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| Is Butter Better? |
 Trina writes, "Growing up I was raised on margarine. In fact most of my traditional family recipes call for margarine or shortening. "
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Margarine was discovered by the French in 1870, and not surprisingly New York banned margarine in 1885. In the 20's margarine hit the scene in America because it was a cheaper alternative to butter. But by the 1930's, butter made a huge comeback, as Americans recognized that children raised on it were robust and sturdy; and that children given skim milk during their growing years were pale and thin, with "pinched" faces. Enter the 1970's, when American’s saw a rise in heart disease. We went looking for an answer, and thought we found it in margarine.
But does butter cause disease? On the contrary, butter protects us against many diseases. You might be surprised to hear that butter actually contains many nutrients that protect us from heart disease. First among these is vitamin A which is needed for the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands, both of which play a role in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart and cardiovascular system. Butter is America's best and most easily absorbed source of vitamin A. Butter also contains a number of anti-oxidants that protect against the kind of free radical damage that weakens the arteries. Vitamin A and vitamin E found in butter both play a strong anti-oxidant role. Butter is also a very rich source of selenium, a vital anti-oxidant--containing more per gram than herring or wheat germ.
It's no longer a secret that the margarine we’ve been spreading on our toast, and the hydrogenated fats found in commercial baked goods like cookies and crackers, are the real culprits in our current plague of cancer and heart disease, not butter.
According to the Journal of Holistic Medicine, butter is also a good dietary source of cholesterol. What?? Cholesterol an anti-oxidant?? Yes indeed, cholesterol is a potent anti-oxidant that is flooded into the blood when we take in too many harmful free-radicals - usually from damaged and rancid fats in margarine and highly processed vegetable oils. But remember, as with every food choice, portion control is a must.
Trina K Kubitschek, CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
Owner of CrossFit Station
Head Coach of Eagle Run Walk
Mom of Kayla, Kasson, & Violet
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Posted on Oct 03, 2011 13:59pm.
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