Butter, the Healthy Option

A backlash is beginning to form against the overwhelming general opinion that saturated fat is bad for you. It is well beyond the scope of this lens to present scientific evidence to support the new way of thinking but if you are keen to find out more then here are a few links:

The Truth About Saturated Fat - Part 1

Reasons to Eat More Saturatd Fat

Why Saturated Fat is Good For You

The 20 Health Benefits of Real Butter

From Donna Gates' Body Ecology site above:

1. Contains Vitamin A for thyroid and adrenal health.
2. Contains lauric acid,; fights fungal infections and candida.
3. Contains lecithin, necessary for cholesterol metabolism.
4. Contains anti-oxidants; protection against the effects of free radicals.
5. Contains other anti-oxidants that protect against arterial damage.
6. Is a source of Vitamins E and K.
7. Contains lots of the vital mineral selenium.
8 Anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties are present in the particular saturated fats in butter.
9. Contains conjugated linoleic acid; a potent anti-cancer agent, muscle builder, and immunity booster
10. Vitamin D in butter is essential to the body's absorption of calcium.
11. Helps prevent tooth decay.
12. Protects against calcification of the joints.
13. Prevents hardening of the arteries, cataracts, and calcification of the pineal gland.
14. Contains Activator X, which helps the body absorb essential and important minerals.
15. Butter a source of iodine in an easily absorbed form.
16. Is thought to promote fertility in women.
17. Butter is a source of readily available energy, and is not stored in our bodies fatty tissues.
18. Cholesterol found in butterfat is essential to development of a child's brain and nervous system.
19. Contains Arachidonic Acid (AA) which is an important component of cell membranes and plays a role in brain function.
20. Helps protect against gastrointestinal infection in the young and elderly.

Saturated fat has been consumed by human beings for thousands upon thousands of years. It is only in the last couple of decades that it has become 'monsterized'. Coincidentally, this denigration has happened at the same time that the western world is consuming more grains and other carbohydrates than ever before. And.... do you see our general health improving? Nope, nor me.

It's time we took a good look at what we are calling 'bad' and evaluate it from a logical and historical viewpoint.

Studies have shown categorically that eliminating saturated fat from you diet does absolutely nothing in preventing heart disease. Go do some research of your own, then come back and read about all the lovely goodness that is real dairy butter.

Very easy to do and extremely rewarding - use it on your own home-made breads and vegetables. It won't keep as long as commercial butter but, honestly, that won't be a problem as it will get eaten so quickly"

You will need:

*An amount of double (heavy) cream. You can also use whipping cream. Preferably locally sourced and organic. Leave it to stand to reach room temperature before commencing your butter-making.
*A little salt.
*A sealable jar large enough to be able to shake the cream in.
*Several willing assistants.

Put the cream in the jar (don't add the salt just yet) and shake it. That's it. Keep going. When your arms start to hurt pass it to the next person. Small people should be sitting down just in case they drop the jar.

Eventually you will see a solid mass of butter begin to form and separate from the buttermilk.

Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer with a paddle rather than a balloon whisk attachment.

Drain off the buttermilk and refrigerate to use later for such things as buttermilk icing/frosting or delicious buttermilk pie.

You will have to wash the butter in cold water several times to get rid of all the buttermilk.

If you are going to use the butter immediately you can now add the salt, just a small amount to taste; use your own judgement - smoosh it about so the salt gets thoroughly mixed into the butter. If you don't want to use the butter over the next day or two (why wouldn't you?), you can freeze it unsalted and add the salt when you do want to use it.

Press the butter into shape using two wooden spoons.

You will need a beautiful dish for your home-made butter.

Rub a little butter into your child's fresh graze or bruise (not for burns). It will soothe and help the graze heal quicker.

Strengthen finger nails by rubbing butter into the cuticles daily.

Stop doors squeaking - rub a little butter on hinges in lieu of oil.

Shaving - if you run out of shaving cream, butter rubbed onto the skin will provide the necessary lubrication. Also good for shaving ladies' legs as it is a great skin softener.

Remove gum from hair by coating in butter; you should be able to gently pull the gum out.

Keep butter wrappers in the refrigerator and use for greasing cake tins and bake-ware.

Keeping or adding saturated fat to your daily food intake reduces the amount of lipoprotein in the body. Lipoprotein is strongly connected with increased risk of heart disease. When dieting, women eating saturated fat lose more weight than those who avoid it.

For calcium to be absorbed and incorporated into bone, saturated fat must be present. Dr Mary Enig, PhD. states that there is a case for having as much as 50% of fats in the diet be saturated.

The liver needs saturated fat to protect it against alchohol and medication damage.

For the lungs to function properly, the airspaces need to be coated with a layer of surfactant. This surfacat is made of 100% saturated fatty acids. When insufficient saturated fat is available, the surfactant has to be made out of whatever fats are available, potentially causing breathing difficulties.

Brains are made of fat and chloresterol. The majority of fatty acids in the brain are saturated. Skimp on saturated fats and risk impaired brain function.

Nerve signalling depends on certain saturated fats being present in the body. Some of these nerve signals influence the metabolism, including regulating the release of insulin.

Saturated fats, particularly those in butter and coconut oil, are essential to optimal immune system health. White blood cells require these fats to carry out their job of singling out and destroying foreign invaders like viruses, fungi and bacteria.

Reference: Dr Mercola "7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat".