"But I'm afraid of butter!"

Hil just posted the following comment on my protein entry: "I still feel afraid of butter!" I have to respond to this.

If it's any comfort, Hilary, people used to eat a LOT of raw butter, cream, milk, buttermilk, etc. in the U.S. up until just 50 years ago. These products were staples and important sources of fat and many nutrients in the American diet. However, we were hoodwinked into thinking butter and cream in general were dangerous for our health by industry and interest groups that wanted to sell cheap oil-derived substitutes (margarine) and take business away from the farmers who were still selling small quantities of high-quality butter and dairy to people in the towns & cities. Things went downhill from there, which was around the same time we started employing modern production methods for growing crops and raising animals (like CAFOs, etc.). I have seen a diagram that showed a dramatic rise in obesity at the same time that people dramatically lowered butter consumption. Not that they are directly related, but clearly substituting other things for butter is not making anyone thin! I usually eat anywhere from 2-4 tbsp. of butter daily, as well as things like cream, sour cream, yogurt & kefir, a little cheese, about 8 oz. of milk, etc. (all raw, all unprocessed, all full-fat). Ever since I increased my fat consumption to about 50% of daily calories I have experienced only positive changes in my health and still fit all my old pre-pregnancy clothes. Butter (esp. raw, from pastured cattle) contains so many wonderful health benefits. Dentist & researcher Weston Price actually found that the heart attack rate was inversely proportional to the level of vitamins available in the butter; during the spring and fall months, when people were consuming butter from cattle grazing on fast-growing green grass, rates were lowest (see http://westonaprice.org/farming/splendor.html). This butter is very rich in vitamins K2 and D which are crucial for heart health, among other things. It is also a wonderful source of true vitamin A which is very important for eye health. [It is no coincidence that our modern diet which is low in natural sources of true vitamin A, D, and K2 also brings us things like cavities, poor dental development (so that everyone needs braces), and poor vision (so that 2/3 of the population needs corrective lenses). More on this in another post.] Trust me, Hilary, butter is your FRIEND! Before everyone became paranoid about saturated fats people considered butterfat (cream) to be desirable -- some cultures more or less worshiped it! They recognized its life-giving power for fertility, for children's development, and for daily health and vitality. Fat truly does not make people fat. While it is important to listen to your body and figure out the right amount of fat that feels good for you, it's also important to keep in mind that responsibly-produced animal fats are deeply satisfying and nutritious. It is sugar in all its forms (white flour, white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, etc.), processed vegetable oils, and modern methods of produce, dairy & meat production that are truly causing illness and obesity on a mass scale. So go out there and EAT YOUR BUTTER!

A further note about raw vs. pasteurized dairy: Until pasteurization was enforced people ate mainly raw dairy products which were life-giving, as compared to the homogenized, pasteurized, hormone-laden, pesticide- and pus-filled products sold in supermarkets today. Not only is raw milk, cream, and butter from pastured happy cows clean and delicious, these things also provide vitamins, enzymes, and various compounds we don't see much of anymore in the American diet, which are all destroyed or diminished when pasteurized: like B6 (important for preventing depression) and the Wulzen factor (which protects against stiff joints and muscles). Even calcium can't be absorbed without its accompanying enzyme, phosphophatase, which is only present in raw milk. Did you get that the first time? All this talk of drinking lots of milk for calcium and osteoporosis-prevention is a lot of nonsense when the human body cannot actually absorb calcium properly without the enzyme phosphophatase, which is DESTROYED DURING PASTEURIZATION! Raw dairy is also far less likely to cause allergies or intolerances than regular pasteurized dairy because pasteurization warps the proteins in milk which renders it very hard to digest and absorb properly. If you want to get access to certified, clean raw dairy near you please email me (Hannah@EarthBodyBalance.com) and I will help you out. If you're concerned about cost, rest assured this stuff is a much better price than organic dairy at Whole Foods or most other stores, and it's far better. (I pay about $7 for a gallon for milk and $10 for a pound of butter, which is equivalent to 4 sticks.) Please see my article on butter at http://www.earthbodybalance.com/traditional_foods.