How much butter can you have and still maintain your weight?
Weight conscious people, who are on a diet to burn excess fat, often avoid butter. The common perception is that butter is fatty and unhealthy. But is that the truth? A variety of milk is used for preparing butter and other dairy products. Cow milk is believed to be more nutritious than any other and has less fat than buffalo milk. So butter made with cow milk is better for those on a weight loss diet. But how much butter can one consume and yet not worry about gaining fat? Read on to know more.
Butter is obtained by removing fats from the liquid portion of milk, which is popularly called buttermilk. The separated creamy portion is known as butter. Some people consume butter with salt while the rest opt for the unsalted ones, both available in the market.
Butter acts as a natural lubricant, moisturiser and contains various other nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Calcium, Cobalamin and Potassium. However, it is high in calories, cholesterol and saturated fats. Therefore, those on a weight loss diet must consume only a small quantity of butter.
Ideally, those who wish to burn excess belly fat must not eat fatty foods. But one must not avoid fats totally. By reducing the quantity of butter intake, one can keep their weight-loss diet unhampered. At the same time, one can benefit from the essential nutrients that butter contains.
If a person consumes 2000 calories a day, they must limit their butter intake to less than 10 per cent of the total value. It will be best if the butter consumption only accounts for 20-30 calories (2-3 teaspoons) and not more than that. However, if a person consumes more than 20-30 calories and less than 100 calories, they must compensate it by incorporating a rigorous exercise regime.
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Butter makes everything taste better – that’s the kind of thinking that iconic chef Julia Child famously promoted with her cooking. However, fear surrounding butter’s saturated fat content saw it eliminated from most diets over the years as a food spread and cooking fat – though butter is still preferred for baking – until recently. “Today, butter is making a comeback because people appreciate it as a natural, ‘clean’ food compared to margarine,” says Lindy Kennedy, a registered dietitian at Fit Nut Consulting in Calgary, Alta. She explains that margarine is a processed food – vegetable oil is converted into a fat solid, by adding hydrogen in a process known as “hydrogenation.” But the real question is: What are the health benefits of butter?
What are the health benefits of butter?
Butter is made from the cream of whole milk through a churning process that separates out the fat content of the cream. Basic salted butter is made up of about 80 per cent fat, 15 to 17 per cent water and the rest salt, protein, calcium and phosphorous and fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E.
Butter contains the antioxidants vitamin A and vitamin E, as well as selenium. Butter also naturally contains conjugate linoleic acids (CLAs), compounds which have been shown to prevent cancer in animal studies, as well as prevent the hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart disease. Vancouver registered dietitian Nicole Fetterly also points out that butter contain butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid with anti-fungal and anti-tumour properties. “In India, clarified butter or ghee is considered a health food for these reasons,” says Fetterly. (If you’re more of a natural butter person, ghee will definitely be right up your alley.)
What about the saturated fat?Because butter comes from an animal, it contains higher amounts of saturated fat – the bad kind of fat that has been linked to an increased risk of high cholesterol and heart disease. According to Health Canada, one pat of butter (5 mL) contains 34 calories and four grams of fat, more than half of which (2.5 g) is saturated. (The same amount of non-hydrogenated margarine contains the exact same calories and fat, but just a fraction of the saturated fat at 0.5 g.) Fetterly says that research is underway to determine what the long-term health impact of processed margarine is compared to the health benefits of more natural butter.
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How much butter should you eat?Regardless of whether you opt for margarine or butter, both are pure fat, and the rule of thumb is to eat no more than 20-30 per cent of calories from fat – this works out to around 50-75 grams of fat per day. However, of those fats allowed, less than seven per cent of total calories should be saturated fats. Butter usually has seven grams of saturated fat per tablespoon, so keeping intake to less than three teaspoons (or one tablespoon) is ideal. However, you should also be aware of hidden saturated fats in other areas of your diet that may increase your total saturated fat number, and adjust accordingly. This includes foods such as beef and the occasional chocolate chip cookie, says Kennedy.
For greater health benefits of butter, fat should be mono and polyunsaturated, such as the kind you’ll find in vegetable oils, nuts and fish. (Try this butternut squash mac and cheese with butter – it is to die for!) Bottom line? If you enjoy the flavour of butter, use it judiciously – but don’t go overboard.
Originally Published: December 07, 2017
Butter contains saturated and trans fats, both of which may increase the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or bad cholesterol, in a person’s blood.
Most of the saturated fat in our diet comes from animal products, including red meat, eggs, and dairy. These foods also all contain cholesterol.
Many people believe that eating lots of cholesterol will directly increase the level of cholesterol in their blood. However, the USDA Dietary Guidelines from 2015 say there is little evidence for a link between dietary cholesterol and cholesterol levels in the blood.
Read on to learn more about the link between butter and blood cholesterol levels. We also suggest some butter substitutes and explain how to lower cholesterol.
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One tablespoon of unsalted butter contains 31 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol and 7.2 grams (g) of saturated fat.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommend that anyone who is aiming to lower their LDL cholesterol should get no more than 5–6 percent of their total calorie intake from saturated fat. On a 2,000 calorie diet, this equates to 11–13 g of saturated fat per day. Therefore, two tablespoons of butter provide more saturated fat than most people should be consuming daily.
Eating lots of saturated fats can increase a person’s LDL cholesterol level. As butter contains a lot of saturated fat, people with high cholesterol should be mindful of how much they consume each day.
However, a review of papers from 2014 suggests that people should focus on maintaining a favorable ratio between LDL and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. The authors state that there may not be a strong link between a person’s consumption of saturated fats and their risk of heart disease or stroke.
Despite this, the AHA still recommend that people with high cholesterol monitor their consumption of butter. They suggest replacing it with healthy fat alternatives such as avocados and olive oil.
High cholesterol may not always produce noticeable symptoms. Therefore, some people may need a blood test to check their serum cholesterol levels. It is essential to monitor cholesterol in the blood as high levels can lead to a condition called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis can cause the following problems:
While many people use medication following a high cholesterol diagnosis, the following lifestyle changes can also help:
- eating lots of healthy, heart-boosting foods, such as fibrous whole grains, healthy fats, and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids
- limiting intake of partially hydrogenated oils, fried foods, and foods containing trans fats
- eating plenty of fruit and vegetables
- replacing fatty meats with lean meats, such as turkey, chicken, and fish
- including fibrous and protein-rich plant sources, including lentils and beans, in the diet
- exercising for at least 30 minutes every day
- limiting alcohol intake
- quitting smoking
- trying to maintain a healthy weight
Oils that are high in unsaturated fat but low in saturated and trans fats are heart-healthy substitutes for butter. These include avocado, olive, and sunflower oils.
Some people use margarine in place of butter, but there is conflicting evidence regarding this replacement. Margarine uses vegetable oil, so it often contains less saturated fat than butter, which contains animal-based fat. However, hard margarine can also contain saturated and trans fats, so it is best to check the nutrition labels.
If a person has high cholesterol, they can ask their doctor about using stanol-based spreads or sterols, which may help reduce cholesterol levels.
It is possible to quickly compare the nutritional profiles of different butter alternatives using the USDA Food Composition Databases. Looking at the nutritional information on food packaging can also help people make healthful choices. The aim should be to limit the intake of saturated and trans fats as much as possible.
Some people with high cholesterol may need medications, but doctors will usually always recommend these additional dietary changes initially:
- cooking with healthful oils, such as olive, avocado, or sunflower oil
- using yogurt instead of butter, cream, or sour cream
- choosing grass-fed butter
- using butter sprays in place of butter to add flavor
Recent research counters the original belief that cholesterol in the diet strongly influences blood cholesterol. Being mindful of saturated and trans fat is essential though, as these may contribute to the rise in blood cholesterol. People with high cholesterol may have a higher risk of certain conditions and diseases such as atherosclerosis, stroke, and heart attack.
Butter is high in calories and fat, so people should eat it in moderation or replace it with healthy unsaturated fats. Eating a lot of butter may contribute to weight gain and could play a part in raising levels of LDL cholesterol.
A person can continue to enjoy butter in moderation as part of a healthy diet unless their doctor tells them otherwise.
Last medically reviewed on May 31, 2018
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