3 Big Misunderstandings about Butter
There is always more to nuance and things are often more complicated than we like them to be. Especially with butter and saturated fats. Butter has received a bad rap for the past 50 or so years, having been replaced by margarine, trans fats, and oils in the hopes of saving the USA of the #1 killer, heart disease. Yet, even after all of that effort, heart disease is still a top killer and now we also have higher rates of diabetes, thyroid disease, and cancer.
The First Misunderstanding
One complication is the misunderstanding that fat is a suicide food. That if you eat lots of saturated fats, you will get fat and sick. On the contrary, these animal fats contain some of the MOST bioavailable vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that humans can consume. And cholesterol (mostly found in animal products like butter and eggs) is the precursor nutrient to all of our hormones! This is critical because hormones are like the MVPs in our bodies. They are essential to keeping our body in homeostasis, keeping things like our metabolism, brain chemistry, blood sugar levels, and other cell functions in the best working order.
As important as getting nutrients in your diet, our ethical processes in cultivating our food is just as important. Eating any old butter isn't going to cut it. We ultimately benefit from the nutrient density of butter that is made from cows eating their natural diet, grass. Studies have shown that grass-fed butter provides us with more vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory), and CLA (an immune boosting nutrient). Make it a point to get the most vitamin A with grass-fed butter (Kerry-gold is an accessible brand you will find at most grocery stores). It will improve your immunity, stress-response, your physique, and your energy levels.
The Second Misunderstanding
Another complication to the "butter is better" concept is that some people are now intolerant or have severe allergies to dairy. Intolerances are typically a response to the proteins of the cow dairy, typically lactose and casein. I personally have had issues with this. There are ways to bring your intestinal tract back into balance using other great animal fats, bone broths, and fermented foods, but that is for another blog. If you can't do the butter, try ghee/coconut oil/tallow/lard). Check out this recipe to make your own ghee.
The Third Misunderstanding
The last complication that is imperative for us to address is that most people are having trouble digesting their fats entirely. This is an individualized concern based on personal symptoms and can be addressed easily with supportive nutrients/foods to help you digest your fats. Nutrition is unique to each individual and butter might not be the best fat choice for you. To find out what fats are best for you will require trial and error, but can also be efficiently tested during a consultation with an FNTP. Read this blog post to find out common symptoms of poor fat digestion/utilization.