function of the body but ONLY in the right proportion. Humans are designed to be consuming a ratio of 3-6 of 4-1 so that means you should be having more Omega-3 and less Omega-6.
Excessive omega-6/omega-3 ratios like in the states are 10:1 to 25:1 range; promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 exert suppressive effects.
#2. Butyric Acid
The article says butter has 4% butyric acid a short-chain fatty acid. The 4-carbon SCFA, butyric acid is the main source of energy for the colonocytes (cells of the colon). Just like glutamine is the metabolic source of energy in the small intestine, butyric acid serves a similar role in the large intestine.
Sure Butyric Acid is a GREAT anti-carcinogenic SCFA but do you really want to eat butter, a dairy source to get your butyric acid? So the Cow was fed grains to your not even getting what a normal cow would supply as far as nutrients, plus now your ingesting hormones and antibiotics…
Instead eat BEANS, they are great source of fiber and resistant starch which not only reduce total the number of calories absorbed from beans, but are also fermented by intestinal bacteria Butyric Acid. Eating beans, peas, or lentils at least twice a week has been found to decrease colon cancer risk by 50%. Surprisingly, 75% of all dietary carbs that reach the colon (fiber) can be converted by colonic bacteria into short-chain fatty acids like butyrate. Also propionate is made thanks to our bacteria that inhibits cholesterol synthesis and has hypophagic effects.
Hi Joseph,
Ay, ay, ay… I don’t know where to begin. Your argument is not well organized and difficult to follow, but I’ll try to address the issues I think you are bringing up.
First, OF COURSE I advocate grassfed/pastured sources of dairy. I discussed in the article and mentioned how important a role that played in the CLA and K2 levels. And of course one should source local, organic and raw sources of butter to avoid antibiotics and hormones. And of course I don’t advocate PUFAs (such as vegetable oil) other than naturally-ocurring CLA from grassfed sources.
Additionally, CLA is actually a trans fat (yes– a healthy trans fat! Most likely because it has a cis bond in the molecule). So you aren’t making it a trans fat by cooking with it. And like you, I would imagine, I do not support the recent craze of consuming artificial supplements of CLA. CLA should come from pastured, happy animals.
As for beans, perhaps you aren’t aware that many people can’t digest them because they contain phytic acid and ogliosaccharides. Properly soaking the beans makes them more digestible, but, in many cases, they still can’t be digested by those with damaged/inflamed intestinal tracts. They can’t digest beans until their gut flora is re-balanced.
And what other affordable, traditional, tasty, and easy to find sources of K2 are there besides butter and cheese from pastured animals?
And by the way, you have referred to me as “they”… I’m a “she” as you can see in the sidebar.
Go get him Lauren! I ove all you say!
Hey Lauren, thank you SOOOO much for compiling such a great list of pluses for my favorite fat! This, accompanied with the drawbacks of margarine and “butter-flavored spreads” will, hopefully, make a difference in the fight I constantly fight at home against the tyranny of fallacies we call spreads! Anyways, enough of my rant, and again, thank you for presenting such great truths with conviction and belonging!
I’m so happy see your comment! I was beginning to feel like I was alone in my crusade for butter because I have had to delete a lot of hate comments on this post. Down with margarine!
Hey! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I truly enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same subjects? Many thanks!
Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it’s really informative. I’m going to watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Are you referring to organic butter? Or any butter?
Like I mentioned in the article, butter from pastured cows is going to be higher in CLA, K2 and even higher in fat-soluble vitamins. I don’t recommend regular butter because it is made from sick, sad cows fed antibiotics and hormones. So organic butter is good, pastured butter is better, organic pastured butter is best and raw, pastured, organic butter is bestest
Sing it, sister! Love this. Love butter. Love you.
Thanks, Robin! Love you too, fellow butter fiend
You refer to “regular” butter. What do you mean and could you give some name examples of this?
Thanks,
Judy
Hi Judy! In the comment that I referred to “regular” butter, I think I was referencing store-bought butter vs. farm bought. Here are my thoughts about the bests butters:
I think the term “grassfed” or “pastured” is most important. Kerrygold butter is usually pretty easy to find, it is grass-fed/pastured but not organic. Even though it isn’t organic, I’ll by it in a pinch since it has a great reputation. You can even find it at Costo sometimes! I prefer to get Organic Valley Pasture Butter, which I get at Whole Foods, just because it is organic. “Cultured” can mean two things. First, the milk was soured before churning into butter. In this case, it is usually made from raw milk. “Cultured” can also mean that a culture was added for microbial/probiotic action.
The ultimate butter–which, of course, is most pricey–is raw, organic, pastured butter. I am able to get this from the Amish, and it is AMAZING. But, like I said, really expensive… so I supplement it with the Organic Valley one.
I don’t recommend non-organic grocery store butter. Butter from confined, sick cows is high in toxins and hormones and low in the benefits I discussed in this article.
I hope this clears things up!
i knew there was a connection to stop using butter and get cancer. Its great to see this in writing and a language we all can understand.
How about making your own butter with organic, hormone-free cream? Fun and easy … but does it have the same qualities you’ve described?
Yes, that is great because you have more control over the quality. Same qualities, and even better if you use milk from pastured cows. I would suggest looking for an organic, pasteurized but NON-homogenized cream. Even better, use raw cream if you have access to it.
I am a butter user but I do have one question – Why when I melt butter in the microwave it “arcs” or makes the sound that you hear when there is metal in the microwave? It has not mattered which brand of butter I use as they all do it. Have not used organic butter. I know the difference between the noise it makes when the butter pops but this is completely different.
I wouldn’t know. I REALLY don’t suggest using the microwave for food. And I would also suggest switching from regular butter to a pastured, organic butter (such as Organic Valley or Kerrygold) to avoid the toxins and antibiotics in conventional dairy.
I appreciate this post so much! Thanks.
I like the taste of butter but it’s really one of the unhealthiest ingredient on this planet
Hi . I am assuming that this is any butter , like any organic dairy butter from the grocery store where the cream is pasteurized ? Wouldn’t pasteurization change the health benefits and the x-factor of the butter? I would assume raw milk butter is superior it is just hard to find where I live . I think unless I find a farm to sell me raw cream and make it myself than I don’t know where to find it and I don’t want to mail order anything .
Hi Maureen! Sure, raw butter is always best but when that is not an option, choose grassfed pasteurized butter, like Kerrygold or Organic Valley. There will still be vitamin k2 in it!
this is amazing
I want to lose the earth balance input house, but with so many dairy intolerances input house, I have fear! I use ghee and coconut oil most of the time….what is your experience with those with dairy sensitivities? I can monitor myself easily enough for change, but my kids and less than observant husband are another thing!
I LOVE butter! Sometimes at night when i’m in the mood for something sweet I open up some salted Chimay butter and eat it with a spoon. I also add at least 2 Tbs to my coffee every morning (unsalted Kerrygold). I can’t live without butter in my life! Sooooo healthy! Thanks for helping spread the word.
I can absolutely believe that butter is an important component in a healthy balanced diet. As with anything else everything in moderation. Is eating a stick of butter everyday healthy? No. Is a little ok on some delicious steamed asparagus or a crusty baguette? Very much so. I believe in whole foods that aren’t processed. Butter most definitely fits into this category. And best of all it’s sweet and creamy!
Is this true for all butter or only butter made from grass fed cows?
I have been advocating for over 40 years that butter is NOT the culprit. In fact, it is good for your health. What IS harmful is the fried stuff. Fried on OIL. This OIL is the single most harmful factor, which gives rise to a number of health issues. So, reduce oil (through cooking, fried foods etc) and increase the intake of butter. If butter is homemade all the better.
Great article but I don’t think I could eat that much in one day! I was also reminded of my mother rubbing it on our bruises when we fell!
Great column! We have a small dairy, mainly Jerseys and Guernseys, and make our own butter. I just learned of this study, and like many of the commenters here, we eat it on everything, and I cook almost everything with it! I use the buttermilk to make bread, biscuits, and cakes. I am truly heartened (no pun intended) to learn of the health benefits!
I have been eating butter off the stick secretly for a week. I was caught by my daughter who told my wife. They are concerned for me. I am enjoying it. I too want total body healing.
Been raised on margarine, since my mom fears satured fats more than anything. Horrible stuff, but I still feel guilty when I enjoy real good yummy butter. I’ve been told so many times that my arteries would clog, that I would have a heart attack, that I would die from hypertension or whatever… even with 1 tsp of butter on my toast once a year. Yeah, she’s that paranoid.
Anyway. I feel better, now. Butter couldn’t be THAT bad, it had to have some good properties, right? I mean, people have been eating butter for centuries, it can’t be that bad.