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Is Butter Secretly Ruining Your Health?

Growing up, butter was an absolute staple in my household. We thankfully never got into the margarine craze because my mother believed that butter was good for the brain. Turns out, she was right about that and scientists have now concluded that butter is actually good for you in other areas too. It’s high in a compound call CLA that protects you from tumor growth and cancer, is not inflammatory like man-made oils from corn, canola or soy, and provides a nice dose of Omega 3 fatty acids, if you get it from the right source. But finding the right source can be tricky given all the buzz words and fancy marketing these days. Choosing the wrong type of butter can secretly ruin your health without you even knowing it! Here’s a look at what’s really going on and how to choose the healthiest butter for you and your family. 

Beware of Monsanto Butter

Slide1

***Updated Graphic: Shortly after this blog post was published, Smart Balance announced they would go Non-GMO***

I call conventional butter “Monsanto Butter,” because it comes from cows fed almost entirely genetically engineered or GMO grains and Monsanto is the largest producer of GMOs.

Conventionally raised cows are most commonly fed GMO corn and soy, however, some farmers fatten up their feed with additional sugar from GMO sugar beets and cottonseed. Cotton is the most toxic crop because it isn’t treated as a food crop but as a textile (it has less regulation.) And then conventional dairy cow feed is sometimes fortified with additional protein, Omega 3 fatty acids and CLA from GMO rapeseed (canola) because the cows are not getting these nutrients naturally from the grass. GMO alfalfa hay is also commonly fed to cows. So basically, conventionally raised cows are almost entirely getting their food from GMOs – food that was created in a laboratory, that hasn’t been tested long term, but has produced horrific results in several alarming animals studies

Over 49% of all GMO corn is fed to animals or livestock. Only 2% of the GMO soybeans grown are actually fed to humans, the other 98% get fed to animals. Those figures are pretty scary once you consider the astronomical amounts of herbicides being sprayed on these GMO crops and what they are doing to the increase cancer rates, harm the environment and ourselves.

Land O’Lakes = Monsanto Butter

Land O’ Lakes was a staple in my household growing up. We’d use the whipped butter like it was nobody’s business – my mom would use it on her infamous parathas (Indian stuffed flat bread), in countless desserts and to make homemade ghee. Once I found out what was really happening at Land O’Lakes, my Mom and I had a little chat. I explained to her that Land O’Lakes is owned by a pro-GMO company called Dean Foods. Land O’Lakes co-developed genetically engineered alfalfa, directly contributing to the GMO animal feed supply. I also explained that Land O’Lakes contributed nearly $100,000 to the “No on I-522 Lobby” – the bill to label GMOs in Washington State. This is all on top of the fact that Land O’Lakes is not organic, raises their cows with growth hormones linked to cancer, antibiotics and harmful pesticide ridden GMO feed. I told my Mom she has to stop buying Land O’Lakes if we are going to change this world! 

Knowing all these facts, plus the health risks of consuming GMOs, my Mom finally asked “what butter can I buy?” Well there are many brands out there that are light years ahead of Land O’Lakes. Here’s a Butter Buying Guide that will help you (and my Mama) navigate the butter aisle next time you hit the market:

Slide2Updated Graphic: Removed Smart Balance From Chart

How to Choose The Most Nutritious Butter

  1. Organic – First and foremost, look for organic butter. This will ensure there are no growth hormones, antibiotics, harmful pesticides and GMOs being fed to the cows. Growth hormone or rbGH that is used to raise cows conventionally is linked to cancer and often accumulates in highest concentration in animal fat. One organic brand I’m suspicious of however, is Horizon, they are owned by Dean Foods (the same company that owns Land O’Lakes). The Cornucopia Institute has filed complaints for labeling their product organic while maintaining factory farm production methods. I won’t buy Horizon organic for that reason. 
  2. Grass-fed – Grass-fed or pastured raised cows are going to be more nutritious than cows raised with grains. Remember, the highest amounts of the most beneficial CLA and Omega 3 fatty acids naturally come from grass-fed cows. Also grass-fed cows produce butter with 50 percent more vitamin A and E and 400 percent more beta carotene (which gives the grass-fed butter a deeper yellow color). 
  3. Ghee – Ghee is clarified butter where all the proteins, milk solids and lactose is removed. This makes the butter more digestible, concentrated with nutrients and really great for immunity building. Ghee does not need to be refrigerated, it can stay on the counter for a few months without going bad. People with dairy allergies or sensitives often do ok consuming this type of butter. Pure Indian FoodsPurity Farms  and Ancient Organics have the best offerings in that they are both high quality, organic and grass-fed.
  4. In an ideal world, you would be able to find butter that is both organic, grass-fed and no additives like Organic Valley (in the green foil wrapper) , but sometimes that’s just not the case. In that circumstance, I would go for either an organic butter or grass-fed butter like Kerrygold (please note – Kerrygold uses some grains that could be GMOs a couple of months out of the year because grass doesn’t grow year round in Ireland – they admit that 3% of their feed could contain GMOs). Choosing regular organic butter will lessen your exposure to pesticides but will also provide less nutrition since the cows will mostly be fed organic grains vs. grass. Regardless, these choices are superior choices over conventional butter and both options (in light green on the chart above) will lessen your exposure to GMOs. 
  5. Beware of butter mixes with labels like “with olive oil” – 9 times out of 10, these butters will have one or more GMO ingredients like soybean, corn or canola oil. These mixes may have questionable additives in them too – check the ingredient list just to be sure! 
  6. Don’t Eat Butter? Here are some Vegan Substitutes – If you are vegan, skip all the “butter like” or fake butter spreads like Smart Balance that contain GMO oils, artificial ingredients made from petroleum and unnecessary preservatives. Instead, choose 100% coconut oil, olive oil, red palm oil (that is sustainably harvested from Ecuador and does not hurt the rainforest) or hemp oil instead. Also coconut manna, or butter works well too, when slightly heated it spreads just like butter. (These are also much healthier than organic spreads like Earth Balance that are usually a combo of inflammation causing oils). 

butter substitutes

Sharing the truth is the first step in changing the food system. If you know someone who is buying Monsanto butter, please share this information with them. Our choices can really change the marketplace, make us healthier  and change companies decisions to use these unhealthy ingredients. 

Much Love, 

Food Babe  

 

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863 responses to “Is Butter Secretly Ruining Your Health?

  1. Hi,

    Do you know if Kirkland’s butter is made from grain/GMO fed cows? (costco’s brand) I’m assuming it probably is. They offer an organic option, so I guess I will be switching!

    1. It’s likely from GMO feed if it’s not organic. At least choose organic and switch to Organic Valley which is from grass-fed cows. It’s significantly healthier.

    2. Costco organic butter is not just butter. Read the label. Exactly what is the “natural flavoring” they are adding in there. I’m buying butter elsewhere now.

      1. I have Kirkland Organic Butter in my fridge right now and there is no natural flavoring on the ingredients list.

      2. Wish I could attach the picture, but mine does. Kirkland organic unsalted butter. “Natural flavoring”. It’s there.

  2. For anyone in the Midwest, Kalona Supernatural is a great brand with organic, pasture-raised butter. I prefer it over the Organic Valley butter. I love their whole milk, non-homogenized yogurt too! Thanks for all your work Food Babe 🙂

      1. I love Kolona SuperNatural products! We get them here in DC, too, from MOM’s Organic Market. Their cottage cheese (non-homogenized) is THE BEST. From their package, “We work with small, sustainable family farms to provide delicious, certified organic products from pasture-grazed cows.” There are only 4 ingredients: milk, cream, sea salt & cultures. Non-homogenized, grass-fed, no stabilizers–I love these guys!

      2. No, i’m not positive that it is. I will have to do some more research! If not, I may have to switch to Organic Valley. I appreciate and love that their yogurt and other milk products are non-homogenized though – the way it’s supposed to be!!

    1. Just replied with the same comment- Kalona has a great line of products and the pasteurization an homogenization process is just as important re health as the GMOs. Glad our family isn’t the only one enjoying these products so hopefully they’ll stay around!

  3. Thank you for this article. We use Earth Balance. What are your thoughts on this product. Thank in advance.

  4. Is it possible for you to put the picture of the different kind of butters when we can enlarge it? I would like to see the name brands and can not make out some of the labels because it is too small.

    Thank you

      1. Under the Green Arrow on the left, these are the products:
        Pure Indian Foods Ghee
        Purity Farms Ghee
        Organic Valley Pasture Butter
        Wild Harvest Organics Unsalted Butter

  5. For us plant-based folks, what is your opinion on Organic Earth Balance? I try to avoid using it and usually opt for Nutiva coconut oil or red palm oil when cooking, but I bought some around the holidays and I keep catching my husband spreading it on his Dave’s Killer Bread. 🙂
    Thanks!

  6. Thank you so much! I am so blessed to have a father that taught me about Monsanto and the ugly negative reach they have in our lives. I am sharing with all that will listen. Keep fighting to save us.

      1. Not really. It refutes the golden rice claim made and since I’m not familiar with golden rice and that GMO trait I can’t say which is true. The more important point I tried to express by posting my link was to show that a major environmentalist feels strongly enough about the potential of GMO technology that he broke from the major environmental group that he helped found which was Greenpeace. In other articles posted about this gentleman, he lists several major medical organizations, like the AMA and WHO, that approve of the use of GMO. The misinformation on this website is stunning. We all choose what we want to believe. As you said, for every story there is another. The truth just lies somewhere in the middle or in the case of the crap I read here, the truth probably lies much closer to what I’m saying.

      2. Ted aside from being a “farmer” you also do an incredible job of covert social media management and marketing for the GMO camp. It is becoming painfully obvious of your “true” profession. Your backers may want to arm you with more compelling information and a better story. Sorry. Not buying any of your nonsense so please stop harassing this comment thread for this article.

      3. Theresa,
        Wow! Covert social media management?!? What is that so I can be sure to become one of those too if I’m that good at it? Sometimes the winters get slow. I am a farmer. I have no backers. My true profession is farming and I love what I do. I have been respectfully trying to present another side to the GMO story. I am also trying to learn. The public perception of my industry is important to me. I feel that I have been respectful in my posts. If I challenge your beliefs, it is not my intention to harass. I would appreciate very much some objective good information on why you feel the way you do. If you post a link for a website called ihategmo.org or organicsonly.org that ain’t objective. Calling my stuff nonsense with nothing to back it up isn’t much good to me either. Are you insecure enough with your beliefs about food that you have to resort to that?

      4. Lighten up Theresa. Spread a little non-GMO butter on your whole wheat muffin. Apparently you have the corner on knowledge. Ah, not close. Closed minds and unfounded accusations like yours show your “true” inability to process information. “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”
        ― Benjamin Franklin

      5. Where do you think your seeds come from ” Monsanto” they own the right to G MO seeds. You owe your soul to them, that is why you have nothing to say about them cause they will eat you alive.

      6. You sound like a doctor selling Big Pharma drugs to their patients. Why do think we have Foods & drugs monitored by one agency? Eat crappy food & then you need their garbage drugs. Of course we can’t expect you to think clearly with all that Monsanto garbage clogging your brain…..it’s sad

  7. Do you know anything about Full Circle organics? It’s really the only organic brand we have in our small town right now.

    1. also wondering about Full Circle Organic. The ingredients list pasteurized organic sweet cream, and natural flavoring?

  8. I, too, use Earth Balance butter, but Soy Free. What are your thoughts on this particular product as it’s not mentioned nor shown?

  9. Glad you mentioned Land O Lakes…… their organic eggs are alien – something’s up with them, too. Somebody needs to investigate those eggs. They are BADDDD!

  10. I use Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread. It’s non GMO, Vegan, and Non Dairy. I didn’t see anything about this brand mentioned. If I can’t find that, I usually go with Kerrygold. I’ve also been reading a lot about ghee and plan to try that soon!

  11. My parents both bought into the “buttery spread” lie and it frustrates me so much to see it in their fridge. It’s so close to plastic that I just – ugh. I finally convinced my mom that MAYBE butter was a healthier alternative, and she went out and bought “spreadable butter” – chock full of canola. Sigh.

    I’ll work on the fat-free shredded cheese in their fridge next.

  12. Thanks for this! I will be 30 next month and I was raised on Country Crock butter my entire life. My mom still uses it. I honestly don’t think I knew it wasn’t real butter. Just last month I started buying Full Circle Organic butter (Full Circle is our local Food City’s organic brand). I don’t know if the cows are grass-fed, but I figure it’s gotta be better than Country Crock. And the taste is totally different, I can’t believe how I’ve been missing out! I do get complaints from hubby because its much harder to spread real butter…but he has bucked against almost every food switch I’ve made since I started learning more about organics/non-gmo.

    1. Check into a butter bell. I inherited my nana’s. It’s the only way to keep butter soft and has been for hundreds of years.

  13. I read somewhere that the omega 6’s in hemp oil cause inflammation, is this true? Guess I could google it but you’re basically famous now and cooler to talk to!?

  14. Yes, could you improve the picture graphic quality or give us a list? I can’t see the product names for the organic, grass-fed, best choices!

  15. Hi and thank you for ALL that you do!!!!!!!!! I see smart balance on the list and I actually us their organic choice. (Choices are between Horizon or Smart Balance) have you heard anything bad about their organic spread??

    1. Smart Balance has soy, some inflammatory vegetable oils, and “natural flavorings.” The actual butter is probably better.

  16. Hi there. What do you think of Oberweis Dairy? While not organic, they don’t add all the junk, it’s local farmer made, and I’ve been told, they just don’t have the organic label because they can’t afford it. They use “a promise” to their customers that no hormones, anitbioctics are used in their products.

    1. The owner of Oberweis Dairy is a big business, damn the workers’ rights type. I can’t speak to the quality of his products, but his politics and business practices aren’t encouraging. Claiming that they can’t afford organic status doesn’t pass the smell test. He’s very wealthy.

    2. The question is what are they feeding their cows. If it’s not organic grain or grass, then it’s probably GMO and not healthy for the cow or for you.

  17. Thanks for the article! We only have kroger and Walmart where I live. Is the simple truth organic butter from kroger okay?

  18. How about just making your own? It really isn’t that hard and you can choose the freshest, organic heavy cream, the cost is about the same and you know by choosing the right cream you are getting the same nutrients. Food processors work great for this.

    1. We are also unable to confirm that animal products (meat, dairy and some farmed fish) sold under the Trader Joe’s label are raised on only non-GMO feed, due to the prevalence of GMOs in the commodity grain market, and the limited availability of verified non-GMO feed. For customers looking to avoid products from animals fed GMOs, we continue to carry organic meat and dairy products (organic standards prohibit the intentional use of GMOs) and wild-caught seafood. All organic products, regardless of brand, are by definition non-GMO.

      http://www.traderjoes.com/about/customer-updates-responses.asp?i=4

  19. How can the average Joe find out if their local (Read: WalMart) butter is made with GMO fed cows?

    1. I guarantee that if the butter is not organic and is sold at Wal-Mart that it is 99% positively made from GMO fed cows.

  20. For Canadians who follow Food Babe, Kerrygold cheese is available in Canada. Due to import restrictions (?!), their butter is not.

  21. I would like to try Ghee but am wondering, does it taste like butter? I understand you can cook with it, but can you use it on toast as you would butter? Do you know anything about Full Circle or Nature’s Promise organic brand butter?

  22. Foodbabe have you looked into the the wrapper on Land-O-Lakes butter which says “flavor protective wrapper”. What’s that about?

  23. I just purchased Woodstock brand organic butter. Haven’t tried it yet, so far what I have read on their website, it seems like a clean product.

  24. What do you know about Challenge Butter? It’s promoted as being growth hormone free, but I don’t think they plainly state they are organic.

  25. What about organic Challenge Butter? Does anyone know what the status of this butter is? I see it’s not on the chart. Is this grass fed butter?

  26. My doctor and the local hospital recommend/use Smart Balance. I contacted Smart Balance to find out about GMO free products. They tell me that Smart Balance® Organic Buttery Spread is GMO free. If that’s true, is it still at the bottom of the barrel? I used to use Promise Spread but I can’t find it locally outside of WalMart which I avoid like the plague. Any further thoughts?

  27. Great info!! What is the best vegan option to substitute butter when baking? I don’t want to use Earth Balance (great comments above on this already!), but wondering which vegan options are most similar to butter in baking recipes… would coconut manna work? Love you, Food Babe!! 🙂

    1. I have used coconut oil and olive oil in baking. The texture is a bit different sometimes, but that also happens when using whole grains as well.

  28. Awesome post! I, like most others, ate Country Crock spread growing up. We thought it was the healthy option. Glad I know better now! We always go for organic butter at the very least, and local pastured butter most of the time.

  29. I’ve been buying Kerrygold butter and cheddar cheese. I’m shocked to hear that it could contain up to 3% GMOs. I assume this is true for their cheese also? What’s a good brand of cheddar cheese that is guaranteed no GMOs?

  30. I didn’t see Tillamok mentioned anywhere. I usually buy thier cheese but have just started buying thier butter. What do you think of it? My husband and I have visited the factory and saw cows grazing in the fields all over so we liked that.

  31. Earth Balance is non-GMO and their oils are expeller pressed…..could you please give us more information other than “it has inflammatory oils” so that I can understand why you don’t like it? I am vegan and I only use it occasionally, but I’ve always thought it a great alternative to actual butter since I am vegan. I like your other options, but sometimes they are not readily available – like coconut manna.

  32. Thanks Vani for the clarification “no pun intended” LOL. We want to ONLY eat true butter in our house and I can see now, we are on the WRONG end of the butter spectrum. In search of the “gold.” Assumed LandOLakes was pretty good. Grew up with it as well. No worries, we will search out what we need and get it. The only down fall, the price will go up.

  33. I here you on here!! at least we are consuming butter it’s bad enough that we can’t just feel safe enough to have real butter? what I am trying to say is that we are on a tight budget and we our out of work, and don’t have any helps financially!! is there an organic option that is affordable?? or comparable in price? this is so hard can’t afford organic grass fed meats? I am so over whelmed!! don’t know where to turn!! just doing our best!! I but organic if I can? but if it’s double or triple it’s hard to ask hubby to spend that extra that we just don’t have!! I wish that I didn’t have to choose? any suggestions would be appreciated!!! thanks

    1. We buy as much organic as we can, and eat less of it because it is more expensive. Instead of all butter when baking, I’ll use half olive oil or coconut oil, or mashed banana or applesauce, etc. You can be creative. Buy healthy organic things and eat less of them, and buy more of the cheaper organic ingredients like brown rice, dried beans, eggs and veggies. It’s a healthier way to go. Unfortunately my husband is a big meat eater, so we have to make compromises, too. Don’t stress about it, just make little changes and enjoy the process of tasting real food. Also, you can grow some of your own food easily, even just in a pot outside, like lettuce, chard, kale, parsley, etc. Also buy in bulk and save money, and get to know your local farmers and see if they have deals at the end of the market day, etc.

  34. I use cabot. What would you rate that as? Being a single mother of four and trying to feed my kids the best and healthiest foods (like all organic products) isn’t in my budget. What would you suggest. I have switched to using more of coconut oil than butter when I can but if I need to use butter is Cabot good or bad?

    1. It’s got natural flavoring added and it doesn’t say non-GMO or organic on their website. If you could find one of those listed above that would be best.

  35. Would really appreciate a Print option for these posts so I can share things with my mom. She has to read and re-read and underline and file because things don’t sink in right away, and then she likes to share with the other 60 seniors in her apartment complex!

  36. Thanks for the post!! thank God I stopped usting these brands a few months ago. lately I’m getting our butter from a local farm. Do you think this is good?

  37. So interesting! I never even considered GMOs in the milk that makes butter… silly of me.

    We use Brummel and Brown because I got hooked on it in college, and believed it was ‘better’ because it’s yogurt instead of butter. Have you looked at that line at all? Would be interested in if I am actually any better off using their stuff vs butter. I love their strawberry spread (it’s yogurt too) to keep cravings for strawberry cream cheese at bay 🙂

    Thanks for all you do!

  38. What do you know about the Olivio brand? We mostly use Kerrygold, but my daughter is dairy-free and has been using the Olivio Coconut Spread. Wondering if that is a safe choice.

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