Buttering You Up
I’ve gotten a couple of comments lately expressing some skepticism about whether it’s okay to eat butter or not. In the nutrition department at Bastyr University, where I teach, we believe that the best fats come from traditional source. In other words, we’re less impressed with the large selection of refined polyunsaturated oils that are so widely used and more impressed with the fats that have come from natural whole foods sources: like butter, ghee and (dare I say it) lard. Yes these products contain saturated fats. And I’m proud to stand up and say I eat them. There.
Did you know saturated fats and cholesterol make the membranes of the cells firm? Without them the cells would become flabby and fluid. If we humans didn’t have cholesterol and saturated fats in the membranes of our cells, we would look like giant worms or slugs. And we are not talking about a few molecules of cholesterol here and there. In many cells, almost half of the cell membrane is made from cholesterol. Foods with cholesterol in them have been a natural part of the human diet for …well forever. Recent studies are actually linking cardiovascular disease more strongly with refined grains, lack of exercise and stress. Not to eating too much butter.
Butter is 66% saturated fat and 30% monounsaturated fats. It is stable, has fewer rancidity problems and maintains its integrity when cooked. Butter contains lauric acid, lecithin and vitamins A & D. If the butter comes from cows allowed access to pasture, the possible presence of omega 3 fatty acids increases. This is great stuff. Plus the temperature at which butter sizzles but doesn’t brown happens to be perfect for cooking eggs. Let’s hear it for auditory cooking signals! When you add fats to certain vegetables it increases the bioavailability of certain nutrients, particularly the fat-soluble vitamins. Nice. Sauté kale in butter and garlic. Live long and prosper.
Within reason (what does that mean? – like a couple of tablespoons a day) butter in the diet is preferable to seed oils and certainly preferable to imitation butters. If you’re still nervous check out THINCS (The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics) - a group of international physicians and scientists that don’t believe that eating foods that contain cholesterol is linked to heart disease. Who knows, maybe they’ll even find out the eating butter helps you make more brown fat (the nutrition buzz word in today’s news). Let’s make scones! Weigh in kids. Do you eat butter? Give me support.
Tags: Bastyr University, Braised Greens, brown fat, butter, cholesterol, cholesterol skeptics, kale, saturated fat, THINCS, Weston Price
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my son’s favorite thing in the world is bread and butter. When I make him eggs I make sure that it’s made with butter.(I guess it’s because my mom always made eggs this way) I’ve been buying organic butter and I’m on the hunt for some local butter. Any advice with what I should be looking for when purchasing?
Comment by Yasmine — April 9, 2009 @ 7:34 pm
Oh yeah, I eat butter. We buy pastured butter so I feel GOOD about it too. For all the reasons you mentioned. My three favorite fats right now: pastured butter, coconut oil and olive oil.
Comment by Carol — April 13, 2009 @ 10:48 pm
I try to buy organic butter, when I do buy butter. Then, I like to make “better butter”. I mix together one part softened butter, one part filtered water, and one part extra-virgin olive oil ( I use an electric mixer; but it could be done by hand also). Put it in a container and refrigerate. It is good to cook with too.
Comment by Mary — April 24, 2009 @ 7:00 am
Yup! And I actually just picked up some lard from the farm down the road where we get grass-fed chicken, pork and beef as well as delicious eggs. Your work, especially “Feeding the Whole Family” and Sally Fallon’s “Nourishing Traditions” as well as my own instincts have me and my family relying on traditional foods as much as possible. That means organic, local butter on our homemade sourdough toast, as well as lard and butter in the home-made pie crust for the rhubarb I’ll be harvesting from my front yard. I’m with Carol…butter, coconut oil and olive oil are the way to go!
Comment by Marie — April 28, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
I admit I struggle with this topic on a daily basis. I am on a statin and have been diagnosed with a high lipid profile so my internist puts the fear of God into on this topic - not that i think he is terribly up on nutrition. I live in an area full of local farmers, amish cheese, fresh amish butter from their gurnsey cow (1.50 per pound!) that i see in the pasture outside my window, farmers markets, etc. So, I have the support. But I worry about the long term effects and I have read far too much on the topic with conflict all over the place - often I hear it said that the saturated fat increases “silent” inflammation , so that is why they say stay away. I have tried to make the “better” butter as a half way point - like the one Mary talked about earlier. It is a crazy making topic for me.
I do buy grass fed meat, organic dairy and raise much of my own veggies and have fresh goats milk from my goats, also use it to make yogurt - maybe I should try goat’s milk butter - it is very expensive at my local coop!
Thanks for listening - any feedback for this crazy post?
Greg
Comment by Greg — April 30, 2009 @ 7:57 am
Hi Greg,
I think that the key is moderation. I personally don’t believe that using a tablespoon of butter rather than a tablespoon of olive oil to saute vegetables is deleterious to overall health. I do believe that keeping portions and calories in check does make a difference. If you can buy one of those (beautiful sounding) local cheeses and limit yourself to using an ounce or two now and again, I see no reason for worry. If you use a teaspoon and not a tablespoon of fresh Amish butter (wow) on your toast, that seems good. And if cakes, cookies, breads, pies and pastries (where zillions of fat and empty carbohydrate calories hide) are not daily dessert but a special weekly treat - that’s not crazy, it’s just prudent. Instead of trying to eat the same amount and change the ingredients around, just eat less and enjoy it fully. Most of the satisfaction of your plate of food comes in the first few bites anyway.
Comment by admin — April 30, 2009 @ 2:37 pm
I love butter, always have, always will. I have 4 young children and cook/bake with organic butter daily . I had a fear that perhaps my cholesterol numbers would be high when I went in for a blood workup a couple of weeks ago - but in fact, my nutritionist and ND after seeing my results told me I needed to “up my overall cholesterol number”! It was astonishingly low. Now my mantra is “Yay BUTTER!”
Comment by Sara — May 7, 2009 @ 6:33 pm