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Health Benefits of Grass Fed Butter

Butter tastes delicious and can turn a bland meal or snack into a masterpiece but it has received a lot of bad press over the years. Butter has been used in cooking for centuries, but in the 1970’s dietary guideline changed to ensure that we reduced our intake of saturated fats dramatically.

Despite the decline of foods like butter, full fat dairy and meat in our diet the rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease have continued to rise. People turned from butter to margarine but unfortunately margarine is an unnatural, processed product that is made from trans fats. It was created as a “healthy” and cheap butter replacement but in fact it is much worse for our health as trans fats are linked to higher levels of LDL cholesterol, lower levels of HDL cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and inflammation.

We now know that saturated fats and high fat foods are not the culprits we previously thought they were, and that sugar, trans fats and processed foods are to blame for the increase in chronic health issues. So we can begin to start enjoying butter again provided that it is organic and grass-fed.

Here are some of the health benefits of organic, grass-fed butter.

Butter is rich in fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K2 and Vitamin D. Vitamin A, E and D are important for healthy eye sight, endocrine and immune systems. Vitamin K2 is involved in calcium metabolism and is actually fairly hard to find in dietary sources.

Butter contains a wonderful range of healthy fatty acids such as short and medium chain fatty acids, arachidonic acid and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. These serve various functions in the body including supporting immunity, boosting metabolism, providing anti-microbial properties, fighting inflammation, boosting brain and skin health and balancing hormones.

Grass-fed butter is a rich source of minerals such as chromium, zinc, manganese, selenium, iodine and copper. Butter that is made from grass-fed dairy is rich in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). This is a fatty acid that has great health benefits including boosting metabolism, reducing body fat and protecting against certain cancers.

Grass-fed, organic butter is a good source of cholesterol. Cholesterol and saturated fats have been demonised in the past as the cause of clogged arteries and heart disease, but we now know that they are not the health risk we thought they were. Saturated fat helps the body to produce more good HDL cholesterol and less of the small, dense, bad LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol is needed for proper cell function and brain and nervous system development and health. 

As you can see, butter is much healthier than we originally thought and is a wonderful addition to the diet when eaten in moderation.

Sources

http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/mens-health/butter-might-not-be-so-bad-after-all/news-story/2a6446661a2f71acb188332360de31fb
https://authoritynutrition.com/7-reasons-why-butter-is-good-for-you/
https://draxe.com/top-8-health-benefits-of-butter/