Butter Is Not Bad For You But It's Not Exactly Healthy Either

Though health advocates discourage butter because it drives up bad cholesterol, new findings shed light on how it elevates good cholesterol, too!

The latest findings about butter may change the way we view healthy cooking…

Though fat is an essential ingredient in whipping up healthy eats, it’s also responsible for adding more calories than any other nutrient.

About nine calories can be found in a gram of fat; that’s about double the caloric content of carbohydrates and protein.

Though it may take longer for your body to digest, fats promise to keep you feeling fuller longer.

The health benefits of butter have recently been making headlines in the health industry. Though health eating advocates still warn against the dangers of too much butter in the diet, recent studies are making the public increasingly aware of the benefits of butter.

The benefits of butter

Image source: iStock

Since butter can’t be consumed on its own, we need to be mindful of how we incorporate it into our daily meals.

While it’s true that butter increases our body’s total cholesterol content, making our arteries more prone to blockage, it also drives up the “good” cholesterol or HDL (high-density lipoprotein).

However, trading in butter’s saturated fats fro unsaturated fats puts you at a lesser risk for developing cardiovascular diseases.

Image source: iStock

“Whether saturated fat is bad depends on the comparison,” Walter Willett, MD, chair of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and author of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy explains to Yahoo. “Unfortunately, to lower saturated fat, refined starches and sugar are used as replacement calories and could actually be harmful for some people.”

So is butter bad for us?

If kept within the USDA-approved guidelines of less than 10% of total calories from saturated fat per day (20g based on a 2,000-calorie diet), then butter is just fine.

Who doesn’t love butter, right? It’s good to know that indulging in its creamy delights is just fine—in moderation.

The key ingredient in truly enjoying butter is finding your balance.

Image source: iStock

Using it sparingly allows you to access its flavour and magic while keeping the “bad” cholesterol at bay.

The great thing about butter is that a little goes a long way. Simply adding a dollop onto your vegetable-based recipes, for instance, makes it exceedingly delicious.

Try it with whole grains, greens, fish, and lean protein—virtually any recipe you can think can be bettered when buttered.

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Written by

Bianchi Mendoza

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