Pacific
Way
Wellness
Center
Health
Newsletter
-
December
2010
Is
Butter
Really Healthy?
During this time of year, many of us will spend several hours in the kitchen preparing food for family and friends. At Pacific Way, we would like to encourage everyone to choose real, organic butter for use in all your favorite holiday recipes. Contrary to popular opinion, organic butter has many nutrients that can protect against illness and disease. For example, a Medical Research Council survey showed that men eating butter ran half the risk of developing heart disease as those using margarine. Here are the top 5 reasons why butter is better:
1) Vitamins:
Butter is
an important source of easily absorbed vitamin A, needed for a wide
range of functions, from maintaining good vision to keeping the
endocrine system in top shape. It also contains all the fat- soluble
vitamins (D, E and K2), which are often lacking in the modern
industrial diet. The
nutrients in butter enhance fertility, and are essential for proper
growth and development in children.
2) Minerals: Butter is rich in important trace minerals including manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). In fact, butter provides more selenium per gram than wheat germ or herring, and is also an excellent source of iodine. Butter consumption prevents goiter in mountainous areas where seafood is not available.
3)Fatty Acids: Butter provides appreciable amounts of short- and medium-chain fatty acids which support immune function and boost metabolism. Butter has the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats, and includes arachidonic acid which is important for brain function, skin health, and prostaglandin balance. Butter also contains glycospingolipids, a special category of fatty acids that protect against gastrointestinal infections, especially in the very young and the elderly.
4) Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): When butter comes from cows eating green grass, it contains high levels of conjugated linoleic acid. This compound has antioxidants and strong anti-cancer properties that can hinder the growth of tumors. CLA also helps your body build muscle rather than store fat, helping to control weight gain.
5) Wulzen Factor: The Wulzen or "anti-stiffness" factor in raw butter is a hormone-like substance that prevents arthritis and joint stiffness. It protects against calcification of the joints as well as hardening of the arteries, cataracts, and calcification of the pineal gland. The Wulzen factor is present only in raw butter and cream; it is destroyed by pasteurization.
2) Minerals: Butter is rich in important trace minerals including manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). In fact, butter provides more selenium per gram than wheat germ or herring, and is also an excellent source of iodine. Butter consumption prevents goiter in mountainous areas where seafood is not available.
3)Fatty Acids: Butter provides appreciable amounts of short- and medium-chain fatty acids which support immune function and boost metabolism. Butter has the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats, and includes arachidonic acid which is important for brain function, skin health, and prostaglandin balance. Butter also contains glycospingolipids, a special category of fatty acids that protect against gastrointestinal infections, especially in the very young and the elderly.
4) Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): When butter comes from cows eating green grass, it contains high levels of conjugated linoleic acid. This compound has antioxidants and strong anti-cancer properties that can hinder the growth of tumors. CLA also helps your body build muscle rather than store fat, helping to control weight gain.
5) Wulzen Factor: The Wulzen or "anti-stiffness" factor in raw butter is a hormone-like substance that prevents arthritis and joint stiffness. It protects against calcification of the joints as well as hardening of the arteries, cataracts, and calcification of the pineal gland. The Wulzen factor is present only in raw butter and cream; it is destroyed by pasteurization.
You can purchase real, organic butter at the wellness center. We stock Organic Valley unsalted, sweet cream butter by the pound. For a spiced holiday treat, try the following gluten-free cookie recipe:
Recipe:
Ginger Snaps
1 ½ cups roasted almonds
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup arrowroot flour
½ cups Rapadura
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ cups roasted almonds
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup arrowroot flour
½ cups Rapadura
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon sea salt
Place almonds in food processor and process until finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Form into walnut-sized balls and place on buttered cookie sheets. Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes. After 5 minutes in the oven, press cookies down lightly with a fork. Let cool completely before removing to an airtight container for storage. Store in refrigerator.
To find out more about the nutritional benefits of butter, visit the Weston A. Price Foundation website. This foundation is a terrific resource and we thank them for allowing us to repost this valuable information. Dr. Woods has been a member of their organization for a number of years, and finds their quarterly journal to be enormously helpful. We recommend anyone interested in healthful eating to consider joining. To sign up, go to https://www.westonaprice.org/become-a-member.html
Theodosia Woods, DC & Susan Lanker, DC
1289 Pacific Way, Gearhart, Oregon 97138
1289 Pacific Way, Gearhart, Oregon 97138
503-738-9796
www.drtheodosia.com