Let’s face it – cows are naturally supposed to graze in grassy feilds and eat grass, their natural, ancestral food. If you consume dairy products such as butter, chances are high that it was not produced from the milk of grass-fed cows, but rather, grain-fed ones. As the demand for dairy products raises across the globe, it’s getting difficult (time and yeild-wise) to produce the amount of milk needed from free-roaming grass-fed cows. Without touching too much on the specifics (or ethical aspects) of milk produced from grain-fed cows, let’s just take a look at a few reasons why you should make some effort to seek out butter made from grass-fed cows the next time you’re out grocery shopping.
- Compared to coventional butter, grass-fed butter contains a higher level of Vitamin K2, a nutrient that most people don’t consume enough of, but it is one of the most important nutrients in the diet for heart and bone health.
- In countries where cows are largely grass-fed (many European countries are good examples), dairy products, which includes good quality gress fed butters, are associated with a high reduction of cardivascular diseases.
- It’s easy to look for grass-fed butters – it will be clearly stated somewhere on the label (either back or front).
- Grass-fed butter may contain up to 500% more Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) per serving than regular butter. Studies suggest that CLA may help prevent certain chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even certain cancers.
- Grass-fed butter contains higher amounts of beta carotene than regular butter. Beta carotene is a potent antioxidant that has been linked to a reduced risk of several chronic diseases.
- By consuming (or switching to) grass-fed butter, you’ll know that the quality of the end product is simply better, thanks to the natural diet of the dairy animals.
- Compared to conventional butter, grass-fed butter is higher in unsaturated fatty acids, which have been linked to better heart health. It’s also richer in important fat-soluble vitamins!
