This week's topic: good, butter, best
I know that a million pages have been written on the butter debate, but make that today a million and one. I am not a nutritionist, scientist or Weston Price groupie but here's my take on the topic:
- Saturated fats like butter have been demonised since the 1950s when Ancel Keys claimed to discover a correlation with heart disease. Subsequent studies by more reputable bodies, including Harvard, Berkeley and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, have found no such relationship, leading to some branding the saturated fat theory of heart disease "the greatest misconception in the history of medicine." Interestingly Keys ultimately committed suicide. Evidently not enough of the happy yellow stuff.....
- Butter contains essential nutrients and a whole lot of goodness - vitamins A, D, E and K, selenium (a potent antioxidant), conjugated linoleic acid or "CLA" (an anti-carcinogen which also regulates the immune system) and lauric acid (an antimicrobial and antifungal - the only other significant sources are coconut milk and breast milk). Butter also contains the x-factor (first identified by Weston Price and now known as vitamin K2), essential for mineral absorption and optimum growth
- Sure butter has cholesterol, but did you know that cholesterol is essential for development of the brain and nervous system, promotes cell elasticity and is needed for vitamin D production and calcium assimilation?
- Organic butter from grass fed cows is best and can contain up to 500% more CLA than conventional butter or even organic butter from grain fed cows
- Butter is naturally yellow. Margarine is either black, white or pink, and dyed using either natural or artificial colourants. Margarine also often contains soy protein isolates and a truckload of other additives, not to mention the trans-fat risk
I'm not advocating you go and eat tubs of butter for the sake of it. But next time you fret about spreading it too thickly on your toast, sing a little "A-D-E-K" ditty and think of all the good you're doing your body!
Nourishing Traditions (Sally Fallon) - first published in 1999, this book is still in the top 200 on Amazon. So don't be concerned about jumping on some bandwagon, the rest of the world is already on it!
The Weston Price view on why butter is better
Know your Fats (Mary Enig)
Real Food (Nina Planck)
This week's topic: homogenised milk
With the press full of stories about the Coles / Woolies milk wars, dare I say it seems everyone is missing the point.
For those who don't know what I'm talking about with the reference to homogenised milk, think back to when you were a kid and the cream used to rise to the top of the milk bottle (and the milkman used to deliver). Ever wondered what happened to that cream? Welcome to homogenisation, a process where milk is denatured under pressure, forcing the fat molecules into an artificial smooth white liquid.
Before you call this progress, here are five little publicised layman's facts / theories that might change your mind:
- Homogenisation actually grinds the molecules so fine that they enter the bloodstream directly as undigested fat
- These tiny molecules can cause lesions on your artery walls, in turn promoting plaque and cholesterol build-up, calcification and arteriosclerosis and artherosclerosis. In fact there is a growing body of research to show that dietary cholesterol is not the main cause of heart attacks, but rather homogenised milk
- Ever wondered why osteoporosis rates continue to rise despite high consumption of dairy? Again, the culprit is homogenisation, impeding absorption of the key nutrients. Pasteurisation is also to blame but that is a rant for another week
- Homogenisation is thought to be a major driver behind the increasing proliferation of milk allergies
- Unhomogenised milk tastes better (ok, that might just be my theory)
From what I can work out, over 95% of milk sold in Australia is homogenised. If that makes you as angry as it makes me, then protest and buy the good stuff. You might need to read the fine print but you can find organic, unhomogenised milk at most supermarkets these days.
Move over Today Tonight, these are the real milk wars!
Campaign for real milk!
Get the whole (and unhomogenised!) truth!
Campaign for real milk!
Get the whole (and unhomogenised!) truth!
