#7: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth

00Angela00

This is day seven of our education of the 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. Woo Hoo! Some of these you won't be surprised by, some you will. I'll take one out of each food group each day to mix it up a bit.

All information is from the book by jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth".

Day 7: Butter/Ghee

I have to smile as I begin to writing this entry, knowing that it's going to cause apoplexy among the dieg dictators, conventional dietitians, doctors, and other members of the diet establishment. But the fact is that butter--from pasture-fed, organically raised cows--is a wonderful, healty food. Surprised? Read on.

BUTTER:
* Yes, butter contains saturated fat and yes saturated fat raises cholesterol somewhat. But it raises both the bad and the good kind, so the net results on your health is anyones guess.
- In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in September 2004, they suggested that it might be prudent to wait until evidence clearly indicates which amounts and types of saturated fat are optimal before eliminating all saturated fat from our diet.
* some saturated fat is good for us and necessary in the diet.
* Butter is a rich source of vitamin A (optimal for the function of the immune systeam and maintains good vision)
* Butter contains vitamin E, K, and D
* grass fed animal butter contains CLA (conjugated linolenic acid), a particularly healthy fat that has demenstrated anticancer properties.
* research has shown that CLA has a lot of promis in fighting weight gain, particularly around the abdomen
* 30% of the fat from butter is from monounsaturated fat (the same kind in olive oil).
* The fat in butter inhibits the growth of pathogens
* a source of several kinds of antimicrobial fats, including lauric acid, which disables many pathogenic viruses

GHEE:
* Ghee is clarified butter, which means it's basically butter witht he milk solids removed
* been used specifically for its healing and health-giving properties for thousands of years
* believed to healp stimulate the healthy flow of fluids throughout the body.
* considered an important rejuvenative tonic for the mind, the brain, and the nervous system
* since it has all the milk solids removed, it can be used for cooking at higher temperatures
* increases "digestive fire," thereby improving assimilation and enhancing the nutritional value of foods.
* doesn't go rancid, I keep a container of ghee out on my kitchen counter all the time, unrefrigerated, and dip into it for a spoonful almost everyday
* like butter, ghee contains butyric acid, a fatty acid that has antiviral and anticaner properties and that raises the level fo the antiviral chemical interferon in the body

WORTH KNOWING:
According to Dr. Dharma Sing Khalsa, and easy way to make ghee is to simmer unsalted butter over medium-low heat for 10 to 20 minutes until an almost transparent crust forms on top. Then skim off the crust and strain the golden liquid that remains into a container. Make sure you discard the white sediment at the bottom. Or, you can dow ath I do and buy ready-made ghee in most natural food stores. It doesn't need to be refrigerated, and in fact, according to some traditions, has more healing properties if you leave it out at room temperature.

00Angela00

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jb_sweet_99

Very Interesting, humm! If I wasn't lactose intollerant I would be changing back to butter! It's great that you are posting all of this info for us, thanks again for sharing :flowerforyou:

JoyousMaximus

Very Interesting, humm! If I wasn't lactose intollerant I would be changing back to butter! It's great that you are posting all of this info for us, thanks again for sharing :flowerforyou:

Actually, when you remove the milk solids to make ghee, you also remove the trace amounts of lactose that are normally found in butter so you can use ghee.

Here is the website I referenced if you want to verify:
http://www.physicalnutrition.net/ghee-benefits.htm

00Angela00

Very Interesting, humm! If I wasn't lactose intollerant I would be changing back to butter! It's great that you are posting all of this info for us, thanks again for sharing :flowerforyou:

What are you using currently? I completely agree with Jbuerer, Ghee should be something you can use. :happy:

cardigirl

Oh thank goodness!!!! I gave up margarine a long time ago, and just went with using butter, since it seemed more natural.

So happy to read that butter has some benefits! Yay!!!!:flowerforyou:

00Angela00

Oh thank goodness!!!! I gave up margarine a long time ago, and just went with using butter, since it seemed more natural.

So happy to read that butter has some benefits! Yay!!!!:flowerforyou:

I know! Woo Hoo! I was excited when I read this one. It totally shocked me! I always thought butter was bad for you. hmm ... I actually have some friends that mix butter with olive oil, which makes it spread easier and they claim it's healthier.

cardigirl

There is a spread, Olivio, that has sweet cream, canola and olive, and flaxseed oil in it. Also natural flavorings, whatever that means. It's pretty good, but spendy.

It's probably cheaper to make your own spread, I would think.

PedalHound

I make a 50/50 olive oil / butter mix. You do 50% organic unsalted butter and 50% extra-virgin olive oil and mix with a food processor or wooden spoon (butter has to be softened) then refrigerate. And you can add flax or other oils to it if you want. But it does go bad more quickly than just butter so use as small a stick of butter as you can find. It's good stuff (though a slightly stronger flavour than butter alone) and it digests slightly differently than butter and according to our naturopath is MUCH healthier than margarine and healthier than butter alone. Highly recommended!

00Angela00

I make a 50/50 olive oil / butter mix. You do 50% organic unsalted butter and 50% extra-virgin olive oil and mix with a food processor or wooden spoon (butter has to be softened) then refrigerate. And you can add flax or other oils to it if you want. But it does go bad more quickly than just butter so use as small a stick of butter as you can find. It's good stuff (though a slightly stronger flavour than butter alone) and it digests slightly differently than butter and according to our naturopath is MUCH healthier than margarine and healthier than butter alone. Highly recommended!

That sounds exactly like what they do. I've been interested in doing it, but didn't think butter was good so haven't. I'm going to try this next time we're due for butter. :-D Thanks!

Jessimicab

yay new favorite set of threads~!! thanks

Vogue

Thank you for posting that about butter! I totally agree and have done research myself! I am glad somone is standing up for butter!