What is the hype about grass fed butter?
For decades we were told that butter is bad, a significant contributor to heart disease, and the number one cause of death in North America. The latest research reveals that scientists, the food industry and our doctors were wrong! Butter, specifically grass feed butter is not only not bad for you but is also essential to help lose weight, helps curve hunger cravings and increases your mental and physical energy. In this article we are going to focus on healthy fats and the benefits of grass fed butter from pasture-raised cows.
Fat Free Products Can Actually Make You Gain Weight
A ton of processed food companies jumped on the “fat is bad” theme which led to a marketing explosion on the labels of products on grocery store shelves; “fat free”, “low fat”, which still continues today.
The low fat diet craze clearly didn’t help as waistlines of the average North American continue to grow today.
Well how is it that although North Americans have decreased their fat consumption, obesity rates continue to soar?
Why Am I Eating “Low Fat” But Gaining Weight?
The fat that you should keep your eye out for and avoid at all costs is the manmade trans fat. Where are trans fats found? Historically, they have been found in such grocery store items like margarine, crackers, cakes, pastries, muffins, croissants, snack food, fried and breaded foods.
One of the major health effects of trans fats are raised blood levels of “bad cholesterol” (LDL-cholesterol). At the same time, lowering blood levels of “good cholesterol” (HDL-cholesterol), which protects against heart disease.
Without digging too deep into the science of the making of trans fats, the basic premise is: trans fats are a manmade invention which involves taking a less shelf-stable polyunsaturated fat and submitting it to high temperatures which forces the molecules into an unhealthy configuration. Despite the health risks, trans fat products are still on our grocery store shelves today. The chemistry change gives the products a longer shelf life and enables the producers to cut their costs but in return this places a higher health risk on our health.
Substitution Matters
When food manufacturers removed fat to make their “fat free” products like cookies, they had to substitute something to take its place. Most often this substitution involved adding sugar, high fructose corn syrup, cornstarch or other refined carbohydrates such as white flour. Companies have gotten better at making low fat and fat free foods tasty and people tend to think that since they taste good and are “low fat” or “fat free”, then it must be okay to eat. – WRONG!
Eat Healthy Fats Like Grass Fed Butter
In an article from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) they encouraged the public to steer away from the catchy packaging labels “low fat” and rather focus on cutting out trans fats and eating healthy fats instead.
Grass fed butter is butter made from cows that consume only grasses, not grains! This is the significance between grass fed butter and conventional butter. Grass fed cows graze on grasses as nature intended them to do. Grass fed cows are not fed GMOs; they are truly free-range cows and are not raised on hormones or antibiotics. If you’re going to eat butter, make it grass fed butter. Not only is it better for you but it also tastes better.
Fat Facts
The good fats are found in olive oil, avocados, pastured egg yolks, krill oil, coconut oil, grass fed meat, grass fed butter, fish oil, raw macadamias.
The bad fats are found in margarine and other artificial trans fats, corn and vegetable oil, flaxseed oil, oils made from GMO grains.
Benefits of Grass Fed Butter
- Grass fed butter is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin A, D, and K2, it is full of anti-oxidants and is high in healthy saturated fats. Healthy fats = a healthy brain. You might be surprised to find out that the brain is primarily comprised of fat and cholesterol. A large portion of the fatty acid found in the brain is saturated. A diet low in healthy fats essentially deprives your brain of the fuel it needs to thrive.
- Vigorous Lungs. In order for your lungs to function properly, they need to have a thin layer of pulmonary surfactant, which is a material that basically protects the lungs from infections caused by inhaled elements and particles in the air. Pulmonary surfactant consists of 100% saturated fatty acids. Therefore, substituting the healthy saturated fatty acids for other more harmful types of fat like trans fat and polyunsaturated fats can create defective surfactant thereby causing your lungs to function improperly thus resulting in breathing complications.
- Accurate Nerve Interaction. Particular saturated fats, mainly the ones found in grass fed butter, coconut oil and palm oil act as signal couriers that influence metabolism. And as we know, not all fats are created equal; therefore we can’t settle for just any type of fat to get the job done. Without the correct signals being made to communicate with the organs, it is impossible for your organs to work properly.
At home our day starts with grass fed Kerrygold Unsalted Irish Butter (silver label) I put two tablespoons of grass fed butter in my coffee every morning along with one to two tablespoons of MCT oil. The coffee, grass fed butter and MCT oil are then blended in our blender. The result is a very satisfying creamy coffee. This replaces my 3 double double Tim Hortons coffee that I used to drink per day (I use to need multiple coffees to get through the day).
There is no crash after drinking coffee with Kerry Gold grass fed butter and MCT oil. However, you should always use good quality coffee. You should notice an energy boost within about 20 minutes after drinking and that should keep you going for a good 12 hours throughout your day.
With the exception of coconut oil, we no longer use oils for cooking. Instead, for the most part, we use grass fed butter. Whether we are lightly pan-searing fish (ideally wild Alaskan Salmon), broiling steaks or topping our veggies we use Kerrygold grass fed butter. Conversely, my wife and I used to like trying new recipes and experimenting with different seasonings and spices. Since we now know that many of the seasoning salts sold at the grocery stores are either processed and/or full of MSG and other harmful ingredients, we’ve cut them out completely. Instead, we use only grass fed butter and pink sea salt from the Himalayas. That’s it. Not only is it an incredibly simple way to cook using these two ingredients but it also helps make incredibly delicious meals.
The Take-Away
If you avoid trans fats and consume healthy fats such as grass fed butter…
- It will be more satiating, helps to avoid hunger cravings and you will lose weight
- Increase your daily physical energy – healthy fat digests the most efficiently in your body and contains the most energy compared to all other nutrients
- Increase in mental energy – the brain is primarily comprised of fat and cholesterol. A large portion of the fatty acid found in the brain is saturated. Don’t’ deprive your brain of the fuel it needs to function at its optimal best.
Enjoy grass fed butter and Unleash Your Optimal Self!