Why Butter is Better                                            The Weston A. Price 
       VITaMInS:	Butter	is	a	rich	source	of	easily	absorbed	                          Foundation
       vitamin	a,	needed	for	a	wide	range	of	functions,	
       from	maintaining	good	vision	to	keeping	the	endo-                •	Provides	a	reliable	source	of	accurate							
       crine	system	in	top	shape.	Butter	also	contains	all	                                                                                                      B
                                                                                                                                                           is         e
                                                                           nutrition	information.                                                                       t
       the	other	fat-soluble	vitamins	(D,	e	and	K ),	which	                                                                                           r                    t
                                                2                                                                                                   e                        er
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       are	often	lacking	in	the	modern	industrial	diet.                 •	Provides	a	strong	voice	against	imitation	                         ut                                  !
       MIneraLS:	Butter	is	rich	in	important	trace	miner-                  foods.                                                         B
       als,	including	manganese,	chromium,	zinc,	copper	                •	Does	not	receive	funding	from	any									
       and	selenium	(a	powerful	antioxidant).	Butter	pro-                  government	agency,	nor	from	the	meat									
       vides	more	selenium	per	gram	than	wheat	germ	or	                    and	dairy	industries.
       herring.	Butter	is	also	an	excellent	source	of	iodine.	          •	Campaigns	for	a	return	to	healthy	traditional	
       FaTTy	aCIDS:	Butter	provides	appreciable	amounts	                   fats.	
       of	short-	and	medium-chain	fatty	acids,	which	sup-               •	Warns	consumers	about	the	dangers	of	
       port	immune	function,	boost	metabolism	and	have	                    modern	soy	foods.
       anti-microbial	properties;	that	is,	they	fight	against	          •	Promotes	access	to	unprocessed	whole	milk	
       pathogenic	microorganisms	in	the	intestinal	tract.	                 products	from	pasture-fed	animals.
       Butter	also	provides	the	perfect	balance	of	omega-3	             •	Keeps	members	informed	through											
       and	omega-6	essential	fatty	acids.	arachidonic	acid	
       in	butter	is	important	for	brain	function,	skin	health	             Wise	Traditions,	a	lively	quarterly	journal.
       and	prostaglandin	balance.                                       •		Maintains	two	popular	websites:														
       CLa:	When	butter	comes	from	cows	eating	green	                      westonaprice.org	and	realmilk.com.
       grass,	it	contains	high	levels	of	conjugated	linoleic	           •	Helps	consumers	find	healthy,	farm-fresh	                                         The 
       acid	(CLa),	a	compound	that	gives	excellent	protec-                 foods	through	a	system	of	local	chapters.
       tion	against	cancer	and	also	helps	the	body	build	                                                                               WesTon A. Price 
       muscle	rather	than	store	fat.                                     Local	chapter	and	membership	information	is	
                                                                               posted	at	www.westonaprice.org,
       GLyCoSPInGoLIPIDS:	These	are	a	special	catego-                               or	call	(202)	363-4394.                                                                      ®
       ry	of	fatty	acids	that	protect	against	gastro-intestinal	                                                                               FoundATion
       infections,	especially	in	the	very	young	and	the	el-                           Compliments of:                                    for WiseTraditions
       derly.	Children	given	reduced	fat	milks	have	higher	
       rates	of	diarrhea	than	those	who	drink	whole	milk.                                                                               in Food, Farming and the healing arts
       CHoLeSTeroL:	Despite	all	of	the	misinformation	                                                                                       Education    Research    Activism
       you	may	have	heard,	cholesterol	is	needed	to	main-                                                                                             PMB	Box	106-380
       tain	intestinal	health	and	for	brain	and	nervous	sys-                                                                                     4200	Wisconsin	avenue,	nW
       tem	development	in	the	young.                                                                                                               Washington,	DC		20016
       WuLZen	FaCTor:	a	hormone-like	substance	that	                                                                                                    (202)	363-4394
       prevents	arthritis	and	joint	stiffness,	ensuring	that	                 SourCeS	anD	FurTHer	InForMaTIon                                       info@westonaprice.org
       calcium	in	the	body	is	put	into	the	bones	rather	than	                   Know Your Fats	by	Mary	G.	enig,	PhD                                 www.westonaprice.org
       the	joints	and	other	tissues.	The	Wulzen	factor	is	                            www.bethesdapress.com
       present	only	in	raw	butter	and	cream;	it	is	destroyed	                    www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats
       by	pasteurization.                                                   www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/butter.html                 Copyright	©	2010	The	Weston	a.	Price	Foundation.	
                                                                                        www.realmilk.com                                                all	rights	reserved.
                                                                                                                                       BLeaCH:	The	natural	color	of	partially	hydroge-
             Butter and Your Health                                         Butter and Your Health                                       
                                                                                                                                       nated	vegetable	oil	is	grey	so	manufacturers	bleach	
                                                                                                                                       it	to	make	it	white.	yellow	coloring	is	then	added	to	
        HearT	 DISeaSe:	 Butter	 contains	 many	 nutrients	             oVerWeIGHT:	 CLa	 and	 short-	 and	 medium-                    margarine	and	spreads.
        that	protect	against	heart	disease	including	vitamins	          chain	fatty	acids	in	butter	help	control	weight	gain.
        a,	 D,	 K 	 and	 e,	 lecithin,	 iodine	 and	 selenium.	 a	                                                                     arTIFICIaL	FLaVorS:	These	help	mask	the	ter-
               2
        Medical	research	Council	survey	showed	that	men	                FerTILITy:	Many	nutrients	contained	in	butter	are	             rible	taste	and	odor	of	partially	hydrogenated	oils,	
        eating	butter	ran	half	the	risk	of	developing	heart	            needed	for	fertility	and	normal	reproduction.                  and	provide	a	fake	butter	taste.
        disease	as	those	using	margarine	(nutrition	Week	
        3/22/91	21:12).	                                                SKIn:	arachidonic	acid	and	vitamins	a	and	D	in	                Mono-	and	DI-GLyCerIDeS:	These	contain	trans	
                                                                        butter	help	maintain	healthy	skin.                             fats	that	manufacturers	do	not	have	to	list	on	the	
        CanCer:	The	short-	and	medium-chain	fatty	acids	                                                                               label.	They	are	used	in	high	amounts	in	so-called	
        in	butter	have	strong	anti-tumor	effects.	Conjugated	                                                                          “low-trans”	spreads.
        linoleic	acid	(CLa)	in	butter	from	grassfed	cows	also	             Bad Things in Margarine, 
        gives	excellent	protection	against	cancer.	                                                                                    Soy	 ProTeIn	 ISoLaTe:	 This	 highly	 processed	
                                                                           Shortenings and Spreads                                     powder	is	 added	 to	 “low-trans”	 spreads	 to	 give	
        arTHrITIS:	The	Wulzen	or	“anti-stiffness”	factor	in	           TranS	FaTS:	 These	 unnatural	 fats	 in	 margarine,	            them	body.	It	can	contribute	to	thyroid	dysfunc-
        raw	butter	and	also	vitamin	K2	in	grass-fed	butter,	           shortenings	and	spreads	are	formed	during	the	pro-              tion,	 digestive	 disorders	 and	 many	 other	 health	
        protect	against	calcification	of	the	joints	as	well	as	        cess	 of	 partial	 hydrogenation,	 which	 turns	 liquid	        problems.
        hardening	of	the	arteries,	cataracts	and	calcification	        vegetable	oil	into	a	solid	fat.	Trans	fats	contribute	
        of	the	pineal	gland.	Calves	fed	pasteurized	milk	or	           to	heart	disease,	cancer,	bone	problems,	hormonal	              STeroLS:	often	added	to	spreads	to	give	them	
        skim	milk	develop	joint	stiffness	and	do	not	thrive.	          imbalance	and	skin	diseases;	infertility,	difficulties	         cholesterol-lowering	qualities,	these	estrogen	com-
                                                                       in	pregnancy	and	problems	with	lactation;	and	low	              pounds	can	cause	endocrine	problems;	in	animals	
        oSTeoPoroSIS:	Vitamins	a,	D	and	K2	in	butter	are	              birth	weight,	growth	problems	and	learning	disabili-            these	sterols	contribute	to	sexual	inversion.
        essential	for	the	proper	absorption	of	calcium	and	            ties	in	children.	recently	a	uS	government	panel	of	
        phosphorus	and	hence	necessary	for	strong	bones	               scientists	determined	that	man-made	trans	fats	are	                 How to Purchase Butter
        and	teeth.	                                                    unsafe	at	any	level.	(Small	amounts	of	natural	trans	
                                                                       fats	occur	in	butter	and	other	animal	fats,	but	these	          BeST:	raw	butter	from	grass-fed	cows.	
        THyroID	HeaLTH:	Butter	is	a	good	source	of	io-                 are	not	harmful.)
        dine,	in	a	highly	absorbable	form.	Butter	consump-                                                                             GooD:	Pasteurized	butter	from	grass-fed	cows.	
        tion	 prevents	 goiter	 in	 mountainous	 areas	 where	         Free	raDICaLS:	Free	radicals	and	other	toxic	break-
        seafood	is	not	available.	In	addition,	vitamin	a	in	           down	products	are	the	result	of	high	temperature	in-            STILL	 GooD:	 regular	 pasteurized	 butter	 from	
        butter	is	essential	for	proper	functioning	of	the	thy-         dustrial	processing	of	vegetable	oils.	They	contribute	         supermarkets—still	a	much	healthier	choice	than	
        roid	gland.                                                    to	numerous	health	problems,	including	cancer	and	              margarine	or	spreads.
                                                                       heart	disease.
        DIGeSTIon:	Glycospingolipids	in	butterfat	protect	                                                                             For	 SourCeS,	 contact	 the	 Weston	 a.	 Price	
        against	gastro-intestinal	infection,	especially	in	the	        SynTHeTIC	 VITaMInS:	 Synthetic	 vitamin	 a	 and	               Foundation	and	request	our	Shopping	Guide;	visit	
        very	young	and	the	elderly.	arachidonic	acid	in	but-           other	vitamins	are	added	to	margarine	and	spreads.	             www.realmilk.com;	or	contact	your	nearest	local	
        ter	helps	build	a	healthy	gut	wall.                            These	often	have	an	opposite	(and	detrimental)	ef-              chapter,	posted	at	www.westonaprice.org.
                                                                       fect	compared	to	the	natural	vitamins	in	butter.
        GroWTH	&	DeVeLoPMenT:	Many	factors	in	but-                                                                                                                                ®
        ter	ensure	optimal	growth	of	children,	especially	io-          eMuLSIFIerS	and	PreSerVaTIVeS:	numerous	ad-
        dine	and	vitamins	a,	D	and	K .	Lowfat	diets	have	              ditives	of	questionable	safety	are	added	to	marga-
                                      2                                rines	and	spreads.	Most	vegetable	shortening	is	sta-
        been	linked	to	failure	to	thrive	in	children—yet	low-
        fat	diets	are	often	recommended	for	youngsters!	               bilized	with	preservatives	like	BHT.	
        aSTHMa:	Saturated	fats	in	butter	are	critical	to	lung	         HeXane	and	oTHer	SoLVenTS:	used	in	the	ex-
        function	 and	 protect	 against	 asthma	 (Thorax,	 Jul	        traction	process,	these	industrial	chemicals	can	have	
        2003;58(7):567-72).                                            toxic	effects.