Cholesterol & butter... confusing issue

J

JBR

Senior Member
Location
Southern Canada mtn. valley, tad west of Rockies
It seemed that very many of us in North America quit worrying about butter in our diets, six or seven years ago. It was all over the news that medical research had shown that health issues related to blood cholesterol actually had little or nothing to do with human dietary intake.

Olive oil and fish oils are of course good, but butter was not bad. A huger proportion of the population breathed a sigh of relief! Now it seems that there are yet, at least in still-existing internet sites, those sources that warn about butter (milk fat) in the diet.

Okay, just a personal association here... The "butter okay" info of only a few years ago seemed to conflate, in my mind, with the somewhat earlier announcements about the "Mediterranean diet" being a good guide for health. Of course, obviously the Mediterranean region is shared by a number of nations. And, for instance, Italians go in heavily for olive oil, the French for butter. (I've been to Italy — and the Italians love pizza, or nearly anything with cheese in or on it.)

Confusing. So... what can you tell me?
 

Most everything is "OK" if long as it's eaten in moderation. Butter does have saturated fat, which if ingested excessively can contribute to the plaque buildup in arteries.

I recently became aware that mayonnaise is not the "heart attack waiting to happen" that I had thought it was, actually has like about 1/5th the saturated fat that butter does.

Q. Settle an argument, please! Which is better for you: mayonnaise or butter?
 
My son who's very much into dietary health, then my nutritionist both recently told me not to worry about butter causing high cholesterol. For the longest I've been so hooked on I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (probably not good for me) that I very rarely use butter. I like ICBINB because it adds a salty taste and to me gives many foods a better flavor IMO. My son uses butter all the time. She also told me not to worry about too many eggs causing high cholesterol. All of that stuff is being disproven. I often think about the foods and beverages that we were told were no good for us that became good for us, then bad again....and vice versa.
 
"...obviously the Mediterranean region is shared by a number of nations. And, for instance, Italians go in heavily for olive oil, the French for butter. (I've been to Italy — and the Italians love pizza, or nearly anything with cheese in or on it.)"

Many millions of people who don't live in America have used butter all their lives, and the countries they live in do not have an obesity problem and all the related health issues.

The United States Food & Drug Administration is a joke. It's totally corrupt, imo. Behind almost everything they proclaim there's a load of money for them. The FDA is an industry puppet. Its main purpose is to increase or at least maintain healthy profits in the US food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries, because they get piece of it. A healthy society is not their primary concern.

That's not why the FDA was formed, but that's what it has become...

...in my opinion. This is just how I see it.
 
Murrmurr said:
"...obviously the Mediterranean region is shared by a number of nations. And, for instance, Italians go in heavily for olive oil, the French for butter. (I've been to Italy — and the Italians love pizza, or nearly anything with cheese in or on it.)"

Many millions of people who don't live in America have used butter all their lives, and the countries they live in do not have an obesity problem and all the related health issues.

The United States Food & Drug Administration is a joke. It's totally corrupt, imo. Behind almost everything they proclaim there's a load of money for them. The FDA is an industry puppet. Its main purpose is to increase or at least maintain healthy profits in the US food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries, because they get piece of it. A healthy society is not their primary concern.

That's not why the FDA was formed, but that's what it has become...

...in my opinion. This is just how I see it.
Click to expand...
Great post !
 
Murrmurr said:
The United States Food & Drug Administration is a joke. It's totally corrupt, imo. Behind almost everything they proclaim there's a load of money for them. The FDA is an industry puppet. Its main purpose is to increase or at least maintain healthy profits in the US food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries, because they get piece of it. A healthy society is not their primary concern.

That's not why the FDA was formed, but that's what it has become...

...in my opinion. This is just how I see it.
Click to expand...
Yes, okay. Well, being Canadian, I learned the "don't worry about butter" news on our national radio/TV network, CBC. It's possible that the several news items on the topic were based on a US FDA announcement, but I actually don't know that it was. The research underpinning those news items could have come from U.S. sources (FDA bulletin?) or possibly originated from Europe, for all I know.
 
JBR said:
Yes, okay. Well, being Canadian, I learned the "don't worry about butter" news on our national radio/TV network, CBC. It's possible that the several news items on the topic were based on a US FDA announcement, but I actually don't know that it was. The research underpinning those news items could have come from U.S. sources (FDA bulletin?) or possibly originated from Europe, for all I know.
Click to expand...
And, for me, the issue isn't the "don't worry about butter" news, the issue is the "butter is bad" narrative that has lasted for decades.

My mother used only margarine. My schools had No Butter cafeterias. I have always used butter. It just tastes way better and it's mostly natural.
 
When doctors recommend the Mediterranean diet they aren't talking about pasta or pizza covered in Mozzarella cheese. What they're telling us is to eat lots of vegetables, fish and olive oil -- all good things. they never should have named it that because it is confusing. Butter is fine in moderation olive oil is just better.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan

It's not the diet for me because all the, "eat more of" "eat less of" advice it gives is too vague for me I like concrete rules.

Re: what Murrmurr said: He is so right about the FDA pushing the Big Agriculture agenda. For example they've always told us to drink lots of milk and we know now it is strongly linked with cancer.

When my father was a widower in his eighties, his doctor told him his cholesterol was too high (it was barely over ideal.)

Never knowing the first thing about health info, Dad thought his life was in great danger. So he cut out all eggs, butter, cheese, milk and peanut butter. Basically everything he knew how to cook for himself.

I told him that dietary cholesterol barely effected blood cholesterol and peanut butter didn't have any at all. He ignored me because he always thought I was stupid. He gave up all his favorites including his nightly bowl of ice cream and it all seriously cut down on his enjoyment of the last five years of his life.:mad:
 
Della said:
When doctors recommend the Mediterranean diet they aren't talking about pasta or pizza covered in Mozzarella cheese. What they're telling us is to eat lots of vegetables, fish and olive oil -- all good things. they never should have named it that because it is confusing. Butter is fine in moderation olive oil is just better.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan

It's not the diet for me because all the, "eat more of" "eat less of" advice it gives is too vague for me I like concrete rules.

Re: what Murrmurr said: He is so right about the FDA pushing the Big Agriculture agenda. For example they've always told us to drink lots of milk and we know now it is strongly linked with cancer.

When my father was a widower in his eighties, his doctor told him his cholesterol was too high (it was barely over ideal.)

Never knowing the first thing about health info, Dad thought his life was in great danger. So he cut out all eggs, butter, cheese, milk and peanut butter. Basically everything he knew how to cook for himself.

I told him that dietary cholesterol barely effected blood cholesterol and peanut butter didn't have any at all. He ignored me because he always thought I was stupid. He gave up all his favorites including his nightly bowl of ice cream and it all seriously cut down on his enjoyment of the last five years of his life.:mad:
Click to expand...
I eat a moderate amount of olive oil with no worries about cholesterol. My cholesterol is fine.
Pinky said:
Several years ago, my doctor told me that margarine is "plastic fat"
Click to expand...
It IS!
 
debodun said:
I've heard that oleo is worse for you than butter.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/butter-vs-margarine
Click to expand...
Ditto. My dad heard this way way back after having a heart attack in the '70's. The nutritionist told him a little butter was better than a lot of Oleo. It was useful info although I often think these studies lie to us about little things because they change every few years and then they support something else. I wonder who is really profiting from all this? :unsure:
 
chic said:
Ditto. My dad heard this way way back after having a heart attack in the '70's. The nutritionist told him a little butter was better than a lot of Oleo. It was useful info although I often think these studies lie to us about little things because they change every few years and then they support something else. I wonder who is really profiting from all this? :unsure:
Click to expand...
Just like with the Opioid epidemic...big corps and politicians that take $$ to turn a blind eye to health hazards.
 
I believe in eating real food & not processed, fake or chemical-made foods. Some people, no matter what they eat, just won't have a problem for whatever reason like my one brother.

My cholesterol kept rising & my doctor wanted me on a statin & I won't take those. I tried resveratrol supplement (as in red wine) for over a year & there was no improvement. Over time, some of my other panels were going downhill also. So I went back to do more looking & fell down the rabbit hole.

When hubby & I was still working, we ate oatmeal everyday & drank red wine within moderation (not with breakfast) & our panels were perfect. I was disappointed when the resveratrol didn't work since it's supposed to be the good stuff in red wine to lower cholesterol. For me it wasn't. Then I kept read about how when people ate oatmeal 5 times a week & it lowered their cholestrol. The oatmeal they recommend is the steel-cut. So that was my next thing to try.

For the next 6 months, I did the oatmeal at least 5 times a week. I used the steel-cut along or the long cooking old-fashioned rolled oats. The rest of my diet stayed the same. We rarely eat junk food, very little processed, buy our meat locally & eat fresh veggies or what we can. Over the years, I found there are foods that I can bake instead of frying that worked just as well. I use cold-pressed olive oil, cold-pressed sunflower oil & unsalted butter.

When I went back for my 6-month recheck, my doctor told me my blood panel was perfect. I was floored. She asked me what I did & told her oatmeal. So to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I did the same thing for the next 6-months. Results was the same. For my husband, one of his cholesterol was a little high & she said he need some protein along with his oatmeal.

This may not work for everyone, but it did for me. Something seems to be in the oatmeal that grabs the bad stuff & take it out. I'll find out in my next checkup if it's still working for me.

If you really enjoy certain foods & it makes you happy, just eat it in moderation. No one know how long we have in this world & I see no reason to make yourself miserable while your here. Especially when so-called experts either can't make up their minds or contradict each other or say things for the money.
 
Murrmurr said:
The United States Food & Drug Administration is a joke. It's totally corrupt, imo. Behind almost everything they proclaim there's a load of money for them. The FDA is an industry puppet. Its main purpose is to increase or at least maintain healthy profits in the US food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries, because they get piece of it. A healthy society is not their primary concern.

That's not why the FDA was formed, but that's what it has become...

...in my opinion. This is just how I see it.
Click to expand...
Amen! Totally corrupt are also the German equivalents and especially the WHO with a president who is accused of genocide in his home country Ethiopia. And the WHO treaty is a crime. Period!
"Serious accusations: WHO chief allegedly involved in genocide in Ethiopia". I used a German article and translated the headline. But there are critical English articles as well.
https://www.focus.de/panorama/who-c...an-voelkermord-in-aethiopien_id_12880567.html
 
I eat a lot of cheese and sometimes ice cream. I know both of those jack up my blood pressure numbers. On occasion I have a little margarine on a bagel but, hardly ever. My last blood tests say my cholesterol was in the neighborhood of 190. I'm not able to take cholesterol medications. I did find some flavored flax seed oil on Amazon. I think the dose was a tablespoon a day. I'm going to try that next I believe. I don't care for the fish oil pills.
 
It is kind of confusing. I don't eat dairy and stopped using palm oil which knocked out a lot of things. But the other butters have coconut oil and so does the non dairy cream cheese and other cheeses. I actually feel kind of bad when I buy them so I don't get them a lot. But I'm not giving up anything I like. Including sugar. Oh and the non dairy ice creams, even the oat ones have coconut oil in them.
 
Big-biz influence on medical-research announcements is no doubt a real factor. Also, I'm sure that much confusion with dietary recommendations simply has to do with the slow progress in arriving at a clear scientific understanding. Organic chemistry in itself is complex, and human physiology is incredibly complex and subtle... one factor always affects others.

A lot of uncertainty must enter in to all this, and uncertainty generally makes for speculation and multiple opinions.
 
BUTTER is bad if you are lactose intolerant. It also has 35% of the RDA for saturated fat per tablespoon. That's quite a lot per serving. See label: Unsalted Butter - 1lb - Good & Gather™

Margarine, especially if it is organic, is not "plastic". Doctors can say anything and people will believe them because they have a Dr. in front of their name. Label of this organic margarine says it has only 18% of the RDA of saturated fat. Plant Based Organic Non-Dairy Buttery Spread - 13oz - Good & Gather™.

Coconut oil is also very high in saturated fat, as bad as butter.

If we were all rich we could have avocado spread on our toast and that would probably be he healthiest choice of all.

Two ounces of avocado has only 6% of the RDA of saturated fat, has a little bit of protein, vitamin C and potassium.

Plant an avocado tree if your climate is right for it. ;). But truly, we should all opt for avocado on toast instead of butter or margarine. Kind of expensive in some areas.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
My son who's very much into dietary health, then my nutritionist both recently told me not to worry about butter causing high cholesterol. For the longest I've been so hooked on I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (probably not good for me) that I very rarely use butter. I like ICBINB because it adds a salty taste and to me gives many foods a better flavor IMO. My son uses butter all the time. She also told me not to worry about too many eggs causing high cholesterol. All of that stuff is being disproven. I often think about the foods and beverages that we were told were no good for us that became good for us, then bad again....and vice versa.
Click to expand...
My grandmother had bacon, eggs and toast with butter every single morning. She loved fried chicken and I never saw her exercise. She lived fairly healthily until she died at the age of 101. I think that old saying "all things in moderation" is true.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top