One small change that will make a giant impact on the health of your family is to bring back butter. Believe it or not, butter is a superfood! Butter contains naturally concentrated, and essential, nutrients. To clarify, I am speaking of raw butter. If this is foreign to you or brings to your mind the accepted narrative about raw dairy products, please keep reading.
“Before 1920 coronary heart disease was rare in America…During the next 40 years, however, the incidence of coronary heart disease rose dramatically, so much so that by the mid-1950s heart disease was the leading cause of deaths. If, as we have been told, heart disease is caused by consumption of saturated fats, one would expect to find a corresponding increase in animal fat in the American diet. Actually, the reverse is true. During the sixty-year period from 1910 to 1970, the proportion of traditional animal fat in the American diet declined from 83 percent to 62 percent, and butter consumption plummeted from 18 pounds per person per year to four…During the same period the percentage of dietary vegetable oils in the form of margarine, shortening, and refined oils increased about 400 percent while the consumption of sugar and processed foods increased about 60 percent.”
– Nourishing Traditions, p. 5
Butter, oil, and fat replacements such as shortening, canola oil, and vegetable oil (to be generic) are highly reactive and quickly go rancid and therefore, should never be used in cooking. These cheap biproducts are chemically processed and genetically manipulated and were originally intended to be used as gear lubricants or for candle making. What’s more is that within the medical community there is a known correlation of vegetable fat consumption with high rates of cancer and consumption of animal fat is not.
Eliminating the few “vegetable” fat items we had in our house was not a difficult adjustment. By the way, there are no vegetables in these oils. What a joy to learn that eating raw butter was one of the most beneficial things we could do to nourish our bodies and minds! We eat raw butter on our eggs, on our sourdough bread, in our soups, on our meats, and on our veggies. We eat raw cheese with one to two meals a day or for a snack. We drink milk kiefer smoothies in the morning and have glasses of milk at night. And, we make nourishing raw milk ice cream that beats all!
Raw butter, raw milk, raw cheese, and raw yogurt are staples in our house. Isn’t it more expensive? Well, yes, a little. But let’s take the long view in our cost-benefit analysis here. A few more dollars spent each month to nourish our bodies versus a few dollars saved to ingest unnecessary chemicals. Less time spent being sick, laid up in bed, or in a doctor’s office and more time spent being active in our work, home, and play times. There are more health factors, lifestyle adjustments, and food changes that I won’t get into in this blog. Eating raw dairy products alone isn’t going to solve your bodily ailments or nutritional deficiencies, but what a way to boost your body toward a robust immune system, hormone regulation, and balanced bodily functions.
Why raw butter? Raw butter contributes to a healthy immune system, is directly absorbed for quick energy, is naturally high in vitamins A, regulates cellular and hormonal processes, and provides necessary nutrients for development. Additionally, the nutrients absorbed through eating raw butter protects the liver from toxins, protects the heart which is surrounded by highly saturated fat that it draws from in times of stress, and protects the body with antimicrobial properties that ward off harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract. In particular, butter from cows fed spring grass, rather than cottonseed meal, soy diets, or even hay, contains Activator X, which promotes calcification and health of bones and teeth.
Similarly, raw milk, raw yogurt, and raw cheese are high in nutrients that will strengthen your body’s immune system, organ processes, and overall cellular functions. And, honestly, the quality and taste of raw dairy products are superior!
When milk is pasteurized, not only is it stripped of its benefits, but it will also expire leading to toxic mold. When milk is in its raw state, it is packed full of benefits, and it will give you biproducts, namely curds and whey, that have additional health benefits, particularly for those who have dairy intolerances. Additionally, for those with dairy intolerances, fermented milk products are more likely to be tolerable and provide your body with necessary nutrients.
Dr. Edward Howell noted, “Unpasteurized milk and butter were used for thousands of years, with a history of conferring good health on their users. Since the time of Hippocrates, physicians used raw milk and raw butter as therapeutic agents to treat disease. Whole nations formerly depended upon dairy products as major sources of food. But when pasteurization was introduced, dairy products strangely and precipitously lost their health charms, almost as if somebody waved an evil wand and, presto, dairy products were instantly cursed. For example, in the days before milk and butter lost their lipase due to the heat of pasteurization, millions of people lived on dairy products without getting atherosclerosis (clogged arteries due to cholesterol deposits) because lipase knows how to handle cholesterol.”
Nourishing Traditions, p. 132
To our detriment, we have been taught, and we have believed, that animal fats and full-fat dairy products will make you fat when the reality is that these are incredible sources of nutrition that God has provided for us to be able to nourish our bodies and minds. This is an area where we have been traveling on the wrong road and need to go back to the old road, to the ancient path, where we can experience metanoia, wisdom, and true progress.
Here is a hearty, research-based article to further your understanding of this topic: The Great Con-ola
If you would like to take the next step toward a more holistic and natural lifestyle for you and your family, please check out my services. When you are ready, contact me.
Disclaimer: My content is not for the diagnosis, treatment, or cure of any disease or other health issue. My content is to encourage you to take your health into your own hands and understand the rhythms and needs of your body. My content is to encourage you to grown in your understanding and care of your family’s heath and daily nutritional needs.
This blog post includes a summary of information gleaned from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell.
*In addition to raw butter for cooking, properly processed olive oil, coconut oil, lard, tallow, and ghee are acceptable choices.
Mama Lamb 