Eating a whole foods diet is important for all of us, but particularly important for children and adults who are struggling with issues like ADD, Autism, Learning Disabilities and Tourette syndrome. Supporting one’s body with good nutrition is key to helping our brains function optimally.
Does this sound like real food to you?
- Natural Oil blend (soybeans, palm fruit, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed, and canola), water, whey, salt, natural and artificial flavor, sorbitan esther of vegetable fatty acids, soy lecithin, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, B6, B12, lactic acid, beta carotene for color, potassium sorbate, TBHQ, EDTA.
This list of ingredients is off a tub of margarine found at your local grocer.
How does this sound?
- Sweet cream; salt.
This is the label from butter.
Which would you prefer to serve to your family?
Consider the details:
Margarine
- Calories: These range from 30 calories per tablespoon to 50 calories.
- Margarine is often made up of a blend of various fats.
- Some products add flax seed to increase Omega 3’s but margarine is primarily an Omega 6 oil. We tend to eat too many Omega 6’s without the proper balance of Omega 3’s.
- Some products use canola oil, which can be genetically modified and should probably be avoided.
- Some products have hydrolyzed oil or trans-fats, which should absolutely be avoided.
- One product I found had zero fat in it. How can a fat not have any fat in it?
- Margarine has some nutrients added in like Vitamin E and A.
- Margarine gets its color from a natural source, beta-carotene. What color was it before? Why does it need color added? Have you ever thought about the manufacturing process of margarine? Can “real” food be “manufactured”?
Butter
- Calories: 100.
- Butter is 100% saturated fat.
- It is a good, natural blend of Omega 6 and Omega 3.
- It contains 12-15% short and medium chain fatty acids. These are different than long chain fatty acids, found in other animal saturated fats and margarine, because they get absorbed directly from the small intestine to the liver and are converted into quick energy. These fatty acids also have antimicrobial and immune supporting properties.
- Butter has Vitamin A, D, E and K, all fat soluble vitamins that our bodies need.
- Butter also contains trace minerals like manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium and iodine. All these minerals are important in supporting our endocrine system.
- Butter has a rich, satisfying taste.
- Butter gets its beautiful golden color from the nutrients in the grass the cow has eaten.
Note: Please keep in mind that many of the benefits of butter listed above are from organic, grass-fed butter which you can find in stores like Whole Foods.
Treat your family to whole, nutrient-dense foods as much as you can. I hope that you will add butter to your grocery list. It tastes yummy and will provide your family with healthy fats, vitamins and minerals!
To Your Good Health!
Vicki Steine, LCSW
DSc student, Holistic Nutrition, Hawthorn University
Reference:
Fallon, S. E., M., PhD. (2001). Nourishing Tradition (Revised Second ed.). Washington, D.C.: NewTrends Publishing, Inc.