Butter and Diet

Butter is a dairy product made by churning milk, a method that separates the solid fats from the liquid. Added to dishes for flavour and widely used in desserts, one tablespoon of butter has 102 kcal and 11.5 g of fat.

Although it is high in calories and fat, it also has important nutritional value. It contains vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, calcium and phosphorus. It is a rich source of conjugated linoleic acid, which has been studied for possible effects on certain cancers such as colon, stomach, liver and colorectal cancer, and on fat loss, although the evidence in people is still limited. It contains butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid. Butyrate is an energy source for the cells in our gut and is thought to help reduce inflammation in the gut; it has also been studied in relation to irritable bowel syndrome.

Looking at the saturated fat content, we see that it contains 63% saturated fat and 26% polyunsaturated fat. It is appropriate to get less than 10% of our daily calories from saturated fat. If our intake is 2,000 kcal, that corresponds to less than 22 g of saturated fat (3 tablespoons of butter).

Because butter has a high smoke point and is resistant to oxidation, it is more suitable for high-heat cooking than many other fats. Adding 1 extra serving of butter to our diet every day could mean gaining about 4.5 kg extra over a year if nothing else changes. The most suitable approach is to include butter in our eating, trying to keep it to a reasonable level, and to make room for olive oil and nut fats such as hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts, remembering that a dessert spoon of fat contains 45-50 kcal.

Source: Is Butter Bad for You, or Good?

Written by Rachael Link, MS, RD on March 14, 2019

This article is for general information only; please consult your doctor and dietitian about your own situation.