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by STEPHEN BYRNES, ND, RNCP
One of the most healthy whole foods you can include in your diet is butter. "What?!" I can hear many of you saying, "Isn’t butter bad for you? I thought margarine and spreads were better because they’re low in saturated fat and cholesterol?" Be not deceived folks! Butter is truly better than margarine or other vegetable spreads. Despite unjustified warnings about saturated fat from well-meaning, but misinformed, nutritionists, the list of butter’s benefits is impressive indeed:
And if that is not enough, in the solidification process, harmful trans-fatty acids are created which are carcinogenic and mutagenic. What would you rather have: a real food with an abundance of healthful qualities or a stick of carcinogenic, bleached, and deodorized slop?
Some of you might be watching your weight and be rather hesitant to add butter into your diet. Have no fear. About 15% of the fatty acids in butter are of the short and medium chain variety which are NOT stored as fat in the body, but are used by the vital organs for energy. (Fats you should watch, though, are all vegetable oils and olive oil.)
When looking for good quality butter, raw and cultured is best. This might be hard to find, however. Organic butter is your next best thing, with store-bought butter being at the bottom. Remember what we’ve said about commercially-raised cows; its worth a few extra cents to get high quality butter for you and your family. A brand of butter available in many markets is Anchor, imported from New Zealand. In this country, all cattle are grass-fed, thus insuring a high nutrient content of their milk, butter, and meat.
For more information on how to obtain quality dairy products, including Anchor Butter, check out the following web pages:
http://www.realmilk.com
http://www. westonaprice.org
In Reply to: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 22, 2004 at 19:26:38:
glad to see you back Lurch! thanks for sharing your info....
In Reply to: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 22, 2004 at 19:26:38:
Personally, I eat neither spreads/margarine nor butter. I use exclusively extra virgin olive oil when I cook and bake, but I do drink whole milk - not much though.
My diet is mostly mediterranean, after all, I am Greek.
I would like to know what you think of olive oil and the mediterranean diet in general (legumes, olive oil, scarce use of meat, whole milk, cheese, olives, vegetables, fish etc)
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Sylvia [1578.963] on August 22, 2004 at 20:18:59:
Hi Sylvia,
I am glad to see that somebody else likes to eat the same way, that is very much what I eat too and I think it's wonderful. I bet you have a lot of energy:-). I love the Med. eating, it's tasty and healthy. I also use grape seed oil and sometimes avocado oil. Grapeseed oil is wonderful for cooking as it doesn;t burn as easily if you want to cook something quickly at the higher temoerature. have you tried it? I also make fresh veggie juice every morning and a lot of tomato salads with feta since I had a huge harvest of tomatoes on my deck. I also make wonderful gazpacho with them and olive oil.
In Reply to: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 22, 2004 at 19:26:38:
always good to see Good news.
I don't eat as much butter as I used to because I don't do as much. I also don't eat as much red meat. I Think about what They say and that has some influence but I also don't crave it as much and let That be my guide. I never worried about it before when I used to burn a LOT of calories and stayed lean. Some people said Too lean but I went by function and feeling. You can move faster when lighter and why lug spare weight around ?
In Reply to: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 22, 2004 at 19:26:38:
Lurch, Many thanks for posting this. It is funny because only yesterday I was trying to persuade my brother that butter is actually good for you and you should use it in preference to those horrible vegetable oil spreads. I read somewhere that those spreads are one molecule away from plastic!
Thanks.
In Reply to: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 22, 2004 at 19:26:38:
Speaking of New Zealand butter, I'll never forget when I was tiny there used to be a brand of 'margerine' called 'Fairy Margerine' in Australia. It was actually pure New Zealand butter from that country's butter mountain, sold quietly on the cheap so as not to 'devalue' the main butter market. A lot of people were 'in on the secret'...
New Zealand has to be the most dairy country in the world. New Zealanders will go to the fridge and pull out a massive slice of cheese - the equivalent of a 3 inch cube, say, and eat that straight. New Zealand ice cream is the most fattening creamy thing in the world. AND there's the New Zealand christmas cake: it comes in a tin, you check the ingredients and the first, main ingredient is: butter.
New Zealand produces a lot of chocolate bars now for all sorts of chocolate companies- again, you check the ingredients, and butter oil has made its way into the ingredients for a bar of chocolate!
Luckily, New Zealanders are pretty sporty and aren't too fat as a nation (yet).
Jane
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Sylvia [1578.963] on August 22, 2004 at 20:18:59:
Sylvia,
Your diet sounds very good to me. The author of this article says no olive oil but I think he's the only person I've ever seen say that.
The three fats I use in my diet are (in order of preference)
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Maz [1200.624] on August 23, 2004 at 03:27:36:
I've heard that about plastic too. 8>)
I had a hunch that some of you would like this article.
Lurch
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Vince F [173.9] on August 22, 2004 at 22:52:24:
Hi Vince,
You said
"You can move faster when lighter and why lug spare weight around ? "
A lot of people still seem to attribute excess weight to dietary fats and in many cases it's dietary carbohydrates that are to blame. Fat free crackers, fat free cookies, whole grains with no butter, etc., that people eat, are in many cases the reason why they put on weight. I'd look at that in my diet before I blamed butter.
Coconut oil stimulates the thyroid and promotes weight loss in a lot of people. I eat gobs of coconut oil and butter and it doesn't make me put on weight.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 23, 2004 at 07:23:03:
fats will curb hunger and I find that butter will fast, but I don't eat a lot now a days and I figure calories have to be burned up no matter what they are and it can be a balancing act as to what to eat and how much.
In Reply to: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 22, 2004 at 19:26:38:
Thanks, Lurch.
"My definition of an expert is someone who agrees with me" :o).
It is helpful when someone organises the data, though.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Vince F [173.9] on August 23, 2004 at 07:53:49:
I've known many people that eat all of the eggs, non starchy vegetables, meats, coconut oil, and butter they want and are very slim and trim.
It's when they start increasing potatoes and other starchy carbs that they put on weight.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 23, 2004 at 08:56:00:
I have tried to cut carbs down or out and I don't feel very good. I crave some carbs and I have gotten a tightness in my neck where the caratid arteries are so it causes concern.
It could be just me or a result of my injury.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 23, 2004 at 07:23:03:
I eat zero processed foods & still butter can put weight on me faster than
anything else, including other forms of good fats. I love butter, and agree
with your article, but I don't need the extra weight, so I tend to avoid it,
unfortunately.
mary
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by maryb [516.1344] on August 23, 2004 at 10:14:23:
Hi Mary,
I agree with you 100%. I also eat zero processed foods 99% of the time and only splurge on something sinful on a special occasion like birthday but fat is fat in any form and will put weight on me faster than I can say "CALORIES".
I just can't see going to the gym and working out hard for 2 hours just to eat all these calories in 2 minutes. And since I try to avoid a lot of fat for that reason, the amount I do eat I prefer to have in olive oil. I do like the taste of butter but between the two I'll take EVOO any day.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by maryb [516.1344] on August 23, 2004 at 10:14:23:
That's good, as long as you're sure. I think that a lot of people that do not eat whole foods tend to blame butter and other fats on why they're overweight. It does seem to make some people gain weight but not most people. It definitely doesn't make me gain. What makes me put on weight is excess carbs like oatmeal, bananas, etc.
I know a girl that gains weight by eating coconut oil, which is kind of uncommon, I think.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by WOW [1317.457] on August 23, 2004 at 11:11:33:
I love raw butter and i haven't noticed it putting weight on me, now the raw cream that is another story; [we were making ice cream with it and eating it;[this i can say put a littel weight on me, back off of it 3 weeks ago]
I eat probably a 4th a stick of raw butter a day; Once you heat the oil that is the difference, regular butter in the store i can't say that is what i would eat;
I've really noticed a difference even with the organic butter pasterized, verses the raw and there is a big difference in how it responds in the body and taste and feels after one eats it;
If you have never tried it and can get a hold of it-go for it;
Personaly i think a lot of people do not get enough good fat; I noticed the skin has a lot more moisture and it helps one to be regular if you know what i mean;
One of my favorites;
I really like raw pecans crushed up in a small jar and 3 tab. of raw butter and 1 raw egg and 1 large tab. of honey and whip it up and one can eat on it for three days-yum, taste like pudding; [eating it now];
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 23, 2004 at 06:50:03:
Yup-Lurch-Same list of oils i like ! un-heated at that;
Lots of steamed vegetables with olive oil on top is better then cooking vegetable in the heated oil;
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Terri-Lynn [1917.953] on August 23, 2004 at 15:03:49:
Hi Terri-Lynn,
I have looked for raw milk or butter but can't find them anywhere, even health food store doesn't carry them. The only thing I ever saw here was raw sweet cream from Strauss Family and that was $8.00 for a pint, at that price I think I will pass on it. If I do eat butter occasionally, I always have it from Russian deli, it comes from Russia and it tastes like it might be raw, it has a very fresh flavor, like fresh cream and it is very high in fat content because it never really gets hard and spreads nicely even straight from the fridge. In Russia and other Eastern European countries dairy was always raw but it might have changed recently. What brand is your raw dairy? Thanks!
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Sylvia [1578.963] on August 22, 2004 at 20:18:59:
In my opinion, olive oil is not the most nutritive oil one can choose, for one it's easily damaged by heat and two, it isn't that robust nutritionally. I personally prefer walnut oil for the omega3s, vitamin E, and selenium it contains, and I use it as a cold-prep oil (as I once used olive oil.) For cooking, organic coconut oil is the healthiest, if your system doesn't object.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 23, 2004 at 06:56:27:
Good post lurch, I like Byrnes style.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by WOW [1317.457] on August 23, 2004 at 19:29:00:
Hi WOW, if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, look for the Organic Pastures
brand of raw butter, raw milk & cream. It's pricey but very good. It can go
rancid quickly.
mary
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 23, 2004 at 13:58:50:
If I don't change anything about my diet except for adding butter, bam, here
come the extra lbs. This happens when I bring home a cube now & then. After
doing this off & on, I've concluded that I'd just better behave myself around
butter. Oddly, it doesn't happen with other forms of fat. I can use olive oil, eat
avocados, nuts, etc without this same problem. I get plenty of fats in my diet
& sure wish butter didn't blimp me out, because I love it :-(.
mary
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by maryb [516.1344] on August 23, 2004 at 22:16:14:
Hi Mary,
I have never seen this brand in any of the stores where I shop, either the health food store or the berkeley Bowl. Do you know which stores carry it? Thanks!
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by peterb [27.23] on August 23, 2004 at 21:48:33:
Hi Peter,
Dis you know that walnuts (and I suppose walnut oil too) are one of the foods highest in antioxydants? Oh, what do you think about grape seed oil for cold use and cooking? It has a very high heating (smoking) point and also is very high in nutrients.
In Reply to: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 22, 2004 at 19:26:38:
Hi Lurch,
Great article, thanks...can you post the website that you
took this from? I'd like to pass it along.
Thanks,
dd
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by dd [1706.26] on August 23, 2004 at 22:35:26:
Hi,
I took the article
from my own website (used by permission of the author), but the author's website is here.
Lurch
In Reply to: Butter Mountain posted by Jane [1475.4] on August 23, 2004 at 05:16:12:
Hi,
Eating cheese straight for dinner is something I couldn't do. I think I'd get very constipated if I did that. I have to eat plenty of vegetables with cheese.
Thanks for sharing that. 8>)
Lurch
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by WOW [1317.457] on August 23, 2004 at 22:26:07:
Whole Foods carries it. They have a website, organicpastures.com, which
gives locations.
mary
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by maryb [516.1344] on August 24, 2004 at 10:16:08:
Thanks Mary,
I will check Whole Foods in Berkeley.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 24, 2004 at 06:37:10:
nmi
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 23, 2004 at 06:50:03:
The author of this article says no olive oil but I think he's the only person I've ever seen say that.
He didn't say that.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by WOW [1317.457] on August 23, 2004 at 19:29:00:
In Russia and other Eastern European countries dairy was always raw but it might have changed recently. What brand is your raw dairy?
In stores, they always sell (and have done this for a long time) pasteurized dairy (milk, for sure).
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by R. [27.1263] on August 24, 2004 at 23:38:39:
That's in ex-USSR; not sure about other Eastern European countries.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by WOW [1317.457] on August 23, 2004 at 11:11:33:
I just can't see going to the gym and working out hard for 2 hours just to eat all these calories in 2 minutes.
So, you have to work out this long (I bet several times a week too) to stay slim?
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by R. [27.1263] on August 24, 2004 at 23:41:28:
Unfortunatelly, I do. I tend to put the weight pretty easily so for me exercise is a must, usually 4-5 times a week.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by R. [27.1263] on August 24, 2004 at 23:39:36:
In Eastern European countries like Poland they always delivered raw milk to the door but that was a long time time ago. Times probably changed.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by R. [27.1263] on August 24, 2004 at 23:20:15:
Here's what he posted in his article :
(Fats you should watch, though, are all vegetable oils and olive oil.)
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 25, 2004 at 07:19:56:
It sounds to me that he classified olive oil in the same class as vegetables oils. The latter I wouldn't touch with a 10' pole.
L.
In Reply to: PS posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 25, 2004 at 08:39:32:
To me, his words meant as a recommendation not to eat much of it, not avoiding it.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by WOW [1317.457] on August 25, 2004 at 00:38:24:
This seems to be shared among people who eat a lot of carbohydrates. I put on some weight a few months ago (not necessarily excessive, according to some people I know) when I added more bread into by diet (whole rye and wheat flour, fermented overnight). But when I eat mostly paleo diet (animal foods and nonstarchy vegetables), I eat all I want with no noticeable effect on my weight. When I eat this way, I just don't feel like overeating. Protein and fat satisfy me fast and keep me satisfied for a long time. And I don't need lengthy workouts. I keep and improve my fittness by short but very intensive exercises. It takes me just several minutes a week.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by peterb [27.23] on August 23, 2004 at 21:52:14:
Do you know that he died recently? Of stroke. I saw it posted on his site.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 24, 2004 at 06:37:10:
Did you happen to notice the following on his site?
"Dr. Stephen Byrnes
suffered a stroke
on June 10, 2004
and passed away on
Thursday June 17th, 2004.
He will be missed by many.
May his good works live on..."
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by R. [27.1263] on August 25, 2004 at 12:09:01:
Actually, I don;t eat a lot of carbs, just enough to give me energy, about 40% of my diet. I was doing great when I ate less fat and kept the weight off beautifully but gained few pounds after eating more fat (avocadoes, oils, some butter, etc). I don;t refined carbs at all. They all come from beans and whole, unprocessed grains which I will never stop eating, I enjoy my regularity!
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by WOW [1317.457] on August 25, 2004 at 12:27:27:
They all come from beans and whole, unprocessed grains which I will never stop eating. I enjoy my regularity!
All these carbs are turned into glucose nevertheless and produce the same effects on the insulin->fat storage as refined ones.
If you have been around small kids, you must have noticed that they are regular without fiber coming from anywhere. Adults in some populations (e.g. Masai) have not been documented to have problem in that area (or in the area of degenerative diseases) even though they don't consume fiber at all. Feces are mostly dead and alive microbes.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by R. [27.1263] on August 25, 2004 at 12:10:31:
I saw that, and was surprised. He also had HIV and several other things going on.
L.
In Reply to: Re: PS posted by R. [27.1263] on August 25, 2004 at 12:00:36:
If he was anything like me and many of the health care providers I'm familiar with (Lita Lee PhD, Ray Peat PhD, Joseph Mercola ND, Barry Groves PhD, Bruce Fife ND, etc.) (annd I think he was) he wouldn't go near polyunsaturated vegetable oils with a 10' pole. That's probably why he had such a strong opinion on butter.
He liked to eat nuts, but nuts are a food source of mono and poly unsaturated fat, unlike taking walnut oil or vegetable oil.
In Reply to: Re: PS posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 25, 2004 at 13:00:15:
I'm not too familiar with Dr. Byrnes' diet but I am with Lee, Peat, and Fife, and all three don't do veg oils and are 100% against them.
Lee and Peat won't even eat nuts or fatty fish like salmon because of PUFAs.
Lee won't juice vegetables because she says it contains PUFAs.
They use the same fats I use :
In Reply to: PSS posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 25, 2004 at 13:41:12:
Too bad that his short life can't serve to support his dietary beliefs.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by Lurch [1574.1228] on August 25, 2004 at 12:53:13:
He didn't believe in the HIV/AIDS theory. And neither do I. In fact, it's hard to know whether one has HIV (not that it necessarilly matters) or not because available tests aren't specific.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by R. [27.1263] on August 25, 2004 at 12:42:31:
Why are you comparing apples and oranges? New machines work perfectly with hardly any maintance, as they age, they need more and more oil not to sound rusty and keep on going. Human body is also a machine that ages and needs more push
which for many is fiber as the body at certain age becomes
sluggish. In an older body those feces need a little help to push them out. Besides, how many times did you read posts on this board about mothers about their kids being constipated? I read too many. Besides, why are trying to push your way of eating on me? You can eat in any way you want and I will do the same. It keeps me healthy, strong, regular and energetic. I hope you feel so good too on your diet at my age. I am not changing mine no matter how many low carb policemen try to cuff me.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by WOW [1317.457] on August 25, 2004 at 16:13:17:
Why are you comparing apples and oranges?
I am not.
New machines work perfectly with hardly any maintance, as they age, they need more and more oil not to sound rusty and keep on going.
Masai and other population are comprised of adults as well as small kids.
In an older body those feces need a little help to push them out.
And the push might be provided by a properly developed internal microorganism population.
Besides, how many times did you read posts on this board about mothers about their kids being constipated?
Many people, including kids too, suffer dysbiosis. Chronic stress often hinders GI performance as well. So, I suggest that it is not lack of fiber that is the root cause of constipation in many.
Besides, why are trying to push your way of eating on me? You can eat in any way you want and I will do the same.
I am not pushing anything on you. I am merely discussing this topic with you. You are in a public forum, remember? I didn't come to your home and try to persuade you to change your way of doing anything. You have made numerous more or less direct claims on this board that grains, fruits, and whatever else you eat is a must for health for everybody. I have been simply trying to demonstrate falseness of the claims. I have no interest in changing the way YOU eat.
I am not changing mine no matter how many low carb policemen try to cuff me.
This doesn't happen in reality. Not on this board anyway. However, some people do put on a "police uniform" once in a while to protect others from wildly made claims. And they do that without wanting the original posters to change their way of living but by requesting good evidence to back up the OPs' claims.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by R. [27.1263] on August 26, 2004 at 10:48:06:
Excellent.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by WOW [1317.457] on August 23, 2004 at 22:29:20:
In fact I saw an article today about high antioxidant levels in walnuts, and like you, I wondered if they make it into the oil. As for grape seed, I don't really have an opinion on it, as I haven't tried it, or read much about it.
In Reply to: Re: WHY BUTTER IS BETTER posted by R. [27.1263] on August 25, 2004 at 12:10:31:
that was a shocker.
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