Is Butter Really The Best Choice?

            Go to the supermarket, almost any supermarket, and you’ll be bombarded with butter substitutes that claim to be the healthier alternative to real butter…but are these butter substitutes actually better for you than the real stuff?

            Of course, too much of a good thing is usually bad, but real, natural butter in moderation is much better than the highly processed, chemical concoction masquerading as the “Healthier” alternative.  You may not know this (although you probably do) but margarine and other butter substitutes are actually made up of refined, hydrogenated oils which means: trans fats!

            Butter, on the other hand, is made up of butterfat, water, and a small amount of milk protein.  Butterfat is butyric acid which is basically the same substance produced by nursing mothers. 

Butter contains:

-Beta-carotene – A precursor to Vitamin-A.

-Selenium – an important antioxidant trace mineral.

-Vitamin-E – A powerful immune-booster, antioxidant, and heart tonic which has been shown to improve circulation, promote skin health, and reduce inflammation.

-Vitamin-K – A fat soluble vitamin necessary for proper blood clotting and bone health.

-Iodine – An essential mineral particularly for thyroid health and metabolism.

-Vitamin D – A cancer-fighting, immune-boosting, bone building vitamin needed for proper calcium absorption.

-Lecithin - Is a phospholipid used to emulsify fat and has been shown to reduce cholesterol.

-Conjugated Linoleic Acids – fight cancer, boost immune strength, and build muscle.

-Butyric Acid – Has been shown to support colon health.

-Lauric Acid – Is a medium-chain fatty acid that boosts resistance to yeasts.

            Some people may be concerned with all the fat and cholesterol found in butter and other dairy products…personally, I’d rather eat the saturated fat in real butter than the trans-fats in fake butter.  It appears that saturated fats have been falsely demonized by drug companies, the manufacturers of Statins which are used to lower cholesterol – unfortunately, they also lower levels of Co enzyme Q10 and interfere with the body’s production of this vital enzyme (but this is a story for another time).

            In the May 2010 issue of The Lancet, scientists point out the facts about cholesterol, saturated fats, and heart disease mortality.  It actually turns out that the countries which consume diets with the highest amount of fats have lower death rates from heart disease than the countries with lower fat consumption.  For example; the French consume twice as much saturated fat that the Finns, yet the heart-related death rate is three times higher in Finland. 

            Did you know that fats are essential to life…the body can’t live without fat.  As confirmed by live-blood microscopy analysis, without enough fat consumption, the cells begin to burst!  Cell membranes are composed of fat and without adequate consumption of fats, they can’t maintain their structure and they burst.

            Just like everything else, organic butter from grass-fed cows is best.  Not only does organic butter taste better and contain higher amounts and a wider array of nutrients, organic butter has that added benefit of containing no toxic pesticide residues, nor antibiotics, nor growth hormones.  In fact, non-organic butter has been ranked by the Pesticide Action Network of North America as one of the top 10 foods most contaminated with persistent organic pollutants (POP’s).

Be sure to reach for that stick of real, organic butter and ditch the fake butter substitutes.  While you’re at it, check out my list of the Top 10 Healthiest Foods Today!