Infographic: Why Butter Is Good For You

infographic on the health benefits of grassfed butter
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grass-fed butter

It’s no secret that grass-fed butter is one of the most Bulletproof foods you can eat. It’s high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats. It makes anything taste good, and it turns coffee into a delicious milkshake. Butter is so magical it deserved an infographic. We’re about to post a video of a lecture I gave about “secret butter powers,” earlier this year at BIL.

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By Dave Asprey

  • sarah

    Very cool! Well done.
    It would be amazing if you did an info graphic explaining everything you take in a day and how they interact.

  • Jon

    We’ve determined that grass-fed butter isn’t available in Canada, right?

    • James

      Wrong it is more difficult you can find it if you look for it.
      Here is a farm Quebec we I get mine.
      http://www.fermegroleau.com/

      • Makiavel

        I looked into that one. Even if it is the best option I found in the Quebec province, what can they feed the cows during those so long winters? They don’t certify it is grass-fed, they let the cows eat outside when the weather is good.

    • MT_Dreams

      I don’t understand french, but it appears that the quebec farm does not ship. this will only help if you live in the area. As for other options, I contacted a representative from organic meadow and they told me that the cows graze during the summer months (unfortunately during the winter they are fed organic oats, etc). I can tell a difference in the butter when the cows have been grazing, and I usually put about 8 bars or so in the freezer for use, during the winter months. Another option might be to hit up a farmer’s market on a thursday or saturday, there’s lots of goodies try out.

      • Gladina Vuletic

        I’m lucky, moving to Ottawa where they have a vendor in Byward Market. OK…so I will buy surplus of butter for the winter months from the summer. Perhaps oats are still better than CORN even though oats is still obviously not good. But let’s assume they are hormone and anti-biotic free. How about the goats? What do the goats eat?

        • Yu

          Do you know where the vendor is in Ottawa’s Byward Market?

    • Makiavel

      My best option so far has been to smuggle Kerrygold butter everytime I cross the border. My job lets me do that. The customs agent laughed at me last time I declared it.

    • Tony

      L’Ancêtre and Harmony Organic are two brands in Canada that I know of that feed their cows grass, not during the winter, though.

    • Shaun

      Organic Meadow brand is mostly grass fed (supplemented in the winter only) and is readily available in many grocery stores.

  • Gladina Vuletic

    What about from goat? Is that OK?

    • MT_Dreams

      I once read that there are less reactions to goat milk compared to cow. That must mean that it would be ok. I think the big thing is if the animal is pasture fed on green grass, or eating dead grass, or worse yet, non-grass foods.

      • Dave Asprey

        Goat has 20% more butyric acid than cow!

        Sent from my nobile phone. You understand….

        • Gladina Vuletic

          Cool! Due to someone posting about the farm in Que. that has grass-fed cow and goat products and I found a vender in Ottawa (my NEW home in September) I will try the goat butter instaead. (But truthfully, Stirling butter has goat butter too that I never tried…could try that too and I trust them).

  • Blue Ridge

    I want to believe, but that last statistic is misleading.

    In 1910, for every 100,000 Americans, 3,700 died each year. 370 died from cardiovascular diseases (10%).

    In 2000, for every 100,000 Americans, 790 died each year. 340 died from cardiovascular diseases (~43%).

    So 370 of every 100,000 Americans died from cardiovascular diseases in 1910, but in 2000 it was 340 of every 100,000.
    That’s why life expectancy is so much higher today than 100 years ago.

    Also, there are SO MANY differences between 1910 and 2000, not just butter consumption. How about our diet as a whole or our sedentary lifestyle?

    Regardless, I’m going to try unsalted grass-fed butter in my coffee because it sounds interesting.

  • temp

    Umm, hi. Latest research shows saturated fat is implicated with heart disease.

    b Hooper
    L, Summerbell CD, Thompson R, Sills D, Roberts FG, Moore H, Smith GD
    (July 2011). “Reduced or modified dietary fat for preventing
    cardiovascular disease”. The Cochrane Library (7): CD002137. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002137.pub2. PMID 21735388.

    • Tony

      “There were no clear effects of dietary fat changes on total mortality”

  • As always you can question alot of things, and sometimes things are not as simple as shown in a picture gram

    Forinstance, while only 10% died of heart attack in 1910 alot (in Denmark ) was dying from “Fever” – witch might cover heart atack, cancer, and alot of other things Fever was the doctors box of we really don’t know – but it looks better if ppl think we know;)

    so perhaps 90% died of heart attack, 102 years ago.. who knows… one thing is for sure, the doctors of the time did not 😛

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  • Charles

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  • Jesse

    A good option we use is also Smjor from Iceland that is now carried at Whole Foods. We went to Iceland last summer for our honeymoon and asked lots of questions about everything. It is relatively inexpensive and doesn’t have a lot of claims about grassed, but it is all produced in Iceland where they basically can only grow grass, not grain. Imports are too expensive so the cows live on the grass that is grown and bailed for winter. Comes in salted and non-salted as well.

  • Dan D

    Interesting stuff. I’ve begun incorporating Kerry’s unsalted butter and MCT oil in my Bulletproof coffee regimen and really like it.
    I’m in Germany right now, where Kerry butter is also sold. The stuff here costs only 1 Euro and is noticeably more golden in color than in America. It also doesn’t state that the milk is pasteurized. For breakfast I’m downing a double espresso and chasing it with about 30 grams of butter.
    I’m curious about Dave’s routine when he travels to Europe. Does he really bring along butter, MCT oil, coffee beans, Chemex, and coffee grinder? That’s a lot of equipment excluding the fact of getting butter through security since it probably looks exactly like a brick of C4 explosives to the TSA operator.

  • ButterLover

    We just ordered two cases of Kerry Gold Unsalted for our freezer…there may be a bacon shortage comming, and we haven’t heard of a Kerry shortage (here) but just in case :)

    • ButterLover

      Darn. Word must be getting around (thanks Dave!). Trader Joes says that the unsalted Kerry Gold is out of stock, but they will keep trying to reorder it. Plenty of salted (bleh in Bulletproof Coffee, but better than no Kerry).

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  • ScottRace

    Finally…research, transparency and education. All for the cost of an internet connection. You have my support and soon my money… You’ve earned it. Great information.

  • I too don’t think butter is a villain, but you can’t make an association between heart disease rates and butter consumption between 1910 and 2000. It’s just an observation and doesn’t prove anything. Many things contribute to heart disease–is it possible that we’re just sitting too much? Not sleeping enough? To stressed out? Eating too many sugar? Also, what’s your first citation? I’d actually like to read the study.

    • xelad1

      The fact that your last name is Zibdeh makes this post about 100 times more credible. Please tell me that is really your last name haha.

      • Indeed, her name being Zibdeh is a cool coincidence!

      • DOD

        I don’t understand why that’s good or funny. Explain?

    • hungryscientist

      I agree the 1910 and 2000 butter consumption heart disease stat is misleading. A quick google search shows…

      “The life expectancy in 1910 was age 47 and in 2010 it averages about age 79.”
      http://voices.yahoo.com/changes-america-100-years-ago-5976234.html?cat=37

      “In the U.S., the average age for a first heart attack in men is 65. That’s why coronaryartery disease is labeled a disease of senior citizens.” (Nov 2009)
      http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mens_Health_Watch/2009/November/premature-heart-disease

      People simply did not live long enough in 1910 to develop heart disease. Who knows, maybe they all died at a young age from eating to much butter ;)!

      • Brainbuster

        There is a difference between life expectancy and life span.
        You are comparing
        life EXPECTANCY of 1910 with life SPAN of 2010.
        You should instead compare life expectancy with life expectancy.

    • Scott Crocker

      Today’s sugar/grains/carbs are a huge problem (probably
      because of genetic-modifications, hybridization, and the fact
      that most of it isn’t even organic ..

      Grass-fed *butter is some of the healthiest stuff any of us could
      eat (but don’t forget there is salt in butter – salt is a vital mineral,
      but too much or too little is a problem).

      • chris ericksen

        You can buy organic, salt-free, grass-fed butter or some with genuine unrefined sea salt; it’s common table salt that isn’t good for our health- it’s been stripped of its nutrients

    • Valerie Burnazov

      That part doesn’t necessarily say that butter is associated with heart disease, but when it implies is that it may not be associated with heart disease like it is claimed too, since consumption substantially decreased, but heart disease rates went up.

    • George_Spelvin

      Agreed. Just spouting off two numbers over a few generations doesn’t show a causative relationship. There are hundreds of other factors at play.

  • Kurt

    Hi Dave,
    Bullet proof coffee has been life changing for me; however, there is no source of grass fed butter where I live (Kelowna, B.C.). Further, I think that, for some odd reason, it is illegal to sell or buy grass fed butter, or un-pasteurized dairy in Canada. Consequently, we have been using coconut oil in our coffee each morning. I remember coming across a post, on this site, revealing that you live in B.C. yourself; I am curious to know how you source your grass fed butter?

    • Dave Asprey

      Coconut oil is ok but you can find gf butter in Canada if you bask around at natural stores. There is an underground butter economy in Canada.
      Sent from an iphone. That means it’s spelled wrong…and I’m probably lost. You understand… -Dave

      • Alex

        Yep I was able to finally find grass fed butter after a while in Quebec. It’s not directly advertised as such but on the companies website you clearly see they are a family farm and let their animals out etc. It’s more expensive ($4.5 per 200grams) but it does also taste a bit better than normal butter.

        • Patrick

          Hi Alex, I’m in Montreal. Can you tell me the bland and where you found it? Thanks!

        • Phil

          Beurrerie du Patrimoine

      • Lisa Mitchall-Zuk

        Well this underground economy is eluding me! Frustrating!

    • Dan

      I live in Kelowna BC and it’s pretty easy to get a hold of grass fed butter, just ask the farmers!

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  • Ilya Reppo

    Dave, would consuming a lot of butter potentially raise your ALT AST levels? Would eating butter contribute to fatty liver disease?

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  • After I realized I was being made sick by soy – I threw everything with it in the trash and switched back to butter. What is making us sick is the food we eat – you switch to eating organic and non processed foods and get back to basic good foods and your health will improve. Thanks :)

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  • What would you put the good butter on, when you say no grains?

    • eric

      cook with it.

      • Krystl

        Sweet potatoes, a tad with bacon/eggs, believe it or not a hamburger patty cooked with butter in the middle is amazing, sauté veggies, etc

    • Evan Pham

      my favorite meal nowadays is butter, rice, kimchi. it’s a $2 meal at my local restaurant.

    • chris ericksen

      Vegetables- and good grains such as quinoa and millet are great with butter.
      Oatmeal is also delicious with butter- all should be organic.

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  • A.N.I.M.A.L

    How much butter should one consume daily? does it vary by bodyweight?

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  • Sarah K

    Can someone tell me the extent to which these benefits do or don’t occur if the butter is NOT grass-fed?

    • Brainbuster

      Yes, the benefits are from the butter. Grass-fed butter may be slightly better for you, but if the choice is either “don’t eat any butter” or “eat regular butter,” then I’m sure eating regular butter (not grass-fed), is far better for you than excluding it from your diet.

      Even Dave Asprey cites studies which were done using regular butter (the anti-cancer properties).

      • chris ericksen

        CLA is missing in butter where cows are not grazed on grass. And if not organic, then you’re dealing with hormones and herbicides- and antibiotics.

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  • Brainbuster

    He shouldn’t be so adamant about “Butter Must Come from Grass-Fed Cows.”
    I hate when gurus cite dozens of studies where regular old-fashioned vitamin “XYZ” was used in the studies, and showed “ABC” benefits, then the guru adds that you must use his special Vitamin XYZ that he got from the bottom of the sea, because of the following 6 reasons that makes his Vitamin XYZ better than the inferior Vitamin XYZ you get from your grocery store (and apparently better than all the Vitamin XYZ that was used in all the studies the guru cited, proving that Vitamin XYZ is so important).

    For example the studies he references for butter’s “anti-cancer properties” were NOT conducted with grass-fed cow butter. Regular butter protects against cancer. So why is he telling everyone that you “must” only eat grass-fed butter, just because it’s got more vitamins that you may be getting elsewhere anyway.

    He’s discouraging people from eating butter until they can invest in the Rolls Royce butter….when most people are still riding horses and afraid to get into a Ford Escort.

    Trading in your quarter horse for a ’99 Ford Escort is still a big move in the right direction. So stop telling everyone that they can either eat grass-fed butter or no butter at all.

    • George_Spelvin

      Don’t forget that half of the reason that this video exists is to push his coffee and the oil. This is just an infomercial.

    • chris ericksen

      BBuster- please look up CLA- will put things into perspective for you. :o)

  • Jeff

    If butter is good for you on a grain free paleo diet, is it possible that it becomes neutral or perhaps bad for you if eaten in addition to a lot of grains such as lots of brown rice and oatmeal, brown rice pasta, quinoa…

    In other words is butter only healthy in the context of a low carb paleo diet or can it be healthy even for those who choose to eat lots of carbs (not everyone is trying to lose weight some are trying to gain and refuse to go grain free because it doesn’t work for them)

  • Santino Corleone

    Hey Dave,
    do you know what the omega 3 to omega 6 ratio from butter is? I eat ca. 150-200g of Ghee (self made from kerrygold butter) and ask myself if I reach a good omega 3 to omega 6 ratio with this because I have autoimmune disorders. I use 1-2g of Krill oil every day also…

    Kind regards,

    Santino

    • chris ericksen

      I get my omega 3 from algae- from where the fish get theirs. Flax produces another aspect of omega 3.

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