Why the Kardashians are Smarter than you Think

You may remember an episode of Kourtney and Kim Take Miami where Kourtney was seen slugging back a mouthful of butter. Yes, butter or Ghee as she later corrected everyone. If you think drinking butter sounds preposterous, you may want to keep reading to see why you might be wrong.

Consuming butter is hardly a fad. Butter has existed almost since the beginning of time, so we can hardly credit Kourtney for setting a new trend. BUT I do think our culture is much more attuned to the Kardashians than, say, Weston A. Price, so the things they do are important because they are usually mimicked by millions. Surprisingly, we might actually be better-off as a society by following the Kardashian's lead on this one!

Isn't Butter Bad for Us?

The answer is a big, emphatic, "NO!" 

There is surmounting evidence that correlates a rise in heart disease and obesity with the onset of the low-fat diet trend around the 1960's and 1970's. According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, between 1920 and 1930, the consumption of butter plummeted from 18 pounds per person to a meager 4 pounds per person. A direct correlation of this decrease was the rise of heart disease and weight gain. 

Keep reading to see why your butter should be raw (unpasteurized) and from grass-fed cows.

Glowing skin and luscious locks
are what catapulted these sisters
into the lime light.

Sufficient amounts of vitamin A (found in butter) are needed for these bodily factors to work properly:

• healthy skin
• healthy hair
• proper brain function
• reproduction
• absorption of minerals
• absorption of water-soluble vitamins
• digestion
• cancer prevention
• protein absorption
• immune system 

This list goes on, but these are just a few of the important functions.

Why your Body Needs Butter

Your body makes hormones from saturated fat. Androgen hormones are what distinguish us as males and females. Without them we literally would not be the same. Hormones also control our moods, brain function, how we absorb our food, how well we sleep, how we cope with stress, our weight, anxiety, depression, diabetes, thyroid function, menopause, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches and skin and hair conditions, to name a few.  

And that's a good thing because?

Butter is the best source of concentrated fat-soluble vitamins. Fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, are the catalysts on which all other biological processes depend. Mineral and water-soluble vitamin absorption require sufficient amounts of vitamin A in the diet. Unfortunately, Americans, on average, do not consume enough fat-soluble sources of vitamin A in their diets since they have been trained to believe that fat is bad for them and margarine and other processed fats are healthier alternatives.   

Vitamin A comes from animal fat, not carrots. It's a commonly believed myth that the daily recommended dose of vitamin A can be met through vegetables. Wrong! Beta carotene's are a precursor to vitamin A and are most commonly found in carrots and leafy green vegetables. Beta carotene is converted into vitamin A in the small intestine by bile from the liver and gallbladder. If you're not eating animal fat with your vegetables, your body will not produce enough bile to reach your small intestine. Even with enough bile, the conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A is difficult for the body to successfully achieve. 

In addition, assuming perfect assimilation, one would have to consume six units of vegetables to receive one unit of vitamin A. This means that you have to eat a whole lot of vegetables to even reach the recommended dose of vitamin A per day. Impossible!  

Butterfat is the best and most easily absorbed source of vitamin A. Other sources of vitamin A include eggs, liver and cod liver oil, but butter is number one. Not only is butter the best way to get your vitamin A, it also tastes the best. I think almost everyone would agree that life is always a little better with some butter on your plate. 

How Much is Too Much?

If you're worried about vitamin A toxicity, have no fear. Butter is a whole food form of vitamin A that is not toxic in large amounts. 

Dr. Weston A. Price pioneered
the study of butter and cod liver oil
by studying the health and teeth
of primitive tribes around the world.

Whole food forms of vitamin A are much different from vitamin A isolates that are found in Accutane (for acne). This is because butter also contains important compounds that prevent toxicity. These include vitamin C, vitamin E and Zinc. 

When consuming large amounts of butter, fish oil, or caviar, the body will naturally absorb what is needed and excrete what is left-over. 

The Institute of Medicine's daily recommendation of vitamin A intake is 3,000 IU for men and 2,310 IU for women. 

According to Dr. Weston A. Price, so called "primitive tribes"
could teach Americans
a thing or two about nutrition and health.

Research gathered by Weston A. Price, however, indicates that the healthy primitive tribes that he lived with and studied consumed ten times more vitamin A than the average American. 

After researching vitamin A more thoroughly, the recommended dose, according to less mainstream doctors, is anything under 50,000 IU per day. 

One tablespoon of butter contains about 400 IU of vitamin A, while one tablespoon of cod liver oil contains about 21,000-36,000 IU. 

What Does Grain Have To Do With It?

Grain and stress are two factors that inhibit and deplete the body's ability to absorb and utilize vitamin A.  

The Weston A. Price Foundation also links strenuous physical exercise, period of physical growth, pregnancy, lactation and infection as stresses that quickly deplete vitamin A stores. 

Grass-fed Cows Produce Better Butter

Butter from pastured cows, cows that eat primarily grass, is superior to conventional butter for a number of reasons.

This is the color your butter should be!

The Yellower the Better: Pastured butter is bright yellow in color. Just as we gauge our fruits and vegetables by their color, we can do the same with butter. The yellower the color, the higher amounts of vitamin A. Keep in mind that pastured butter is usually best in the spring as the cows are consuming the young grass growth, which is higher in carotene content. It tends to become slightly less yellow throughout the summer.

Contains the X Factor: Activator X was discovered by Weston A. Price. He contributed this unknown substance to the extraordinary health benefits of butter. Today it is widely assumed that Activator X is vitamin K2. It is only found in pastured butter, as opposed to butter made from grain-fed cows.  

Perfectly Balanced: Pastured butter has an omega 6 and omega 3 ratio of 1:1. 

Raw is Better: To achieve the optimal health benefits from your butter it should be RAW BUTTER. This means that the heavy cream used to make butter should be from unpasteurized milk. Raw milk has a multitude of health benefits, which I will address in a later blog. I would just like to mention that raw butter is easier to digest and the nutrients are easier to assimilate because of the presence of enzymes, vitamins and minerals, which are destroyed through pasteurization. Because of this, raw butter is a better source of energy for the body. In addition, because of the dense nutrient content of raw butter, it will leave you feeling satisfied as opposed to other processed versions of "butter". As a result, you will be less hungry throughout the day and may actually  help you to lose weight!

Click here to find raw, pastured butter in your area!

Want to look like a Kardashian? Keep eating your butter! Convinced of the power of raw, pastured butter? Please leave your thoughts below.