Thursday, February 20, 2014

4 Reasons To Eat Butter

Over the past three or so generations we've been taught all sorts of erroneous information about how the things we eat affect our health. We've made great strides in science and health care, much of which has contributed to the longevity of life. However, in the most recent few decades, some of the things we've been taught to do have been detrimental to our health. One of those things has to do with butter.

We've been told that butter is an enemy and sold products like margarine in its place. Margarine contains lab-made fat that is, in fact, toxic to our bodies. In the early 1900s, the incidents of heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes was a fraction of what it is today. Artificial food, like margarine, and false information being fed to us by "Big-Food" (a corrupt industry, in my opinion) play a huge role in this evolution.

Butter is actually good for our bodies for several reasons.

  1. Butter contains butyrate, which helps with inflammation. Butyrate inhibits a protein complex in cells that reacts to stress - physical and psychological - and causes inflammation that leads to illness.
  2. Butter contains vitamins A and E and other anti-oxidants, which protect against cancer and heart disease and provides a boost to the immune system. Vitamin A also improves the function of the thyroid gland.
  3. Butter is helpful in preventing weight gain. Yes, you read that right. The type of fatty acids in butter are called upon for quick energy first. Other types of fatty acids, like the ones found in margarine and other highly processed foods, are used for energy last and only if other sources of energy have been depleted. Therefore, they're likely to be stored as fat in our bodies. In addition, nutrient-dense butter provides a quicker and longer lasting feeling of satiety. 
But what about cholesterol, you ask? Isn't butter high in cholesterol? Yes, butter contributes to cholesterol in your body. That leads me to number 4:
 4. Butter contains cholesterol. Contrary to the bad-guy persona built around cholesterol, it's actually very necessary for vital functions of our bodies. The body uses cholesterol to produce hormones that regulate everything from blood sugar, to brain function, to digestion, to sex-related functions that rely on estrogen and testosterone. It's important for the body to maintain a proper balance of cholesterol between what we eat and what is manufactured by the body. Butter, which in its natural state contains cholesterol, also contains lecithin. Lecithin assists in regulating and metabolizing cholesterol.
Butter is a perfect food, and the "Big-Food" industry has manipulated it and sold us a defective bill of goods in its place. Rant on Big-Food is a topic that could fill many other posts, and I'll save it for later.

When you're cooking and a recipe calls for butter, use real butter! When you grill or fry, use real butter. Use real butter on your air-popped popcorn...

Whatever you do, stay away from margarine and other butter substitutes! They're toxic.

I've learned about this subject from many podcasts and articles that are readily available online. Some of these sources are:

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