For several decades mainstream media promoted the message that margarine was healthier than butter. But finally the truth is being revived! The facts haven’t changed, but at last more people are hearing the truth.
Truth is: margarine is very bad for your health (*that’s a whole post in itself, but you can read this detailed article for more info), and butter is very good for your health.
Butter contains many healthy components, including:
– vitamins A, D, E, and K
– important trace minerals like selenium (often more easily absorbed from butter than other sources) and natural iodine
– the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
– butter from grass-fed cows contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which helps protect against cancer
– glycospingolipids, which help protect against infections in the gut
– healthy cholesterol
and more.
Some of the health benefits of eating butter are:
– protection against heart disease
– protection against cancer
– preventing arthritis and joint stiffness (by ensuring calcium in your body is put into your bones instead of joints or other tissues)
– promotes thyroid health (and a healthy endocrine system)
– protects against asthma
– helps with weight control (No, butter does not make you fat. In fact it can even help with losing weight.)
– keeping a healthy gut
– promotes healthy cellular function
– good for the immune system
and more.
Clearly butter is a wonderful food with many health benefits! However it is important what kind of butter you eat.
– Regular butter sold in grocery stores is better than margarine. However, it’s not the best option since conventional dairy cows are filled with antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, and other harmful chemicals, which end up in the dairy products.
– Organic, grass-fed butter sold in grocery stores is better than non-organic butter, since it should be free of the chemicals listed above. However it’s still been processed and pasteurized.
– Organic, grass-fed, raw butter is free of chemicals and hasn’t been pasteurized, thus it’s the best kind. You can often find it at a local farmer’s market.
I bought some organic, raw butter at our farmer’s market and have been enjoying it. My herbalogist says butter is so good for you that you can’t eat too much of it. For most people this is probably true. However, for me, I’m only eating a small amount each day (like 1-3 teaspoons), because it seems to make me detox more. If I eat too much then I experience symptoms from the detoxing. Hopefully I’ll be able to increase the amount gradually.
So, if you can find it, give organic, raw butter a try. Just remember to start slow and listen to your body. Then enjoy the wonderful health benefits of this amazing food!
*Margarine exposed: the quick explanation of why margarine is so bad for you –
It contains trans fats, free radicals, industrial chemical solvents, bleach, artificial colors and flavors (to mask the awful color and flavor of the hydogenated oils it’s made from), preservatives, sterols, and other harmful ingredients.
These ingredients contribute to problems like heart disease, cancer, hormonal imbalance, infertility, thyroid disfunction, and more.
More articles about butter:
Leave a Reply