10 Reasons Why You Should Eat More Butter

February 5, 2012 by Toad 176 Comments

You should eat more butter. If you are already aware that butter is a “superfood” then perhaps you already eat a lot. If you are curious as to why you should eat more butter then continue reading. At the end, I ask you to tell me why everyone should eat more butter.

Grass-fed is best. Organic is next best. Conventional is worst but still good.

1. Perfect for cooking

Butter is made up of mostly saturated fat which is more heat stable then all other types of fats. You do NOT want to cook with polyunsaturated fats since they oxidize when exposed to heat. This can leads to all sorts of problems. Butter, coconut oil and palm oil are best for cooking due to their saturated fat content.

2. Makes all foods more palatable

Do you have kids who don’t like to eat their veggies, especially leafy greens like kale or spinach? Cook them in butter. Or steam them and add butter when finished cooking. Doing this will surely increase the chances of your kids eating vegetables or greens.

Do you want to eat more liver but don’t like the taste? The next time I decide to cook liver I will surely be frying it with TONS of butter or bacon fat. Liver is not appetizing to most folks including myself but butter will change that at least a little.

3. High in Vitamin A

Per tablespoon, grass-fed butter has 10% of your daily value of Vitamin A. Butter from conventionally raised cows contains 7% of your daily value of Vitamin A. This may not seem like much if you compare it to sweet potatoes but realize that sweet potatoes contain a pre-cursor form of Vitamin A. It has to go through a conversion process before your body is able to absorb it.

You may ingest 150% DV of Vitamin A from sweet potatoes or carrots but you are surely to absorb a lot less. Vitamin A from animal foods are much more bioavailable.

Animal products win.

4. High in CLA

CLA is Conjugated Linoleic Acid. It’s a naturally occurring trans fat that is much more present in grass-fed animals compared to conventionally raised animals. It’s known to be anti cancerous. You want a lesser chance of getting cancer, correct? Go buy some grass-fed butter!

5. Easy on your wallet; inexpensive source of calories

Butter is inexpensive. At the Fulton Street Farmers Market here in Grand Rapids, MI I can buy 1 pound of grass-fed butter for $4.25 per lb. In Chicago, more specifically Wrigleyville, I can buy Kerrygold grass-fed butter at Trader Joe’s for around $6 per lb. Because butter is almost pure fat, its very calorie dense. This is a good thing folks! You don’t want to limit your intake of real food!

One pound of butter has 32 tablespoons which equates to about 3200 calories. At 700 calories per meal, I could eat a meal of butter for only 93 cents!

6. Lactose and casein is almost non existent

Lactose – the sugar in dairy, and casein – the protein in dairy, are two very common allergens. Lactase is the enzyme that is needed to breakdown lactose. Pasteurization kills this miracle enzyme. This is one of many reasons why folks have many problems with dairy. If you have acne, then you should most definitely avoid dairy.

What about butter?

Unless you are severely intolerant to casein and/or lactose, you will do just fine with butter. The only dairy I consume on a regular basis is butter. I enjoy cheese from time to time, especially if it’s grass-fed and raw. I don’t do well with other forms of dairy. I am one of millions who suffered through severe acne for years. Eliminating conventional dairy helped big time. I seem to be doing just fine with butter.

7. It’s easy to make clarified butter

Some folks are extremely sensitive to casein and/or lactose. Is this you? No worry… you can still eat butter! You just need to clarify it or buy ghee from a place like Whole Foods. Purity Farms is a fantastic brand. This simple process completely removes the delicate amounts of casein and lactose that are present. Thus, you have no worries…. anyone can enjoy butter! I have tried Purity Farms ghee before and it did have a slightly different taste than regular ole’ butter but it was still yummy.

Learn how to make clarified butter (ghee) here.

8. Easy storage

You can store butter in the refrigerator or you can leave it out around room temperature. It softens a bit when left out but stays as a solid stick. A solid stick… how easy! If you are following a recipe that calls for butter then its easy to gather however many tablespoons you need. Each stick (unless you buy some crazy ass butter) has 8 tablespoons and usually the paper around each stick is marked.

9. So “I can’t believe it’s not butter” goes extinct

I can’t believe its not butter either folks. Have you ever looked at the ingredients of this product? Millions still believe butter is harmful. I mean, its a whole, real, nutritious, satisfying food. It has one ingredient and so it must be bad, right? All that saturated fat and cholesterol…

Butter is amazingly healthy. Tasty too. Maybe, just maybe, these non butter food like products will go extinct if butter becomes famous again.

10. Leave a comment with the tenth reason

Just do it. Why should you eat more grass-fed butter? What can you add to this list of 9 things? I know you can come up with something else. Go!

Have you ever visited ButterBeliever.com? If not, please do so now. Go on.

photo credit

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About Toad

Is my name Todd or Toad? I'm a world traveler seeking true wellness. I'm not a fan of labels but the following describe me best: minimalist, foodie, entrepreneur, adventurer, writer, cook.

http://www.paulalexander.org Paul Alexander

Butter is tasty. Too bad it’s great with bread. Yum yum!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  You mean bread is great with butter… big difference!
http://homefitnessmanual.com/ Mitchell – Home Fitness Manual

Toad, my wife uses the butter with veggies trick when our daughters are being particularly picky during meal time. It seems to enhance the flavor just a bit more, and they enjoy this. But we make sure not to tell them it’s healthy, or they’ll never eat’em.

-Mitchell
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I’m glad this trick works for you and your kids! Keep on doing it… butter adds lots of health benefits with the taste!
http://www.thelovevitamin.com Tracy

Apparently fully grass fed butter doesn’t exist in Canada Wah. I want Kerry Gold!!!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Not a single farmer has grass-fed butter? It’s too bad you can’t get Kerrygold either… what about organic?
  - Lunchbox
    
    Tracy, I’m in Toronto, Ontario but I frequent the Kitchener/Waterloo area (where I went to University) and the St. Jacob’s Farmers Market (also known as the Menonite Market) carries Grassfed Menonite Butter. I bought a 5 pound tub of it about a month ago for 25 bucks and it is the most tasty butter I’ve ever eaten. It’s a little more expensive than the Gaylea stuff at the grocery store but it’s well worth it!
- Mel
  
  Grass-fed butter is in Canada…just find a good local farm that makes it, or buy their milk and make it. Check here http://www.eatwild.com/products/canada.html#ON and scroll around!
  - http://primaltoad.com Toad
    
    Thanks for linking to this Mel!
- Sherri
  
  If you find a cowshare, then you will find raw milk and raw grass fed butter. Probably the only way in Canada, and it costs about 3 x more than regular butter, and about 50% more than organic store bought.
Wenchypoo

Dairy in all forms bothers me–the fact that it may be pastured, grass-fed, clarified, fermented, or whatever makes no difference to my body. I’ve tried them all, and end up tossing the product. The only relief I get is by NOT consuming it. Coconut oil, lard, and other animal fats make up for it.

For some strange reason, pasteurized aged cheese gives me a delayed reaction instead of an instant one–I’ve read that aged is nearly equivalent to fermented. Yet, regular cheese off the store shelf is completely intolerable to me…go figure!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  That’s interesting. I guess it proves that we are all so incredibly different and need to listen to our own bodies! At least you know that you can’t have any form of butter and know that lard and other animal fats are good for you!
Elizabeth

10. Eating locally-sourced butter from pastured cows takes money out of the pockets of large corporations and gives it to a farmer.

(Admittedly, I don’t buy local butter every single time. But I buy it when I can afford it, and if others can afford it more often, why not support a small farm instead of Big Dairy?)
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I like this reason! Hey, I’ve been enjoying CAFO butter recently…shhhhhh. It will be grass-fed oh so soon! Any butter is better than margine or “I can’t believe it’s not butter!”
http://www.rdagainstthegrain.blogspot.com Laura, RD, LDN

Butter! As if I needed another reason to love butter, let alone 10 reasons. I read that you can use butter to cut sticky foods more easily like figs. Just put some butter on the knife. Btw- what sort of stuff do you use coconut oil for? I’ve only started using it in the past month so I’m not too familiar with it yet.
- Kathy
  
  Laura, I just read something which might interest you; I mixed half butter with an equal half coconut oil. I know i should eat more coconut oil and this will be an excellent way, I have no problem eating enough butter. I know they say to dissolve it in water but i don’t care for that. It is great for cooking, as it, like butter and palm oil, does very little splattering and doesn’t leave a sticky residue in the container: I just dn’t fry that often.
- http://silvey.myarbonne.com sherry
  
  so much can be done with Coconut Oil and butter~ I use both. Just reading this makes me want to go make non gmo popcorn with butter….
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I sometimes add coconut oil to smoothies… make sure its melted if you do this! I cook with it and put it on top of veggies too.
- Sherri
  
  I use it when I make cake from scratch. Chocolate cake made with coconut oil instead of butter or god forbid vegetable oil. Is a bit more moist, a little more dense, but REALLY tasty.
  
  Just eat a table spoon per day if you have high cholesterol.
  
  I use a spoonful when I make steel cut oats in the slowcooker.
  
  Use it to give your hair an oil treatment.
  
  Melted and add a 1/2 cup of sugar and use it as a body scrub in the shower. Wash off the sugar but don’t soap off the oil….Bliss
  
  I’ve used it as my face and body moisturizer for 2 years now.
http://simplylivinghealthy.org Andrea

It’s just plain tasty.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I’m shocked I did not include that reason. Lol.
PrincessPaleo

It is great on baked and grilled fish!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I added butter to the fish I enjoyed tonight for Dinner!
Jennifer

10. It helps assimilate fat soluble vitamins, right?
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  It sure does!
Beverly

Pet meds–especially dogs–squished into a spoonful of butter means you won’t have the pill spit back out at you. I slide the spoon with the butter/pill combo across the top of the dog’s mouth and–in 2 or 3 licks–its gone. So much easier than any other method!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Great idea! It’s interesting you stated this… our dog had a few seizures in a short period of time and we were close to having to give him a pill to take. Fortunately he seems to be back to normal. But, if seizures start again and we have to give him a medication then I’ll know how to do it without any problem!
http://www.myprimaladventures.blogspot.com MyPrimalAdventures

You’ve covered it all, but simply put, “Butter makes it better.” It makes (paleo) baked goods taste richer than using coconut oil. It improves the taste of just about everything–except those things where you use bacon fat instead, because bacon makes it better, too…. I think we go through 2 lbs of butter a week–it’s half the cost of coconut oil. I want to try putting butter on steak next, like they do in some restaurants. Its sure to keep the meat tender as it cools…..
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I also think butter is way better than coconut oil! A lot more flavor. Butter on steak is awesome. Butter on any meat is awesome.
http://atruecalling-truewonder.blogspot.com/ Terry

‘Cause Granny ate it every day and lived well into her very healthy late 90′s. She was the greatest expert/teacher I ever knew.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Granny was one smart gal!
- Isernia
  
  Terry, this is so true and I can testify to it: My mother is 94 yrs. old and she still eats a lot of butter on her breakfast toasts every morning and sometimes with afternoon tea. Her mind’s clarity and brilliance are astounding, and us, her children are always surprised when she comes up with these things that we assume a person her age is not/or should not be aware of…… But she’s relentless, to say the least.
  
  And I’m doing exactly the same thing. Piling up the butter on my toast is something I’m not giving up. I really enjoy it as I do very few foods. Besides, I also want to keep a mind that would work on its own, instead of relaying on meds.
http://revolutioncuisine.com Tenzo Mountaine

Great blog, brother….

my reason for being a butter lover is very simple…there really is’nt anything like it, and nothing does what it can do, with veggies, meat, or baking. It truly is a special thing, and just a part of my tools as my knives. Even just a tiny bit as a finish to things, especially with olive oil, is rapture. I think butter is something to be enjoyed in quality not quantity and youve demonstrated that well. Cheers!
Yasmine Ali

Well, lets see. It is natural and tastes delish and is good for you!
But if you like man made food here is a bit of info you might like.
Magarine was made to fatten up animals for a bigger buck at slaughter. When it was rejected due to making the animals sick, the inventors decided to save there bank account and fix it for humans. They added yellow food coloring and enhanced the flavor and wella, they got rich as people gobbled it up.
Have a wonderful day!
Sharon

Love butter. Is raw better?
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  If you are eating it raw, then yes. Most use it for cooking so buying raw in this case would be pointless.
Cassandra

10. Grass-fed butter contains vitamins and hormones that help repair bone and tooth damage, especially in combination with fermented cod liver oil (fermented = traditionally prepared). Dr. Weston-Price is the one that discovered this.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Do you consume the Green Pasture raw fermented butter/cod liver oil blend?
  - Cassandra
    
    Unfortunately not. I am in Europe and have not found it here, so I am using organic ghee and regular cod liver oil but using twice as much. We have had very good success with big tooth problems doing this.
    - http://primaltoad.com Toad
      
      That works. Glad to here about your success!
Shannon

Have you seen the movie “Forks over Knives”? They have done a tremendous huge study on the injestion of animals of any kind. In fact milk leaches calcium from your bones!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I have not but I’ll probably watch it. I know it’s about veganism which I do not promote at all…
  - Kyle Food Rxist
    
    I have seen the documentary and it had me touting a vegan diet to a lot of my patients (I shall clarify – a well rounded and highly diverse vegan diet). Today I actually had a meeting with a very well known doctor who advocates (and is a living testament) to the Paleolithic hunter-gatherer type diet and she was able to convince me that some animal products are okay to incorporate. However, it is extremely important to source any animal product you buy and only purchase organic meats. This is especially true of organ meats which are also the best source of vitamins, minerals, and other nutraceuticals. You can do pretty good on a vegan diet, but it will require B12 and CoQ10 supplementation as these are very hard to come by in non-fortified vegan products. As far as milk leaching calcium from the bones – a diet high in phosphate (soft-drinks, high protein, and milk also contains some phosphate) can remove calcium but I like to remind people that bones require over 24 vitamins/minerals all working together in balance. Some of these include Vitamins D and K, magnesium, boron, silicon, phosphate, and calcium. I doubt the phosphate in milk is contributing too much to leaching calcium from bones – especially considering the high calcium content in milk.
    - http://primaltoad.com Toad
      
      Yes the quality of the meat is important. It is a fact that we are omnivores. I don’t go and say that everyone needs tons of animal products. But, we do all need at least some. Some of us will thrive on a high meat diet while others will thrive on a diet with a little meat. It depends on a number of factors.
      - http://youtube.com/themacrolife Arneil
        
        Hi Toad, I’d love to see where it is stated as a widely-accepted scientific fact that humans are omnivores. As far as I can tell, this is still an issue that is under debate. I’d pose this article about human physiology as a more objective approach ( http://current.com/14rmm4c ) that might be worth reading. Now, as far as lumping all people together as “needing” animal products, I’m not so sure about that one either. Climate, location, and circumstances definitely have significant roles in one’s diet (e.g it would be near impossible for inhabitants of polar regions to eat primarily vegetables), but many large populations, such as those of India and China, have very high numbers of vegetarians and vegans.
      - http://primaltoad.com Toad
        
        We are omnivores because over the long history of our lives we have thrived on both plant and animal foods.
      - Reiko
        
        Arneil: There is no clear definition as to what animal-to-plant ratio in a diet would distinguish between an omnivore and a facultative carnivore/herbivore. Even if we are herbivores, we are most definitely facultative herbivores – you can observe this with your naked eye. But if that were the case, then human herbivores would not need any supplements to stay healthy. Humans thrive when they get enough omega-3s, specifically EPA/DHA, but most plant foods have extremely low w-3:w-6 than animal foods like fish. Even in flaxseeds, the w-3s available are in the form of ALA. If we were herbivores, our conversion of ALA to DHA/EPA would be much higher than a meek 4%. So, therein lies the argument that we are omnivores. The real question worth asking is whether or not we are carnivores
      - http://primaltoad.com Toad
        
        Well said Reiko!
- Sharon Moreno
  
  Conventional/ pasteurized milk must not be equated with REAL milk, they are like apples and oranges. Raw, grass fed milk will not leach calcium from your bones. Aslo,many folks who cannot drink pasteurized milk have no problems with raw milk.
  
  Thanks for the great article on butter! Spot on!
  - http://primaltoad.com Toad
    
    Grass-fed butter, even if its pasteurized is real. I agree that conventionally raised pasteurized low fat, fat free, etc. milk is fake and absolutely disgusting. I can’t believe I used to drink 6 glasses a day!
  - Roper
    
    The comment above about how many people who cannot drink pasteurized milk but have no problems with raw milk is exactly what happens with me. I FINALLY had an allergist confirm I am not allergic to milk BUT the synthetic vitamin D that is added in the pasteurization process. Unfortunately, many “organic” milk brands add synthetic vitamin D.
    
    Oh and the 10th reason I use real butter is because one day my son asked me the difference between butter and margarine… I put a package of each on the table and had him read ingredients. When he was finished reading margarine’s ingredients I tol him to just go ahead and throw it away. We have been margarine free ever since.
    - http://primaltoad.com Toad
      
      I love to here that. You are allergic to the synthetic Vitamin D that is added during the pasteurization process. I am not one bit surprised. When you mess with nature, problems result.
      
      Awesome story on butter! Classic. Absolutely classic.
frances karenot

butter is said to heal cavities!….go to naturalnews.com to find the article about this.
Donna

I remember learning in microbiology that the cell membranes are made up of saturated fat. The membrane of a cell is what keeps it intact and it is a cell’s first defense. That information has always stayed with me. I’ve often wondered if all the diseases we see stem from our cell membranes not being strong enough? hmmm….
- Kyle Food Rxist
  
  Cell membranes are made of multiple types of fatty acids (and cholesterol) including the omega-3′s you find in fish oil, flax, hemp, etc. A membrane made entirely of saturated fats loses some vital fluidity that is necessary for healthy cellular function – this is why it is so important to get adequate omega-3′s in your diet and why it is beneficial for virtually every disease state. This is also why trans-fats are so bad – they essentially clog up the membranes with pseudo-saturated fats that your body has no way of processing.
amanda31

Butter is fantastic on a steak! Or try a compound butter. Either way, you will love it!
Jamie

’cause you can make it very easily! Buy cream top milk and agitate the crap outta the cream. A marble in a canning jar is really all it takes.
- Susannabanna
  
  Try a blender…much easier!
http://facebook Ann Peters

Butter is not made for turkeys, like margarine. When margarine was made it was to feed turkeys, they wouldn’t eat it, so they changed one ingredient and fed it to humans. It’s one molecule away from being plastic. Butter rules
- Lunchbox
  
  Ann, in no way am I endorsing the consumption of margarine, but the chemist side of me has to correct you. Everything in the entire world is one molecule away from being plastic. That molecule is polyethylene (C2H4), which is the molecule that the most common plastic is made from. Margarine is made from plant fats (C4H7O4 is the most common). As you can see these are two very different molecules, but yes, they are one molecule away from being one another. One of the main fats in butter is butyric acid (C4H8O2). So really Margarine is closer to butter than to plastic. Again, I stress that I’m not attacking you and I wholeheartedly agree that butter rules. There are just a million other bad things to say about margarine
  - Deb
    
    Not sure about 1 molecule or 2 or 3 or 4 but I know once I left margarine in a hot skillet too long and it turned into “hard plastic”. Butter has never done that! I’ve used only butter since. Nothing else allowed in my house!
charlie

wondering why can they not make unhomogenized butter? wouold it not be soo much better for you?
charlie

i am wondering would not unhomogenized butter be better for you? Why do we not make it?
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  You can buy raw butter… I cook with it a lot so this would be pointless. I don’t think raw has that much more benefits. I know that K2 survives the heating process. At least this was confirmed by Chris Masterjohn.
http://confidence-academy.co.uk Stuart Smith

Not really a number ten but Margerine is one procedure away from being plastic a friend who works in the plastic molding trade that alone was good enough to stop my family using anything but Butter.
http://www.curiositycat.me Heather Head

Because our brains are 95% fat, and therefore butter makes them function better. And that fact is 100% made up, and based entirely on half-remembered data gleaned from unsubstantiated Internet articles. However, it coincides neatly with my desires and therefore I choose to believe it.

In truth, I believe the simpler the food, the better and also: All things in moderation. Also, we had mashed potatoes with dinner and because I read this article while prepping, I put an extra half cup of butter in them. Tasty.
Maria

BUTTER ! Ummmm
Could almost eat it right out of the frig.
Stopped using Margarine when I was told it was one molecule short of being plastic.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Where did you hear that margine was one molecule short of being plastic? Very interesting!
  - Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs
    
    She’s referring to trans fat. Trans fat is one molecule shy of being plastic, but since most margarine contains trans fat, we often make the leap.
http://www.allthingshis.com Chasity

You can’t beat it for baking. Delicious!
Possum Combes

Also a great source of Vit D
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Yes it is! Apparently a lot of other minerals too… that’s what Sally Fallon said in a video I watched.
paula dean

BECAUSE BUTTER IS EVERYTHING, BITCH
Debbie Melfi

When butter comes from cows eating green grass, it contains high levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I have that in one of my reasons
Robert

Because Krishna likes it. He is famous for stealing butter, for loving “navanita” or the freshly churned butter. He takes care of cows (which is the missing ingredient to this blog); He lives in a land called Goloka (land of cows); He is known as Gopal (protector of cows).
Isernia

I have also been using it for baking for many years, since I first read about the dangers of eating margarine. You cannot beat the extraordinary flavor it imparts to your baked goods. I did also discovered that margarine is not cheaper than butter, or maybe by a few cents, but why trade the quality and deliciousness of butter over a few pennies?
cornicorn

Your search is over… http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/butter/pasture/
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I don’t think this is 100% grass-fed but it is still way better than CAFO.
Linda Daube

Mom will be 99 in April; born on her parents’ farm she learned to make pies at 10 with lard, cook with butter and eat healthy foods with “no junk” in them. She still bakes pies but uses veg. shortening now. Breakfast lunch and dinner are for her a piece of local bakery bread, butter and her own homemade strawberry jelly. I prefer using butter for baking, especially chocolate chip cookies, it tastes better and makes all the baked goods taste better too.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  That’s awesome! I would LOVE to try a pie with lard! I hope she makes it to 100!
http://www.civilizedforager.com DB

Because butter just tastes so good and creamy. I mean look at it it’s this beautiful light yellow/creamy box of goodness. I love it.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Word.
stree

I have a body by Butter baby and I say slice it like cheese.UMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Christina

reason #10 – it contains only one ingredient
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Word!
Pingback: 12 Kick Ass Primal/Paleo/Ancestral/WAPF/Real Food Blogs
http://salemlutheranspokane.com Liv Larson Andrews

Reason 10. It’s a REAL food.

Reason 11. Scones
Katie Young Health 4 Life

Laura, I write health articles for a local newspaper and I will attempt to attach my article about coconut oil
Superfood Number One
Coconut Oil

By Kathy Sullivan, CNC

You want to look better and feel better this year? It starts simply with what you put in your mouth.

There are certain foods that yield incredible health benefits. For 2012 I will be focusing on some of these foods and what a positive impact they can have on your life.

Coconut oil is at the top the list; partially because it was so maligned for decades and partially because we now know that it is has amazing health promoting properties.

There are two categories of the oil. Virgin coconut oil retains the flavor of coconut and can be used any way you want to enjoy the taste. Expeller pressed coconut oil has a neutral taste and smell.

Regardless of which one you get, it will be a solid below 75 degrees and a liquid over 75 degrees.

Following is a list of symptoms positively affected by ingesting coconut oil:

1) Viruses; kills those that cause the flu, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, AIDS, SARS and other illnesses

2) Bacteria; kills those that cause throat infections, pneumonia, ulcers, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, and other diseases

3) Fungi and yeasts; kills those that cause diaper rash, thrush, athlete’s foot, ringworm, candidiasis and other infections.

4) Parasites; expels or kills lice, giardia, tapeworms and other parasites

5) Weight loss; a) helps create immediate energy instead of storing as fat b) helps lose weight by taking a tbsp in hot water 30 min before a meal. If you weigh 130 to 180 pounds, 4 ½ tbsp a day; if you weigh more than 180 pounds up to 6 tbsp a day.

6) Gastrointestinal tract and digestion; 1) improves digestion and absorption of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fatty acids 2) relieves symptoms of Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis and stomach ulcers 3) improves bowel function 4) relieves hemorrhoid pain

7) Gallbladder; helps relieve symptoms of gallbladder disease

8) Kidney and bladder: 1) helps protect against disease and infection and 2) helps dissolve kidney stones

9) Liver; helps prevent liver disease

10) Thyroid: supports thyroid function and is particularly helpful for those with hypothyroid disease

11) Bones and teeth; a) supports the development of strong bones and teeth b) helps protect against osteoporosis c) helps prevent gum disease and tooth decay

12) Heart health; a) improves cholesterol ratios b) protects arteries from atherosclerosis and therefore heart disease

13) Insulin and blood sugar; a) improves insulin secretion and ability to use blood glucose b) relieves symptoms and helps reduce health risks associated with diabetes

14) Prostate: helps relieves symptoms from enlarged prostate

15) Chronic fatigue syndrome; helps relieve symptoms.

How to get coconut oil into you daily:

1) Mix with a little bit of raw honey.
2) Drink in hot tea
3) Mix in smoothies
4) Mix in hot chocolate
5) Use in stir fries
6) Mix in soups
7) Substitute it for other oils in recipes
8) Mix with almond butter and put on toast
9) Substitute it for butter or half it with butter in baked goods
10) Mix with nut butters and use as a dip for celery or apples
11) Cook your pancakes in it
12) Mix with pure maple syrup and use on pancakes and waffles
13) Make chocolate/coconut candy

In addition to taking internally, coconut oil reaps some real benefits when applied externally:

1) Psoriasis, eczema, rosacea and dermatitis; reduces symptoms

2) Creates a barrier to help ward off infection

3) Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.

4) Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.

5) Provides protection from damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

6) Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots.

7) Hair; a) promotes healthy looking hair b) helps control dandruff

8) Removes eye makeup

9) Can be used as massage oil

My favorite source of coconut oil that is hand harvested and does not use chemical solvents of any kind in the processing comes from http://www.tropicaltraditions.com. They often have sales and you can buy in large quantities.

So get started. This one is a no brainer. Just add this delectable treat that tastes great! MMMM.

Resources: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig PhD; The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife; http://www.mercola.com; http://www.ehow.com/how_5000732_use-coconut-oil-hair-treatment.html; http://www.candida-cure-recipes.com/coconut-oil-for-hair.html http://www.coconut-connections.com/skin_care.htm
- Cassandra
  
  Hey Katie!
  
  Hey can you PM about using this article or a version of it on my website? cassandra at greer dot de
  
  Thanks!
  
  Cass
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Wow! Thanks for posting this comment!
Katie Young Health 4 Life

About butter: raw butter from grass fed pastured animals fed no antibiotics, hormones or genetically modified grains (that they are not designed to eat) is far superior to anything pasteurized. IF you can’t get raw from a local farmer or milk co-op Kerrygold is a secondary choice, but it is pasteurized. Raw butter heals. As referenced above, Sally Fallon and Mary Enig PhD wrote a book called “Nourishing Traditions” which helps us make real home made foods including fermented kefir and yogurts. Dr. Weston Price traveled around the world in the 1920s and 1930s to check on the health of teeth around the world. What he found was those with healthy teeth had healthy bodies. Raw butter mixed with “fermented” cod liver oil was especially healing. Yes. http://www.greenpastures.com is the best source that I know for “fermented” cod liver oil. You can ready every type of diet book out there and you will find that each one feels it’s accurate in its assurance that its diet is the one and only…be it macrobiotic, paleo, metabolic typing, fit for life, mediterranean, the maker’s diet etc. etc. What I have found, as someone mentioned above, some thrive and HEALTHY animal food and some thrive on vegan/vegetarian. When I was in the jungle with indigenous cultures they ate totally differently than the Australian Aborigines when I was there. I studied diets while in Japan and Hong Kong which were different than some of the others. Eskimos eat a lot of blubber and seal meat, maybe because it is COLD up north. Meanwhile raw butter can be especially healing for gut issues and a huge majority of my clients come in with gut issues. Hope this all helps! To your health!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I do agree that raw butter is better than pasteurized but pasteurized is still incredibly healing. Chris Masterjohn has said that Vitamin K2 survives the pasteurization. The main part about it is the fatty acid profile!
Cassandra

I like to call humans – adaptavores We adapt to what we have available. It’s actually amazing that humanity in the West has survived so long on the crap we’ve been eating for the past 40 some years.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  If we were eating this food in the wild then those who get sick would die rather quickly. So, I wouldn’t say we have adapted to SAD eating… medical intervention is what keeps these people alive.
  - Cassandra
    
    If we were in the wild, we wouldn’t be eating this way anyway. We live in this society and have learned to eat in a way that we now know is not optimal over the long run but we are still living longer than say most people before the 20th century because medical intervention is part of the adaptation. I’m not saying this optimal just that it is so. It is like when a person gets hardened arteries from what they eat and the body compensates by growing new mini-arteries around the clogged ones. The clogged arteries aren’t what usually kill people but the blood clots that can form in only partially clogged arteries. Lots of research on this. In the end however, we still need to change our eating because our eating is keeping us from being the best that we can be – both as individuals and as a society.
    - http://primaltoad.com Toad
      
      “we still need to change our eating because our eating is keeping us from being the best that we can be – both as individuals and as a society.”
      
      -Yeup
Abby J.

Re: making things more palatable – butter’s best friend in this instance is GARLIC, and lots of it. There’s not alot of savory food that a good amount of butter and plenty of garlic can’t make better. Liver is one of those things.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Great point! Garlic is definitely awesome when paired with butter.
Keith

Is it better to get unsalted vs. salted? Or is the salted still good for you? I’m just learning about how margarine has no nutritional value and butter is good and randomly stumbled upon this article from paleoonabudget.com
- Abby J.
  
  REAL butter over margarine is best without question. Butter from pastured cows is best of all. Kerry Gold brand is from pastured cows and is pretty widely available throughout the country.
  
  Salted vs. unsalted shouldn’t matter to 90% of normal folks, unless you are on a very, VERY strict salt restriction from your doctor. I always use salted. Unsalted generally only comes into play if it is called for in a baking recipe. If you cook a dish with alot of salted butter, generally taste first before you sprinkle additional salt on it, so you don’t make the dish too salty for your taste.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  There is not a huge difference. The amount of salt is small. If you have a choice then go with unsalted. IF you have no choice then don’t worry.
https://www.toplinefoods.com/ Topline Foods

My mom is a chef, she never bought into the whole “all fats are bad for you” craze. She loves quoting Julia Child, two of her favorites are “Fat gives things flavor”, and “If you’re afraid of butter, just use cream”
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Awesome!
Reiko

I found a way to incorporate more butter into my diet: mashed cauliflower! It tastes bland without butter. I must have used 4 tbsp of cultured butter per head of cauliflower.
Shayne

Margarine is made from rancid oils and they have to add nickel to it for it to “set up”. As if the oils weren’t bad enough, I’m sensitive to nickel. I don’t want that in my system.
- Reiko
  
  I believe they use nickel catalysts, so there shouldn’t actually be any nickel in the final product. Still, I understand your concern. It also lacks the amazing flavor that other abundant&natural fats have.
Puzzled

Here’s how great butter is – I remember from my “past life” (and cheat days) that it actually – get this – makes bread taste good! Just think – what else could possibly make such a disgusting product palatable?

Oh, and it makes vegetables worth eating…and doubles their nutrition.
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John

Something else awesome about butter is the butyric acid content. This one guy has been writing about this a lot on a site called the bulletproof executive. he even puts butter in his coffee (kind of insane, but very tasty).
he was featured on MSN recently talking about butter.
http://www.bulletproofexec.com/biohacking-brain-upgrades-at-sxsw-forbes-msnbc-video-and-more/
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Yes! Butryic acid! I think this is a medium chain fatty acid. It’s present in coconut oil too. I’ve learned that butter is used as quick energy and is rarely stored as fat! Monounsaturated fat is the first type of fatty acid to be stored as body fat. Olive oil anyone?
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Crispin Puga Lopez

I’m not sure if this was said already, but the tenth reason is the short chain fatty acids are quickly absorbed and metabolized without the need for Carnitine or stuff like that, also reason 11 is those same fatty acids are extremely legendary for being the best non-polar solvent for vitamins and helps absorb other useful stuff in foods.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Yes the short chain fatty acids provide quick energy!
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http://www.bethmincher.com Beth Mincher

Great article! Thanks for sharing. I just started working part-time at an awesome Raw Dairy Farm in Tomball TX – Gramen Farms. And I learned how to churn the grass-fed, raw butter today. It is truly delicious and good for you and great to support local, quality farmers. It’s gratifying to know where your food comes from and how it’s produced!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  I’d love to learn how to make butter! Some day that time will come for sure
http://www.bodywisefoodsmart.com Jill Cruz

Reason #10: Raw butter is extremely healing! It can be used topically for skin conditions and yeast infections. It is great for lung infections too: raw butter soothes sore throats and reduces coughing. You can add raw honey to raw butter, ball it up and suck on it like a lozenge…it works great!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Love it! I’ve never had the opportunity to taste raw butter but I can not wait till this day comes for sure! I’m going to quote this…
  
  “You can add raw honey to raw butter, ball it up and suck on it like a lozenge…it works great!”
http://www.nojunqueliving.blogspot.com Kristina

Because it’s friggin’ AWESOME even by itself off of a spoon!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Indeed. I always grab the butter with a spoon to throw in a pan or on my veggies. There is always some left on the spoon and I lick it clean!
mary

10. Why not?
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  No reason
Elizabeth

Mushrooms (any kind) sauteed in butter is one of my favorite snacks: afternnoon, late night, any time.
Oh, and it tastes good with a side of steak or fish, tool!
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  A side of steak or fish? Is this possible?!
http://earthsorganicnews.blogspot.com pt sherm

I love all the comments. I learned a lot from them .Thank you. I’ve gone back to using butter and I feel better. I think its about time these truths about butter co mes out. Drugs/chemicals, anti botic’s are stored in all fat, animal or human. Yes, it is best, BEST, to use organic, raw butter if we can afford it.
But, I can’t lately and I do feel a bit guilty, but I eat more green veggies which helps. As an herbalist i’m familar with herbs to get these pollutions from the body, for the most part, as not to store them.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Glad to here you have joined the butter bandwagon? So you can’t afford grass-fed butter? It’s now too expensive when you think about it. It’s pure fat so you get a lot of calories. I can buy it for $4.25 per lb at the farmers market. I can buy it for $5.99 at TJ’s – Kerrygold brand. This is still very reasonable.
  - Cassandra
    
    Living in Europe, I am blessed to be able to buy Kerry Gold for about 2 euros a pound (US$2.75 or so). Margarine never took off that well here except (unfortunately ) among those who don’t have a lot of money and feel they must penny-pinch on food. Plus Ireland is closer so it costs less to get it here fresh
    - http://primaltoad.com Toad
      
      Yikes! $2.75 per lb?!?!?! Yes, you are very blessed
      
      Is margine that much cheaper? I need to visit Ireland asap!
      - Cassandra
        
        I don’t know how much margarine is in Ireland but here it is a little bit more than half of the cost of Kerry Gold per lb. While butter may not bet as expensive as in the US, there are more than enough other things to make up for it. You live where you live and work with what you have and everything turns out ok.
http://earthsorganicnews.blogspot.com pt sherm

It take fat to get rid of fat…good fat does not make you fat. Take a good look at our pioneers and your g-grandmother/father’s generations…We are heavy but not these generations as much as today. We ate more fat then too.There a lot of misinformation from sources that haven’t cured anything, nor even close to it. Especially weight, diabetes, cancer, issues, yet they use the same old rhetoric (of fear) to the same own causes.
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Right on with all your points!
http://www.mymonavie.com/suegardner Sue Gardner

Butter is excellent in aiding the fat soluable vitamins! If you are cutting out all of the fats in your diet, the fat soluable vitamins may as well be taken from the bottle to the toilet. Pass the butter please
- http://primaltoad.com Toad
  
  Lol. Agreed!
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http://www.facebook.com/carlinichole Carli Nichole Broach

Wonderful points!
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DrDeborah

I believe a readily available form of butter is the commercial Organic Valley butter. Certainly their green foil pasture butter is entirely grass fed, and all their butters are organic.
- http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry
  
  Are you certain that it’s 100% grass-fed?
Amy

I bought Kerry Gold butter once from TJ’s and yikes! Major bucks. I switched to the brand Anchor (grass-fed from New Zealand). I want to say it was just under $4 a pound when I bought it from a fresh-market store in my area.
- http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry
  
  Tj’s kerrygold is reasonable. It’s just that the anchor brand you bought is out of this world! Where do you live? I’ve heard of ths brand but have never seen it in stores. I get local grass fed butter for $4.25 per pound.
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D

I buy organic, raw butter that is cultured for $12/lb!! I thought that was reasonable until reading this and everyone’s comments. I’m in the DC metro area though where it isn’t legal to sell raw dairy items so I order from a buying club. It’s worth it since there is no other way to get it. I will be happy for the day when the silly legal system will allow people to make their own choice on the matter.
- http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry
  
  Wow! That is a lot. But as you stated, worth it. I’d pay that much for butter if it was the only stuff that was around. Kerrygold is pasteurized and so is the one I buy at the farmers market. If it was raw I’m sure I’d be paying more than $4.25 to $6 per lb!
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http://www.alivealivealive.com/ Therese

10. Because it reminds me of how deliciously good it feels not to be vegan anymore!

(not sure if my few months of vegan-ism count, but I did avoid butter for a pretty long time, even after that!)

I ♥♥♥ butter with all my ♥
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Lymie61

I’m hopping someone can tell me what the difference is between raw butter and butter oil? Why would you choose one over the other and how are they used differently? Thanks
- http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry
  
  I don’t know much about butter oil outside of the consistency. And it’s used in Green Pastures blend with liver oil. I am unaware of any health benefits either way…
justascuteasyou123

I KNOW SKYDOESMINECRAFT LOVES BUTTER WOOO
justascuteasyou123

FUCKING BUTTER IS AWESOME
justascuteasyou123

FUCK THIS OMG IM EATING FUCKING TOAD BUTTER WITH BUTTERNUGGETS AND BUTTER SHIT OMG
Clive

Anker butter now made in England.

not New Zealand

same name different product

its been ruined

goodbye soft creamy rich taste

hello lard
- http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry
  
  So it’s not grass-fed anymore?
  - Clive
    
    For some reason I wrote anker instead of anchor
    Why give it the same name its a different product
    I bought Anchor butter because of the taste and the year round New Zealand grass fed cows which produces lovely yellow tasty butter, naturally. A real shame production has moved to overpopulated England where cows are presumably indoors for a lot of the time and fed on silage/other foodstuffs for several months of the year.
    The product should not carry the Anchor name it is not New Zealand Anchor butter anymore its a different product
    - Clive
      
      I’m forgetting this is USA website you can probably get the genuine New Zealand butter
      in England we can not get it now.
      - http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry
        
        I’ve never seen it. Kerrygold is the standard brand here that serves 100% grass-fed butter.
    - http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry
      
      So there are 2 different Anchor brands?
http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

YES!! Grass-fed butter has Vitamin K2 which is a vitamin that tells the body where to store calcium. Without K2 that extra calcium that people pop via pills can end up in the arteries! Crazy…
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Kelly

Does butter make you fat?, I’m a little skinny and I wan’t to get fat.