I'm pretty passionate about my butter. Sad, but true. It's just that Americans have fallen for some pretty bad jokes when it comes to food. A great example is margarine. It's one of the worst jokes played on the people of this country, in my opinion. I mean come on--a fake plastic-y man-made substance boasting about being heart-healthy? Ummm...alright. Weird, and a total lie.
First of all, how did poor butter get its bad reputation? It can get complicated, but I'll attempt to summarize the truths and myths about real butter. Here's an excerpt from one of my favorite people, Sally Fallon:
"In the 1940's, research indicated that increased fat intake caused cancer. The abandonment of butter accelerated; margarine--formerly a poor man's food-- was accepted by the well-to-do. But there was a small problem with the way this research was presented to the public. The popular press neglected to stress the fact that the "saturated" fats used in these experiments were not naturally saturated fats but partially hydrogenated or hardened fats--the kind found mostly in margarine but not in butter. Researchers stated--they may have even believed it--that there was no difference between naturally saturated fats in butter and artificially hardened fats in margarine and shortening. So butter was tarred with the black brush of the fabricated fats, and in such a way that the villains got passed off as heroes." (http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/butter.html)
Basically, the wrong message was sent about to people about good fats and bad fats. If you look at the heart-health of Americans throughout history, you will find that heart disease and cancer were extremely rare diseases all throughout history. It wasn't until the 20th century that it became one of the most common diseases in Americans. If you take a look at the traditional diet of our ancestors, you would see them eating real churned butter, along with plenty of whole-fat dairy products and other animal fats. In today's society, those are supposed to be evil foods! So instead we eat margarine, skim-milk, low-fat or fat-free cheese and yogurt, and even "egg-product" out of a mini-milk carton! HAHAHA...I'm sorry, it just makes me chuckle a bit every time I think about it. Our hearts and our bodies are sicker than they've ever been throughout history! Obviously, these fake food products are not helping us. What it IS helping are the paychecks of the medical community and processed-food industry--especially the corn/soybean farmers. Next time you're in the store, walk down an aisle and see how many products boast of being heart-healthy, when really it is just a big scam on the part of the food industry. I've heard that the best way to shop is to only shop the perimeter of a grocery store, which will include the BEST heart-healthy products in existence--fruits and vegetables!
Last, I just want to share how margarine is made, in case I haven't swayed you yet. It begins by taking already rancid, poor quality vegetable oil and adding carcinogenic solvents to it while extracting it from the seeds. The oils are steam-cleaned to remove all vitamins and anti-oxidants. The pesticides and solvents are not removed. There must be a chemical reaction during the hydrogenation process, so finely-ground nickel (toxic) is then added to the oils. The oils are put under very high temperatures while hydrogen gas is added. This turns the oil into a semi-solid, AKA partially-hydrogenated oil. This is also where trans-fats come into play. The end product of this process is a lumpy grey substance that smells horrible. Because it smells so bad, it has to be steamed-clean once again to remove the odor. The margarine is then bleached and yellow dyes are added to give it that buttery yellow color. Artificial flavors are also added so that it will taste like butter.
Doesn't that sound delicious? At least it's "healthy"! haha...
The best butter out there is butter made from grass-fed cow's milk, of course. Grass-fed is always better in all dairy products. It contains the full amount of nutrients. There are two brands that I always look for, and I am more than willing to shell out the extra moolah for my health. These two brands are Kerrygold Pure Irish butter (http://www.kerrygold.com/usa/product_butter.html) and Organic Valley's pasture butter. The latter is seasonal, and you can only get it during the summer months. Luckily for me it is on sale right now at Whole Foods since they are no longer making it this year. There are many other great types of pasture butter. If you can't afford grass-fed butter, then at least buy cheap butter over margarine.
References:
www.westonaprice.org
http://www.michaelpollan.com/
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