What is Butter?
Butter is a dairy product that forms when milk or cream is churned, either from a fermented or a fresh source.
This physical manipulation of the liquid changes it from an oil-in-water emulsion to a water-in-oil emulsion, because the membranes of fats are broken down and they join together to increase thickness and create the consistency that butter requires. When this chunkier, thicker emulsion if put in the refrigerator, the different variations of fat begin to solidify and mix, resulting in the apparent solid of butter, which softens at room temperature to the spreadable dairy product we all know and love. It is traditionally derived from animal milk, most commonly cows, so butter, as with most dairy products, is produced mainly in areas with cows. However, other kinds of butter can also be derived from the milk animals like sheep, buffalo, goats, and yaks. There is evidence that butter has been used in various cultural cuisines for more than 4,000 years, and in-depth studies of Indian culture, as well as the Bible, tell us that it has been around for millennia, has long been considered sacred, and has long been respected for its nutritious potential. However, in recent decades, a shift in opinion has given butter something of a bad name, and people are turning towards margarine, or other overly processed and chemically altered substitutes, rather than butter. Not only is this decreasing the amount of organic food that is in the diet, but also eliminating all of the health benefits that butter can bring to your life.
SOURCES OF HEALTHY BUTTER
If you don’t want to culture your own butter, I recommend butter from grass-fed animals only. A good source is U.S. Wellness Meats . I also recommend Activator X and Vitamin rich butter oil, made by Green Pastures.
Nutritional Value of butter.
1.Reduced Intestinal Conditions
Among the many components of butter, it also contains glycosphingolipids. This special type of fatty acid can protect your body against a number of gastrointestinal issues and conditions, by contributing to the mucus layers along the membrane and making it more difficult for bacterial infections to bind to functioning receptors. Butter has a high level of glycosphingolipids within it, primarily because it is derived from another animal, so adding butter to your diet can increase your defenses in your stomach and digestive tracts.
2.Anti-cancer Properties
High levels of vitamin A and beta-carotene have also been widely studied, and positive connections between these two nutrients and lower chances of colorectal and prostate cancer have been found. More research is still being done on vitamin A’s impact on breast cancer, but studies so far have been promising. The benefit comes from the antioxidant capabilities of vitamin A because they actively defend against cancerous growth and promote apoptosis (spontaneous cell death) within tumors, slowing down the metastasis of cancerous cells. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has also been found in significant levels in butter and has been connected in studies as a cancer prevention method, according to published reports in The Journal of Nutrition. All in all, butter, when consumed in moderate quantities, can reduce your chances of developing cancer! However, higher intake of vitamin A when combined with smoking has been shown to increase the chances of lung cancer, so smokers should turn towards vitamin C for their antioxidant needs, rather than vitamin A.
3.Improved Cardiovascular Health
Many people are shocked to hear that natural butter can actually work to improve the health of your heart, rather than reduce it! Butter contains HDL cholesterol, also considered “good” cholesterol. This omega-3 fatty acid actually reduces the presence of omega-6 fatty acid (“bad” cholesterol) which can clog up arteries and lead to atherosclerosis , heart attack, and stroke. William E. Connor from Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes , and Clinical Nutrition, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland , in a detailed research study, stated the importance on omega-3 on overall health. However, the reason that butter gets a bad name is due to the presence of both types of cholesterol. That being said, organic butter does have good cholesterol, and also higher levels of good cholesterol than what is found in processed butter and margarine.
4.Better Thyroid Health
Our thyroid gland is arguably the most important part of our endocrine system and one of the essential relationships that it has is with vitamin A. Most people that have hypothyroidism or other thyroid related diseases are also deficient in vitamin A. This helps the proper functioning and regulating of hormones to be created and secreted throughout the body. Butter has more vitamin A than any other type of vitamin, so if you have thyroid issues, or want to prevent them from occurring, be sure to include butter in moderate amounts in your diet.
5.Healthy Sexual Performance
Many of the fat-soluble vitamins that can be found in butter are essential to human health because they are necessary to take nutrients out of water-soluble vitamins. Studies have shown that many of these fat-soluble vitamins can even improve sexual performance. Both vitamin A and D are important for proper brain and nervous system developments, but they are also needed for sexual development. Without those fats, as well as vitamin E , all men and women can experience a type of nutritional sterility, where their sexual characteristics don’t appear properly. It is no surprise that rates of sexual dysfunction and sterility have increased dramatically in the recent decades since butter consumption has declined. Butterfat is the best source of fat- soluble vitamins we have, yet many people are completely losing that part of their nutritive intake.
6.Eye Care
Beta-carotene, which is found in such high levels in butter, has long been known as a booster for eye health. It contributes to the protection of the eyes, as well as in stimulating additional cellular growth, retarding the onset of cataracts, and reducing the chances of macular degeneration. It also decreases the risk of angina pectoris and other eye-related conditions.
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