Occasionally, I share questions sent in to me by my social media community and people who stumble upon my site. Today, I’m sharing a question that I’ve been seeing pop up more frequently in regards to butter.
I know I’m supposed to limit how much fat I eat, but I’ve heard a lot about eating butter and how it isn’t as bad as previously thought. People are even putting butter in their coffee–is it something I should do, and what’s the benefit?
Poor butter, it has gotten such a bad rep. Not only is it okay to consume butter in moderation, but grass-fed butter actually provides nutritional benefits (and it’s the only butter I recommend).
- The quality of butter also plays a significant role in terms of its benefits. Grass-fed, organic butter is the best option. When cows aren’t fed soy and corn and what they’re supposed to, they produce butter that is higher in vitamins, trace minerals, and fats. Grass-fed butter is one of the richest sources of vitamin D & K, which are often lacking in our modern diet. (Vitamin D deficiency is now referred to as a “epidemic” of our time and is correlated to cancer and disease risk, so I take it very seriously). Each serving of grass fed butter will also provide you with vitamin A, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, selenium, beta carotene, and omega 3 & 6 fatty acids.
- It’s critical to understand that you need fat in your diet. Unlike the fat that comes from processed foods and hydrogenated vegetable oils, grass-fed butter provides you with nutritional benefits. In addition, the fat in butter helps to keep you satiated! Our brains are actually the fattest organ and may be up to 60 percent fat. For properly functioning nerves and brainpower, fat needs to be consumed. The same is true for regulating hormones, normal growth development and cell functions, and the transportation of fat-soluble vitamins.
- When it comes to fat, dairy, and animal protein, moderation is key. As with any food, healthy or not, excess is what gets us into trouble. That means a dollop of butter in your morning coffee or a smear on your veggies at night is not bad as long as you use alongside a healthy mainly plant-based diet, eating lots of vegetables for nutrients, limiting processed foods, sugars, and gluten.
I personally use butter in my Bulletproof Coffee and Matcha Latte I make, as well as ghee in what I call my Inner Peace Tonic. You do not necessarily need to put butter in your coffee to benefit, but it is an easy way to incorporate some nutrient-rich butter into your diet. For a creamy and delicious tasting coffee, stir in equal parts grass-fed butter and MCT oil.
It can be tricky to find legit grass fed butter. Here are some of my recommended brands:
- Local is best, I always suggest looking at your local farmer’s markets or researching local availability of grass-fed butter first. It’s easier than you may think, simply click on this link http://www.realmilk.com/real-milk-finder/, search under your state, and get a complete list of unprocessed, pasture fed, full fat products.
- I often recoomend Kerrygold Butter because it is the most commercially available mainly grass-fed butter. It is a much better option than industrial butter. It is not organic and a small percentage of the time, the diets of the cattle do include grain or corn (approx. 10% of their diet is not grass-fed) but, I recommend because it is affordable, 90% grass-fed, contains no steroids or antibiotics, and contains high amounts of omega 3’s compared to other mainstream commercial butters.
- Anchor butter is more widely available on the East coast and is produced from free range, grass-fed cows in New Zealand. You can find a location that carries it close to you here: http://anchorbutter.com/. Anchor is produced If you can’t find it there, you could always order online in bulk and divide amongst friends.
- Organic Valley Pasture Butter is a seasonally available pastured, cultured, salted butter that usually appears in spring, which is when the grass is at its greenest. Look for the green foil label and avoid the regular Organic Valley Butter.Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/grass-fed-butter/#ixzz3mjVodQFN
