Organic Butter is a fabulous addition to dishes, as it not only gives a delicious flavour, but it also has high levels of Vitamin E as well as other health benefits, as you will see below. So, far from being “bad” for our health, as reported so often over the years, it is actually a great addition to our diet! It features in a number of the cake recipes as well as (you may be surprised to read) the conserves section!

It is part of the “sweet” category of foods and is thus great for bringing the spleen and stomach into balance.

So….. how can butter benefit our health? Well, in my research I discovered the following:-

• It can boost our immune systems
  
  
• Regulate our hormones
• Protect our vision
• Boost our metabolism
• Increase our brain functioning
• Reduce the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure
• Act as a protection against cancer
• It can also protect us from getting gastrointestinal conditions
• It helps to ensure a healthy brain and nervous system
• Butter has been used in cultures around the world for more than 4,000 years and is in fact revered and considered sacred and long-respected as a nutritionally beneficial food

In terms of the nutritional value of butter, there are impressive amounts of vitamins and minerals found in it. These include Vitamins A; D; E & K as well as essential trace minerals of Manganese; Chromium; Iodine; Zinc; Copper and Selenium.

Butter also contains high levels of carotene. Carotene benefits us in two ways; firstly by turning into antioxidants and secondly by converting into Vitamin A. Around 60% of carotene absorbed by our bodies is changed into antioxidants and Vitamin A. Antioxidants not only boost our immune system, they are also the free-radical (abnormal or “naughty cells” as I refer to them) eliminators. Free-radicals cause dangerous diseases such as heart conditions; diabetes and cancer. In addition, Vitamin A is fat-soluble and so can benefits those parts of our body which have fat-soluble membranes like our skin; eyes; mouth; throat as well as our urinary and digestive tracts. It thus promotes cell regrowth and repair and protects us from being vulnerable to infection. Vitamin A also boosts our immune system by stimulating the production of our immune system’s defensive cells, called lymphocytes. These protect us against viruses and other diseases. Not only is Vitamin A great for our eyes, it also helps to boost our immune system against respiratory infections as well as autoimmune diseases like AIDS.

The other great news is that high levels of Vitamin A and beta-carotene have also been widely credited with lowering our chances of contracting colorectal cancer and also prostate cancer in men. The antioxidant features of Vitamin A are believed to be responsible for this because they actively defend against cancerous growth and also enable the “spontaneous cell death” (or apoptosis) within tumours, thus slowing down the metastasis of cancerous cells.

A substance called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has also been discovered in high amounts in butter. This has been connected in various studies as a cancer-preventative substance. So, eating moderate amounts of butter may actually help us to reduce our chances of developing cancer!

Here are some more health areas which benefit from butter:-

• Intestinal Health. Butter contains something called glycospingolipids. This is a special type of fatty acid, which helps to protect our body from various gastrointestinal issues and conditions. It does this by ensuring the mucus layers in our body remain in good condition along the mucus membrane. In this way it makes it more difficult for bacterial infections to bind to our intestine’s special receptors. Thus, butter helps to increase our body’s natural defence system so that we are less likely to pick up stomach and gastrointestinal infections
  
  
• Healthy Heart. So, you thought that butter was bad for your heart? Wrong – delightfully so! Butter contains high levels of the “good” HDL cholesterol. This is an omega-3 fatty acid, which actually reduces the presence of too much omega-6 fatty acid (bad” LDL cholesterol), which can clog up our arteries and lead to atherosclerosis; heart attacks and strokes. The reason why butter gets such a bad name is because it also contains the “bad” cholesterol. That said, if you favour organic butter, it has higher levels of the good cholesterol than processed butter and margarine!
• Healthy Thyroid. Most people suffering from hypothyroidism or other thyroid-related diseases also have a deficiency in Vitamin A. Vitamin A helps the proper functioning and regulation of our hormones that are created and secreted throughout our body. Butter has more Vitamin A than any other type of vitamin, so if you either have thyroid problems or you simply wish to prevent them from occurring, then including butter in your diet in moderate amounts is a good idea
• Sterility and Sexual Dysfunction Prevention. Fat-soluble vitamins are also vitally important for sexual development and to help prevent against sterility. Both Vitamins A and D are important for proper brain and nervous system function, but also sexual development. Without these fats, as well as Vitamin E, all men and women can experience a type of nutritional sterility where their sexual characteristics don’t appear properly. It is interesting to note that increases in the rates of sexual dysfunction and sterility have increased dramatically since butter consumption has declined. Why is this? Well, butter fat is the best source of fat-soluble vitamins we have, yet many people because they have turned to so-called “healthier” margarine-based spreads (see the diagram in Appendix A for how margarine is made), are completely losing this part of their nutritive intake
• Eye health. Beta carotene, which butter contains in such high levels, has long been known as a "booster” for the health of our eyes. It not only protects our eyes but it also aids in stimulating additional cellular growth. In this way it can stop the onset of cataracts as well as reduce the chances of macular degeneration. It can also decrease the risk of a condition called angina pectoris, as well as other eye-related conditions
• Arthritis and joints. There is a rare hormone-like substance that is only found in butter and cream. Called Wulzen Factor, it protects us from calcification of our joints. This is what leads to arthritis. Wulzen Factor also protects us against hardening of the arteries as well as calcification of the pineal gland and cataracts. The problem is that pasteurization eliminates the Wulzen Factor, so therefore butter substitutes and margarine lose this vital benefit. Studies have also shown that baby calves given substitute formula without the Wulzen Factor die unless it is replaced with organic butter fat
• Healthy Bones. Butter is rich in essential minerals, like manganese; zinc; copper and selenium. These are all important for maintaining good bone health, as well as stimulating bone repair and regrowth. If we are deficient in these minerals we can develop osteoporosis; arthritis and also other symptoms of premature ageing. Selenium and manganese also have other benefits. Selenium is vital to proper thyroid and immune system function, whilst Manganese is necessary for creating blood and maintaining good blood health
• Nutritional absorption. In addition to all of these fabulous benefits, organic butter also creates something called Activator X. This is a mysterious type of vitamin and catalyst, which is found in animals with specific diets; like grazing cows. Its function is to increase the efficiency of the body when it takes in nutrients from all food sources, thus making the most use out of every nutrient that passes through our systems
• A little word of caution…… as butter is composed mainly of fats, it can wreak havoc on certain types of people who perhaps have a poor diet or are obese and attempting to lose weight. Consuming too much butter can lead to health problems like heart disease; cancer; obesity and other related health-related problems. It does still contain the “bad” LDL cholesterol as well as the “good” HDL, so if you do have a high “bad” cholesterol level do eat it in moderation or perhaps consider changing to using more coconut fat instead (see coconut butter information).

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