Butter: health benefits and harms

Butter is obtained by separating and whipping cream. Butter is mainly made from cow’s milk, but sometimes goat, yak, etc. milk is used. Essentially, butter is milk fat.

The history of the appearance of butter in nutrition

The first mention of butter is found already in the middle of the third millennium BC. The tablets found in the territory of Ancient Mesopotamia depicted scenes of the preparation of butter. That is, this product is at least 10 thousand years old.

In Scotland and Ireland, “bog butter” is sometimes found in peat bogs. Ancient people buried it in peat bogs, placing oil in skins, wooden buckets. Due to their low oxygen content and high acidity, peat bogs ideally preserved oil for a long time.

In Hinduism, butter is offered as a gift to the god of the hearth. In Christianity, oil is mentioned in the Old Testament as a gift to the messengers of God.

The composition and calorie content of butter

Butter is considered a high-calorie product. Despite this, it is quite easily absorbed by the body. This product contains fats, proteins and vitamins. It also contains cholesterol and a small amount of trans fats.

The benefits of butter

Butter contains saturated fats, they are also found in cheese, milk, fatty meats. The lack of fats in the diet is dangerous, because they are necessary for the synthesis of hormones. Butter fats are also an excellent source of energy.

Butter has a rich composition: tocopherols, carotene, vitamin D. Tokoferolы are antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals. They also slow down the aging process. Vitamin D synthesized under the influence of the sun, but in many regions it is not enough, because of this, a deficiency can develop in the body. This vitamin is important for calcium absorption and strong immunity, so it must also be obtained from food.

In the XNUMXth century, disputes broke out about the benefits of butter – cholesterol was found in its composition and began to be considered a provocateur of obesity and heart disease. At the same time, studies have shown that, despite the presence of heavy saturated fats, butter also contains easy-to-digest fatty acids. It has also been observed that a small amount of oil in the diet increases the level of “good” cholesterol.

It has been proven that cholesterol is actually needed by the body. It regulates the permeability of cell membranes, participates in the synthesis of hormones, etc. Butter contains cholesterol, although in much smaller doses than, for example, egg yolks. Quite a bit of cholesterol comes from food, while the body independently synthesizes up to 2 grams of this substance daily. If you abruptly refuse cholesterol-containing products, there is a sharp jump in the synthesis of cholesterol in the body. Therefore, it is considered more correct to observe a reasonable norm and be especially attentive to those who already suffer from diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

In moderation, butter is good for most men, women, and children. People with high levels of cholesterol in the blood should reduce oil consumption to a minimum.

The harm of butter

– Butter does contain dangerous substances – trans fats and cholesterol. Also, an excess of saturated fats can provoke atherosclerosis and exacerbation of gallbladder diseases, so follow the norm and check the level of cholesterol in the blood if you are at risk, says gastroenterologist Olga Arisheva.

It is better if foods containing saturated fats are not consumed on an empty stomach, and with an abundance of fiber – various greens and vegetables.

The use of butter in cooking

Butter is mainly used along with other products. Although in some areas, oil serves as the basis of the diet. For example, in Tibet, butter is added to salted tea, and also mixed with flour and eaten. In Poland, ornaments are molded from butter, and “butter lambs” are made for Easter.

homemade ghee

This oil can be used for frying. The easiest way to make ghee without burning is in a water bath

Finely chop the butter, put in a saucepan. Choose a dish that fits into another saucepan lightly filled with water. It is important that there is a layer of water between the bottoms.

After the water boils, lower the heat and let the oil dissolve. Foam will appear on the surface – it must be removed, but it is not necessary to throw it away: instead, foam can be added to sauces.

Gradually, the butter will become transparent, whey will appear from below, foam will cease to form. Leave the oil to cool for several hours.

Remove the remaining foam, and then strain the oil, leaving the whey at the bottom. If it gets into a jar, it can be drained later after the oil has solidified by making a hole. Ghee is stored in a glass in the refrigerator, used for frying, added to dishes.

Aromatic butter with herbs

Delicious butter for sandwiches, greens can be chosen to your taste

Finely chop the greens, pass the garlic through a press. Stir in soft butter and let dry. You can add salt to taste.

How to choose and store butter

Pay attention to the packaging: “butter” should be indicated, and not a spread or a product containing milk fat. The composition should not contain preservatives and other additives. Foil packaging preserves the product better.

As for fat content, in natural oil it starts from 72,5%. At the same time, fat content varies depending on the variety:

• peasant – 72,5%,
• amateur – 78%,
• the most fat – 82,5%,
• melted – up to 99%.

A lower percentage of fat indicates the presence of various additives, such oil is also called “tea” or “sandwich”.

It takes 1 liters of milk to produce 20 kg of butter, so a natural product cannot be inexpensive. Cheap butter almost certainly contains vegetable fats.

Butter quickly melts in the mouth, a product with vegetable fats, on the contrary, melts for a long time and sticks to the teeth.

Butter can be stored in foil, plastic or ceramic butter dish in the refrigerator. The maximum shelf life in this way is about a month. You can store the butter in the freezer, wrapped in foil and a bag so that it does not absorb foreign odors. In this form, the butter will lie for more than six months, and at temperatures below -18 – and the whole year. Longer storage worsens the taste.

Popular questions and answers

Let’s analyze the popular questions of readers about butter.