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Does
Butter Make you Gain Weight?
The
notion that butter is responsible for weight gain is a misconception.
For centuries, people in different parts of the world have been
consuming butter without having issues with weight. It is only
in the recent century or so that we are being constantly told
to reduce cholesterol, lose weight to get rid of obesity and diabetes.
It has been constantly drilled into our ears that consuming butter
/ cream / margarine / cheese / whole milk is unhealthy and will
make you gain weight but this is not entirely true. You don't
automatically gain weight by consuming some foods having fats.
It's the total calorie intake that counts in the end. But since
fats have more calories than protein and carbohydrates, your overall
calorie intake will shoot up fast if you consume foods that are
high in fats in excess. Moderation is always key. And if you burn
more calories than you consume daily, you will never get fat even
if you eat butter and other fatty foods.
But it's important to admit that the dairy products made in the
past were more healthy although most of us are led to believe
that what people have consumed for thousands of years is unhealthy
and can damage your health. If that was indeed true, then consider
this. The recent century or so has witnessed an abnormal increase
in the occurrence of obesity / heart disease / diabetes and other
health problems. In fact, today you have a situation where one
out of every four people suffer from diabetes and one out every
five people carry the risk of a heart disease. During that same
period we have seen an increase in the production of factory processed
foods. That was not the case in the past where people were eating
the high fat butter, drinking whole milk etc... without any health
and weight gain issues. People were more healthy. The major reason
is everything was more natural and organic. Nowadays it's not.
Remember the mad cow disease. Long ago, cows only fed on grass
and it's not healthy to feed cows with cattle carcasses. Also,
there is hormone injection in cows. Of course the by-products
like milk, cheese and butter deriving from these animals won't
be healthy. In the past, people were not abusing foods like today
where life is hectic and people overindulge in foods to please
their taste buds and to relieve their stress. No wonder obesity
and other diseases have hit their all-time high.
Having some fat is important for our bodies but in excess is always
bad. To put in simple words, the body requires fat as it maximizes
the vitamin and nutrient absorption in the body. Without any fat
content your body will not be able to digest the food properly
which can cause weight gain. In fact, fat is the best source of
defense that helps in the protection of our immune system. So
saying butter makes you gain weight is simply an unfounded statement.
In fact traditional sources of food are the best sources of good
fat. This refers to the fat derived from organically raised animals.
This fat is a rich source for nutrients and omega - 3 fats and
helps in the absorption of calcium in the body. Likewise, olive
oil that is processed without heat and chemicals contains polyphenol
which helps in the prevention of cancer and heart diseases. Even
coconut oil is excellent for baking and contains lauric acid and
helps in weight loss. Now, coming to butter / cream or milk -
when derived from cows that feed on grass are very rich in nutrients
and vitamins and also Omega 3 fat.
Finally, diets like butter, coconut oil, etc have suffered bad
publicity in the hands of paid experts for many years now. However,
this trend is now changing as people are waking up to the reality
of processed foods.
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