expert’s corner
better butter
Want to enjoy your favorite spread without the guilt? Grass-fed is the way to go.
Q:
To me, there’s nothing better than mushrooms sautéed in butter, or buttered broccoli, or butter melted on a muffin! However, I’ve repeatedly heard that we should avoid saturated fats like butter. Should butter be avoided or not? —Anne W., Albuquerque, N.M.
A:
We all grew up hearing that butter should be avoided because it’s a saturated fat that isn’t good for heart health. However, the saturated fat myth has been thoroughly debunked in recent years: two massive review studies showed there is no association between saturated fat consumption and heart disease. (This is especially true if the saturated fat you eat doesn’t go hand-in-hand with sugar and refined grains.) But bear in mind that all butter isn’t created equal. Just as grass-fed beef has a much stronger nutritional profile and offers more health benefits than conventional beef from cattle that are fed grains, the same is true of grass-fed butter. This is the type of butter that comes from the milk of cows that graze on grass their entire lives.
The Benefits of Grass-Fed Butter Grass-fed butter was an historically used fat. It was part of the diets of many traditional cultures, and in many ways, it was considered a superfood. We now know that it’s rich in numerous hard-toobtain and not so well-known nutrients and healthful fats—a key reason why some people, such as keto diet followers, are now adding it to their coffee. Here’s a 14
rundown of the nutrients found in this creamy golden favorite. CLA—Grass-fed butter is a rich source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA): It actually contains five times more CLA than butter from grain-fed cows. CLA is a beneficial fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory properties and is linked to fighting cancer and helping your body build muscle rather than store fat. CLA also seems to promote cardiovascular health. One study conducted in Costa Rica, where most dairy farms are still pasture based, found that people with higher CLA levels in their bodies also had less risk of heart attacks. Those with the highest levels of CLA had a 36 percent
lower risk of heart attack compared to those with the lowest levels. “Activator X”/Vitamin K 2—In the 1930s, researcher Weston A. Price traveled around the world and documented the diets of traditional cultures with little degenerative disease and very low rates of tooth decay and cavities. Price discovered that butter was an important food for bone and dental health and he deduced that it had something he called “Activator X” that helps the body use other
May 2021
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3/25/21 8:43 AM
