Want to lose weight and feel awesome? Eat butter.

Yeah, that’s what I said – butter, baby!

In celebration of the vindication of butter in a recent TIME Magazine article, I decided to share some of the reasons why butter is the bomb. 

Mind blowing stuff. This is what I have found having added butter back to my diet (after excluding it for 30 years) and adding much more protein to my diet (I was practically a vegetarian): 

1. I have lost a little weight even though I'm eating more calories.

2. I am more alert, happier and have oodles more energy.

3. I am having really satisfying poos (sorry TMI but a freaking revelation for me). After being constipated for decades and relying on fruit at breakfast to predict how my day was going to go.

4. I feel strong. Okay I'm walking a fair bit but I really think it's more to do with my dietary changes.

5. I'm not hungry all the time and my sugar cravings have almost disappreared.

I'm sticking to butter any will do but if anyone can recommend some good organic local butter I'd be very interested in buying it.

A happy buttery day to you.

Found this article that gives some answers as to why..

Butter is a true source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K

Each of these vitamins are crucial for whole body health. We need these vitamins. We really, really do. Sadly, in our modern age (I feel kind of weird using that expression, but I’m just gonna go with it), we’re not getting nearly as much of these important fat-soluble vitamins in our diet as our grandparents and great-grandparents did. The anti-fat crusade led us to cut back on animal products, specifically animal fat. Many of us are living with diseases that are the result of a deficiency of these nutrients – diseases of the bone, eyes, skin, teeth, blood, immune system, and more. We need these fat-soluble vitamins!

But wait, what does “true” source mean? Is there such a thing as “fake” vitamins? Well, kind of. There are different forms of every vitamin, and some forms are simply more bioavailable – meaning we can absorb them more easily. For example, the vitamin A in butter and other animal products is the highly usable form of retinol, whereas the vitamin A in carrots and other plants comes from beta-carotene, which has to be converted in the body in order to be utilized. For many people, this conversion process is difficult (and near impossible for some). It’s a similar story with vitamin D – D3 is found in animal products whereas D2 is found in some mushrooms (trace amounts) and is often produced synthetically. D3 is bioavailable; D2 simply is not.

So stick with butter to be sure you’re getting the most absorbable forms of these vital nutrients.

Butter can help you lose weight

It’s true. Healthy fats don’t make you fat. For starters, they help provide a feeling of satiety, which prevents overeating. Fat also helps stabilize the release of carbs/sugars. When we eat too much carbohydrate (grains, beans, vegetables) without adequate fat (and protein), it sends our blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride, messes up our hormones, and leads to weight gain. We’re hungry again in two hours. Wouldn’t it be nice to go more than a couple hours without feeling hungry?!

Deliberately adding some fat at every meal helps you feel satisfied (I love me some satisfaction), and slows the release of sugars, thus helping you manage sugar cravings. This can be as simple as putting some butter on your broccoli, almond butter on your apple slices, cooking your eggs in coconut oil and maybe topping them with avocado. To get an idea of just how much fat is appropriate for you, especially if weight loss is your goal, consult with a friendly nutritionist, naturopath, etc.

Butter also contains CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). This is a highly beneficial fatty acid that’s actually sold as a weight loss supplement at health food stores…and guess what: butter is the best dietary source of it. Before buying a CLA supplement, be sure you’re eating a real food diet that includes butter and other healthy fats!

There are even more reasons why butter is helpful with weight management. Healthy fats signal the release of bile, which is not only crucial for proper digestion but also helps eliminate toxins and excess hormones from the body. Detoxing is an important part of weight loss.

Quality matters

It must be stated that butter from grass-fed/pastured cows makes all the difference. Butter from feedlot cattle won’t contain nearly as many nutrients as butter from healthy cattle, and is a concentrated source of pesticides and antibiotic residues – yuck.

Additionally, always choose full-fat butter, none of this ‘lite’ or ‘low-fat’ stuff – remember that vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, which means they require fat in order to be absorbed. In other words, full-fat butter and other animal products contain the fat that is necessary for you to absorb these nutrients!

What if I’m lactose intolerant?

Many lactose-intolerant folks or those with a milk sensitivity find that they can tolerate butter. The reason for this is because butter is almost all fat – nearly all the various sugars (lactose, etc) and proteins have been removed. That being said, if you find you have trouble with butter, try ghee. Ghee is clarified butter – all sugars and proteins are skimmed off, so you’re getting nothing but fat and fat alone. (If you’re someone who has trouble digesting fats in general, perhaps due to liver/gallbladder troubles, consider seeking some specific advice for that.)

There are so many reasons to love butter, besides the fact that it tastes good! Butter is a rich source of healing and nourishing vitamins and fatty acids. Butter will always be better for you than any butter alternative. Butter is better. Period.