Everything's better with butter

You know, butter has really gotten a bad rep. But when one looks at the facts - and honestly questions studies maligning butter - the omissions become glaringly obvious. Heart disease was rare at the turn of the century, but by the 1960s, it had become the No. 1 killer in the U.S. But during that time period, the consumption of butter had actually decreased - according to Weston A. Price, from 18 lb. per year to 4 lb. per year, per person. So what changed?

Well, during WWI and WWII, margarine took the place of butter due to rationing restrictions. After the war, margarine manufacturers had to keep sales up. So why not make a few health claims and suggest that margarine is healthier than butter? Forget that human beings had been consuming butter - made from real milk, from real cows - for centuries. And thus the Butter is Evil campaign was born. Unfortunately, fat - and particularly butter - had been named Public Enemy No. 1. Americans began to not only consume margarine, but to also to gorge on low-fat substitutions and artificial sugar, and to rely on a diet of fat-free white flour crackers, bread, and other carbohydrates. However, eradicating healthy fat from the American diet has only backfired, with the national rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer surging upwards ever since.

So I am supporting a resurgence of butter. Call this my "Butter Manifesto." Please, keep your yellow-tinted faux margarine spread far, far away from me. Give me real butter - not that horrible Land O'Lakes stuff. I am talking about BUTTER. Rich, creamy, organic, naturally golden butter made from hormone-free, grass-fed cows. Cook with it. Bake with it. Saute delicious green things in it. Brush it on your roasting chicken. Or just smear some on a warm, soft biscuit.

Please, leave the world of emulsified, plasticized, man-made margarine behind. Give me butter that is loaded with Vitamin A, which is necessary for thyroid and adrenal health; lauric acid; lecithin, which assists cholesterol metabolism; and Vitamins D, E and K. I crave butter that contains antioxidants that protect against free radical damage and guard against weakening arteries; that contains selenium and conjugated linoleic acid. My butter contains Arachidonic Acid, which is vital to cell membrane health. Butter helps guard against tooth decay, calcification of joints, and gastrointestinal infections.

If you're new to the world of butter, I have a suggestion for you. Try Kerrygold butter. It's made by a cooperative of farmers and creameries in Ireland from hormone-free cows that roam freely in pastures on Irish grass. These cows emit creamy milk that is so rich in beta-carotene that the butter is a gorgeous golden color. And the taste - oh, the taste. Fabio of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter would only swoon over the delicious buttery flavor of ... real butter.

Butter is truly, truly better.

(Photo credit: crossfitoahu.com)