Debunking the Most Common Butter Myths That Exist Today

There have been a lot of claims about butter in recent years. However, many of them aren’t true.
The average American eats almost 6 pounds of butter per year, but strangely enough, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding it. There are certain butter rumors and myths that have been around for a long time and don’t show any sign of going away anytime soon.
Fortunately, we’re here to help clear things up for you. In this guide, we’ll debunk some of the most common butter myths.
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ToggleThe Type of Fat in Butter Is the Worst Kind
A common myth about butter that’s out there is that the fat in it is purely bad for you. This actually isn’t the case.
Butter has a lot of fat in it and especially contains high levels of saturated fat. However, while saturated fat has gotten a bad rap in the past, more recent studies have shown that it’s actually not as bad as it seems. Contrary to popular belief, these studies show that there’s no link between saturated fat and heart disease.
While saturated fat isn’t as good for you as other types of fat, eating butter in moderation is fine. In addition to this, while more than 50% of the fat in butter is saturated fat, it also includes healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as well.
Butter Leads to Obesity
Surprisingly enough, it’s not true that butter leads to obesity or makes you put on a few extra pounds. In fact, the opposite is more accurate. Studies have shown that those who have a higher intake of high-fat dairy industry foods such as butter actually have a decreased risk of obesity rather than an increased one.
While you’ll still want to eat it in moderation, having butter in your diet isn’t as bad as you may think if you’re trying to reduce your weight and stay fit.
Butter Goes Bad Quickly
Another common myth about butter is that it goes bad quickly and doesn’t last very long. However, this is not the case.
If kept in your refrigerator, butter can last at least 6 months and could last as long as 9 months. Usually, butter can also last a month or more past the “best by” date that is on the package.
In addition to this, it’s possible to store your butter in the freezer as well. Keeping the butter in its original packaging and putting it in a freezer-safe bag works well and can extend its life by a significant amount of time.
Salted butter may last for as many as 12 months when in the freezer while unsalted butter might last around 6 months.
Butter Comes From Poor-Quality Ingredients
A common myth about butter is that it comes from poor-quality ingredients. However, the reality is that butter doesn’t have a lot of bad stuff in it.
Butter is actually a very simple and natural food that is primarily made from cream. The recipe for butter hasn’t changed much over the long amount of time that it has been used.
Butter is is a simple dairy farm product that doesn’t have harmful additives and bad ingredients that can cause harm to your health
Butter Spreads Are Healthier
Some people believe that butter spreads are actually better for you than stick butter is. Compared to stick butter, however, butter-like spreads are worse for you. This is because they are heavily processed and are usually made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, otherwise known as trans fats.
Trans fats are actually much worse for your heart and for your health than saturated fat is, so it’s best to avoid them as much as you can. Be sure to think twice before choosing to buy a butter spread instead of just using real butter.
Margarine is Healthier Than Butter
While many people think that margarine is healthier than butter is, this is actually not the case.
Like other butter substitutes and spreads, margarine is actually worse for your heart because it contains trans fats that are highly processed. Natural butter is better for your health since it primarily has saturated fat rather than trans fat.
While it can be easy to believe the myth that margarine is better for your health, be sure that you don’t fall for it.
All Butter Needs to Be Avoided
Another common myth about butter is that you can’t eat any of it at all if you want to be healthy. Fortunately, this isn’t true.
It’s perfectly fine to add butter into your diet as long as you’re keeping your intake in check and eating it in moderation. You’ll want to pay attention to what you eat and be conscious of how much butter you’re consuming each day and each week.
The American Heart Association recommends that fewer than 7% of your total calories per day come from saturated fat. This means that you can eat about a tablespoon of butter each day in order to meet this goal while still having a nutritious diet.
You should also add other types of butter into your diet as well. Peanut butter and almond butter, for example, are two great options. There are even some great recipes for toddlers that include peanut butter as well.
Understanding the Truth Behind These Butter Myths
As you can see, there are a lot of butter myths out there. However, there’s probably less truth to them than you may have expected.
While it’s important to focus on great nutrition and to eat your very best each day, you don’t have to eliminate butter entirely to stay healthy.
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