Photos of recipes from the new book Tender Grassfed Barbecue
Photos of recipes from the cookbook Tender Grassfed Meat
In Defense of Nutritious, Delicious Grassfed Butter
By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat
Toothmarks show that this is the right amount of butter, as inspired by Sally Fallon Morell.
The domination of our government by the large agricultural industry has led to some of the most ignorant and ill-advised nutritional advice in the history of our planet. I thought the idiotic “food pyramid†with its emphasis on dead carbohydrates as the foundation of diet and its demonizing of healthy fats and protein was as bad as it was going to get.
I truly did underestimate our government. The replacement for the “food pyramid,†“MyPlate,†is even worse.
The first clue as to how bad this is comes when you look at the plate, at “choosemyplate.gov.†The plate has sections for fruit, vegetables, grains, and protein. There is also a small circle labeled dairy. The text on the page informs us that the dairy should be 1% fat, or less. But there is no place for the most important food group, fats. To our government, fat is no longer a food.
I know that the most nutritious food ever discovered is the butter from grassfed animals. But where in “MyPlate†is the butter?
How the Government Sees Butter
The “MyPlate†page includes a link to “My-Food-a-Pedia,†a huge compendium of marketing and misinformation. In My-Food-a-Pedia, all solid fats, including butter and the healthy fat of grassfed animals, are lumped together in a group called “others.†Like a group of alien invaders. Besides “solid fats,†the “others†include added sugar and alcohol. There is no difference between butter and candy bars? Or butter and light beer? Or butter and whiskey? At least, according to our government all these foods are the same. According to our government, the amount of “others†in our diet is to be strictly limited.
The links included a window listing the various food groups. I looked at each of them, to see where butter was classified. Where’s the butter? Butter is not a vegetable. Butter is not a fruit. Butter is not a grain. Butter is not protein. Butter is not even dairy. Butter, as a “solid fat†is included in a group called “Empty Calories.†“Empty Calories†are defined as items that have “little or no nutritional value,†but a lot of calories.
So, according to our government, butter has “little or no nutritional value.â€
This is the equivalent of saying that ice is hot, or water is dry, or the moon is made of green cheese. It is absolutely not true.
Butter Is the Most Nutrient-Dense Food on Earth
Butter is full of nutrients, and the factors needed to absorb and use them. Here is a list of some of the nutrients in grassfed butter:
- Retinol, the real Vitamin A;
- Vitamin D;
- Vitamin K;
- Vitamin E;
- The substance Dr. Weston A. Price named “Activator Xâ€: Vitamin K2
- Arachidonic acid;
- Short and medium chain fatty acids;
- Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, in perfect balance with each other:
- CLA;
- Lecithin;
- Glycosphingolipids;
- Trace minerals;
- And many others.
An excellent article explaining the nutrients in butter and other good animal fats, and how the body uses them, can be found at The Skinny on Fats.
Little or no nutrition? Hogwash.
Why this Matters
The utter demonization of butter and animal fat, to the point of denying that it is even a food, has consequences.
This is much more than a bad joke. The government forces schools and other institutions that get government aid to comply with nutritional guidelines. It controls the diet of our military. It controls the diet of many medical facilities and rest homes. If the government insists that the guidelines be followed, butter and natural animal fat could be banned from the schools, and many other institutions. This could lead to a nutritional disaster that is even worse than the one we are experiencing today.
I will eat my butter and cover “my plate†in it!
This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, Fight Back Friday and Monday Mania blog carnivals.
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