Good Fat, Bad Fat

I had a conversation with a co-worker last night about butter.  I don't eat it.  Not because it's high in saturated fat, but because it is animal-derived.  However, if I weren't a vegan, I still wouldn't eat it.

We debated about the need for fat in our diets.  Let me rephrase that:  we debated about whether or not butter is the source of a "needed" fat.

Needed fat???

Yes.

Your body NEEDS fat.  Fat helps build proteins, the building blocks of existence.  Fat also provides the body with Vitamins A, D, E, and K.  But there is a difference between "good" fat and "bad" fat.  And it's fairly simple:  Saturated and Trans fats = BAD.  Unsaturated fats = GOOD.  You see?  There are only 3 basic types of fats to discern, and only one type is actually good for you.

So, here's the skinny:

Butter is a bad fat.  It's saturated AND trans.  Rule of thumb?  Don't eat it.  Even "in moderation."

You want fat?  Eat an avocado or a handful of nuts.  But there's still a limit to how much fat you need!

Here's an excerpt form an excellent web source, the link to which is at the bottom of this post:

Suggested daily fat intake is tied to calorie needs. The two fats to limit are:

Saturated fat: found in meats, butter, cream, or ice cream, and other foods with animal fat.

Trans fat: a man-made fat found in some margarine and most packaged foods.

Here are some examples of healthy daily fat allowance:.

1,800 Calories a Day

40 to 70 grams of total fat

14 grams or less of saturated fat

2 grams or less of trans fat

2,200 Calories a Day

49 to 86 grams of total fat

17 grams or less of saturated fat

3 grams or less of trans fat

2,500 Calories a Day

56 to 97 grams of total fat

20 grams or less of saturated fat

3 grams or less of trans fat.

Unsaturated fats -- monounsaturated and polyunsaturated -- should be the dominant type of fat in a balanced diet, because they reduce the risk of clogged arteries.


While foods tend to contain a mixture of fats, monounsaturated fat is the primary fat found in:

olive, canola, and sesame oils
avocado
nuts, such as almonds, cashews, and pistachios; peanuts and peanut butter

Polyunsaturated fat is prevalent in:

corn, cottonseed, and safflower oils
sunflower seeds and sunflower oil
flaxseed and flaxseed oil
soybeans and soybean oil
tub margarine

Now that you know just how much fat you should have in your diet,
check out the fat content of butter.

More on this here

Now, in her defense, my co-worker is a bright young girl, who seems to stay active and fit by dancing her ass off, and who is also aware of the food she consumes (even if her dietary palate is less than ideal).  While she's generally receptive to new tid-bits of information pertaining to health, as an intelligent young woman, experiencing the fresh independence of emancipation from childhood, she is resistant to acknowledging she might have her facts crossed every once in a while.  We've all been there. 

Her intuitive instinct, which she readily subscribes to, is that butter (saturated fat) is acceptable, in moderation, "if you get enough exercise."  And for all intents and purposes, according to the chart above and most reliable, credible sources, she is most probably right (as far as any research can tell thus far).

However, it is not merely the fat in the butter that concerns me.  Another problem with butter is that it contains two cholesterol-raising ingredients: The saturated fat we discussed, and dietary cholesterol . Dietary cholesterol is found only in animal products so you won't find any cholesterol in a plant-based food or food product.

While diets rich in saturated and trans fats raise blood cholesterol concentrations (LDL), contributing to clogged arteries that block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart and brain, cholesterol and fat need to be considered separate entities (that's why they're listed separately on packages). 

Dietary cholesterol can exist independently of bad fat, and you can't "burn cholesterol" dancing your ass off.  Even skinny people can have very high cholesterol. 

More on this here


But wait, there's more!

Back to butter's animal origins...

Butter is made from cow's milk.  Cow's milk is made by cows, for cows, not humans.  Really.

All mammals produce milk for their offspring.  This high-protein, high-fat secretion is intended to nourish, sustain, and grow young mammals from infancy to a strong, healthy, independent state.  Cow's milk, specifically, works to help a calf triple its birth weight before being weaned.  Baby calves grow fast. They gain about a pound and a half per day, and by their first birthday they’ve increased their weight by eight times or more. Human infants grow quickly, too, tripling their weight by 12 months. But by the toddler years, children are putting on only about 4 or 5 pounds per year. So how could cow’s milk be a good choice for slow-growing toddlers and fast-growing calves?  It's not. 

Milk is designed for the super-fast growth and development of a different species at a specific stage of life. Cow’s milk is for baby cows; human milk is for baby humans. And once they are weaned, nobody needs any milk at all.  Even cows don't drink cow's milk as adults.

For more on the negative health effects of cow's milk dairy, visit my "Myth Busters" tab or this website.

In short, butter probably won't kill you "in moderation," but the risks far outweigh the benefits (of which there are none).  It's high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and naturally-occurring bovine growth hormones that are not suitable for humans. 

Try this for an alternative, which tastes, cooks, and melts like butter!