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
***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:
Updated Graphic: Removed Smart Balance From Chart
How to Choose The Most Nutritious Butter
- 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.
- 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).
- 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 Foods, Purity Farms and Ancient Organics have the best offerings in that they are both high quality, organic and grass-fed.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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).
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
What is the safest butter/oil for pan frying?
skip oil, use only extra virgin coconut oil!!!!!! research about it!
Tried that but it’s too watery when melted. Pan fried fish tends to stick to the pan, otherwise I use it in everything. Ghee, too.
Pan fried w/olive oil but know it’s not ideal. Although that’s how they’ve done it in Greece & Italy for centuries. Didn’t take away from the healthy aspects of the Mediterranean diet.
Best frying “oils” are rendered animals fats (lard – pig fat, tallow – cow fat, sheep fat, schmaltz – chicken fat, duck or goose fat), coconut oil, clarified grassfed butter (ghee). Frying in any vegetable oil, even high quality one, is a gamble.
I use refined coconut oil which has no coconut flavor and mix it with Ghee which is a type of clarified butter you can buy. Ghee has the butterfat taken out so it’s healthier than regular butter and can be heated to higher temps than regular butter. With the coconut oil mixed with the Ghee, it adds a very rich flavor and is healthier because of the combination with each other. Ghee is available at Trader Joe’s (non-organic) or other Healthy Grocery stores which carry organic. I use “Purity Farms” pictured in the upper left hand side of the top photo. You can use less of the Ghee because the flavor is so concentrated. Hope this helps. 🙂
Ghee does not have “the butterfat” removed. It has the milk solids (protein) and water removed. It is pure animal fat.
I actually use Ghee. It taste great and seems to work fine.
You can use butter for pan frying, obviously the prob is that it burns at a certain temp. I add just a bit of oil (coconut, olive, macadamia – depending on what I’m doing and have on hand) which seems gives the butter a higher tolerance and I get the same butter-like cooking integrity which is helpful for things like grilling fish
Didn’t even read the whole article. … you have margarine posted on this and it kinda ruins the idea of finding the right butter seeing as margarine is not butter….
Perhaps you should read the whole article. I am rarely discourteous, but if you find it difficult to understand maybe I can assist you.
If you had read the article you would of see butter or butter substitutes.
Great article! I am working on being able to make my own butter from raw milk, but for right now we are buying Rumiano butter from Azure Standard. Their jersey cows are mostly grass-fed but do supplement with some non-GMO grain, and they do not inject with growth hormones such as rBST. Have you heard anything about this brand?
F.B., thanks for the info. I’ve been using Kerrigold to make my Bulletproof Coffee in the morning (if you like coffee, try this ~ google: bulletproof coffee recipe). I use regular store bought butter for everything else since it is less expensive. But I never connected the dots like you did with Monsanto, thanks for the A-ha moment. Cheers, Dan Traweek
I’m a little confused, feeding animals organic hay during the year when grass (grazing) is not option equally, healthy.
My thoughts exactly. I’m assuming you can make hay in Ireland too.
What about costco brand ?
I to would like to know how Costco’s brand rates…
I was wondering about the Kirkland brand, too. They also have an organic option, but I haven’t tried it b/c of the added expense. I’m assuming the regular (non-organic) Kirkland butter is just as bad any other conventional butter….
Kirkland organic butter at Costco would be the organic (cows fed grains). Your best option at Costco is definitely the kerrygold butter. It is not organic but is 97% grassfed and is from Ireland. They have an amazing price on it too. At my Costco it is in the cheese section and not with the butter.
Hello,
What about Earth Balance Butter???
I am allergic to cow’s milk protein casein. I used to buy Earth balance often because it was dairy free, but I found smart balance to be cheaper but now I would rather choose the healthier option.
Is Earth Balance okay? Or what do you recommend for me as I can not eat cow’s milk and try to stay away from too much soy as well.
Please let me know what your best recommendations for alternatives for people who are dairy free from cow’s milk and only want minimal soy as well.
Thanks, I love reading your investigations and am trying to make some healthier changes each day.
Currently I buy or make my own almond milk, and I buy tofutti sour cream and tofutti cream cheese, and so delicious yogurt which is coconut based or silk soy yogurt. They are really my only two options at my local stores. I also buy veggie cheese which is lactose free but still contains casein in it but I don’t seem to have a problem digesting it.
Hi! She does give better options than Smart Balance and Earth Balance. There is a paragraph about it in the post. I do not eat dairy, and pretty much use coconut oil if I really need to.
The other items you mention are highly processed, so I would not suggest you use them all the time. Sticking to whole foods as much as possible is best. It is great that you make your own almond milk! Yum!
She said ghee has the casein (and lactose and fat) removed, which are the 3 things 70% of the population are intolerant or allergic too. Plus she mentioned the coconut and palm oils.
Are you allergic to just cow’s milk? Have you ever tried goat’s milk? There are some great goat’s milk yogurts and also just plain ole milk in stores.
And if you are looking for minimal soy, the tofutti would probably be a little counterproductive.
I buy a brand from Costco that is called kirklands organic butter. does anyone know anything about that butter. I have not seen the other organic butters in our city. Thanks.
Out of curosity–which costco do you shop at in your area? Our costco has an amazing organic selection, but I haven’t seen organic butter. Jealous!
We live in Montgomery, Al. There is only one Costco in our area. They have the Kirklands Organic butter which is their brand name. someone makes it for them but don’t know who it is. I am amazed that we have it and you do not.
Where does earth balance fall on this list — worst??? I don’t use it but I know a lot of my clients that can’t have dairy use it and some that are vegan.
Earth Balance is 100% nonGMO, so it is better than many on the list.
Another thing to keep in mind about butter is that toxins accumulate as you move up the food chain, and accumulate in fat. For that reason, one pound of cow fat (butter) will have far more toxins than one pound of alfalfa or corn that the cow ate. This knowledge has led me to buy organic butter for the past 20 years, now with GMO’s I have even more reason to buy organic.
This is such an informative post. I am guilty of using I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter but have been very interested in trying Ghee. Now I promise I am going to make it happen! Great post, thanks so much!
So which “butter” from Walmart or our local grocery store would you suggest we buy. Not all of us can afford to buy at specialty stores nor do we have access to them.
Exactly! Where are we supposed to go?
Horizon organic butter is sold at many walmarts. It may not be grass-fed but it contains minimal and ingredients and is probably your best bet.
What about Challenge Butter? It lists natural flavors but I guess that could mean anything now a days.
I buy a polish brand of butter.
Are those safe or bad?
Which brand of Polish butter? I could email them and ask (in Polish 🙂 )
There should be address there somewhere on packaging. That would help.
The polish brand is called
Cracovia masło roślinne
Hi Kam!
Cracovia butter is too little to locate it with google. Cracovia is widely used name as it depicts big city in Poland. One thing: ‘masło roślinne’ you mentioned means ‘plant butter’. It is NOT butter. It is margarine. Or at least a mix of some sort of real butter from milk with plant oils. If you could locate part on the box where is written: skład OR składniki and type it in here, I’ll tell you the list of ingredients.
Have a lovely day!
Ania
Hello,
I can see a few of us want to know about Kirkland Signature butter.
I use the unsalted sweet cream butter that show ingredients: Pasteurized Cream (milk), Natural Flavorings.
We all know how many things can be hidden in the words ( natural flavorings )
Vani, when you have time… tell us how bad we are now!
I’ve got Costco on the line but waiting on hold now.
In the metro Tacoma/Seattle area : Dairygold makes the Kirkland stuff. I forgot to ask about the organic.. sorry
Any idea where Costco’s brand of butter (Kirkland) fits in this mix?
Great post, thanks! 🙂
What are your thoughts on Earth Balance, they claim to be non-GMO , vegan and carry soy free, also off the subject I see you advertise for suja , how do they keep everything alive in a fresh juice if it’s sitting on a store shelf, I’ve always thought you should drink your fresh juice shortly after it’s made? Thank you. Your site has been tremendous , recipes are awesome, I’ve passed it along to to everyone I know!
I am also wondering if kates homemade butter is among the worst butters to eat? its from maine, but I don’t see non- gmo on the packaging . Thanks:)
I’ve heard that Kerrygold is better than USA organic. They have higher standards. Too bad the price just went up.
Once again, thank you! I knew there was a good reason to love butter. I love making cupcakes and cookies with real butter. Tasty!
And it’s good to know which is the “right” butter. I’ve been wondering about the quality specifically of Kerrygold so thanks for finding out for me.
I’m confused about the “inflammatory oils” used in Earth Balance. There’s no link to more information on that. Most people aren’t going to blindly switch brands without knowing what you’re basing that statement on.
I wouldn’t call it bashing, more like educating.
She said basing, not bashing.
As an employee of Dean Foods, we do not own Land O Lakes. Land O Lakes is the co-op of farmers. And while they are not organic, they do not supply their cows with hormones. The butter part has nothing to do with Dean Foods. That is owned and operated by the Co-op.
Just wanted to clarify.
Deans does indeed own the fluid milk division. Butter is part of the coop
We cannot eat real butter due to my son’s dairy allergy. My kids want the butter like taste. We use Organic Smart Balance. I was wondering if it is an ok choice since it is non-gmo? Thanks!!!
Just a note about diary allergies. Most are to lactose [milk sugar] or casein [milk protein]. Butter has neither; and I can eat it even though allergic to milk cheese,ice cream etc, because it is straight healthy FAT. If that still doesn’t work try goat milk. This has been fed to kids allergic to dairy for decades.
I use Kirklands Organic.
Not true, actually. I’m sensitive to casein and lactose and even one slice of buttered toast makes me sick.
“The butter-making process separates the majority of milk’s water components from the fat components. Lactose, being a water soluble molecule, will largely be removed, but will still be present in small quantities in the butter unless it is also fermented to produce cultured butter. Clarified butter, however, contains very little lactose and is safe for most lactose-intolerant people.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance
Not true, actually. I’m sensitive to casein and lactose and even one slice of buttered toast makes me sick.
“The butter-making process separates the majority of milk’s water components from the fat components. Lactose, being a water soluble molecule, will largely be removed, but will still be present in small quantities in the butter unless it is also fermented to produce cultured butter. Clarified butter, however, contains very little lactose and is safe for most lactose-intolerant people.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance
Goat’s milk contains different fat, protein, and sugar, which are what most people react to. It is becoming available in more and more places. Whole Foods, of course, but also Trader Joe’s and Fred Meyer. TJ’s even has goat cheddar, sliced goat cheese, and soft goat cheeses. My family has made the switch without complaint.
You can make your own butter with a secure-sealing air-tight container, a marble or two, whole goat milk, and possibly cheese cloth. Just shake like nobody’s business (have the kids take turns!) until the marble(s) stop moving! Use cheesecloth to strain if needed.
How can I found out where Kirkland, the Costco house brand, gets their butter?
I use goat dairy goat butter is yum. I dont take anything from cows lol
I live in Ireland, and GMO products are banned from the country, which includes anything fed to the cows. As far as Kerrygold, the cows are grassfed 10 months a year when fresh grass is available, the other two months they’re fed dried grass and a mix of wheat and barley. In addition, growth hormones are also banned here. However, pesticides and antibiotics may be used as necessary, it says on their website.
I really love the tips..only one suggestion…the charts with photos that rank best to worst are very small and when I try to enlarge them to see the photos and small writing it gets blurry. I am using an ipad. Thanks
An issue for me as well….
Then you need to get on a computer. The pictures are perfectly large and clear on a laptop. I’m guessing you probably have problems at least occasionally with pictures on ipads…. Not Food Babe’s fault here I don’t think.
Maybe you could save the picture/download it on your iPad and expand from there? That works well for me on Android operating systems.
I agree. I am viewing on a windows home PC with a 20 inch monitor, and some of the butters packaging is blurry, so I can’t read the labels. What is under Organic Valley? And what is in the column under Organic. I would like to see what is available to me here in North Texas. I don’t buy butter all that often, but if it is not cost prohibitive, I would prefer a healthy option.
What about Earth Balance natural buttery spread – soy free? Can you give me advice on the health value of this?
She says at the beginning that Earth Balance is bad.
Costco Kirkland Organic Butter – on another blog… commenter’s input:
I sent costco an email asking them if their organic butter is grass fed. This is the response I received:
“The cows that product our Kirkland Signature Organic Butter live outdoors all year-round, with 24-hour access to water, and are fed a nutritionally-balanced diet of organic pasture, organic mixed forages (such as alfalfa hay, grass hay and silages), organic grain (such as soymeal, ground corn, wheat, sunflower and flax seeds) and an organic vitamin and mineral supplement. In addition, they are not given any antibiotics or hormones.”
My gut feeling is that I need to find another source for butter.
——-
I don’t care for the “mixed forages” with the generic word “silages” nor the promise of organic soymeal and ground corn. There is little if any organic soy anywhere and even if so, only fermented soy is considered safe for human consumption… most is GMO. Would any enterprising company feed cattle what would bring a better price sold to humans? Corn – all animal feed corn is GMO… same price issue as soy. Wheat? We know US wheat is bad for us.
Finally, Costco was asked if the cows were grass fed. The Costco answer is NO.
The grass fed butter with the asterisk (don’t remember the name/can’t read the print in your picture) contains natural flavors. At least in Illinois sold by Jewel. Did you find out what these natural flavors are or are we to assume they’re the usual suspects?
have you done anything on braums products?
What about the high fat percentage in butter, including trans fats?
Having a higher quality fats in your diet isn’t bad thing, that’s what the post is about, look at the work by Chris Masterohn, Gary Taubes, Robb Wolf, Chris Kresser etc and educate yourself to learn the truth. The trans fats in butter are also natural and not produced by factories, so they are ok too.
Thanks RPE. Educating myself is what I want to do. Thanks for some names to look into.
Hydrogenated fats never exist in butter. High fat is never a problem.
I use Trader Joe’s butter —- what do you know about that?????? Thanks.
We that is just great. Absolutely none of the good butters are available around me. Do I have to drive 90 miles to OKC for butter?
Is Trader Joe’s butter GMO free?I must also say that a lot of information posted on GMO’S is really hard to read even on my PC.
Fantastic post! Thanks as usual!
Hi Vani, I use Smart Balance organic butter it comes in a tub this one is ok to use?
You do your readers a disservice by implying that cows eating #GMO products, however awful and poisonous they are, do not also have access to hay and/or grass. Of course they do.
I am dairy free and use Earth Balance (soy free) however, I buy KerryGold for my
husband. I always felt secure in buying KerryGold as it comes from Ireland and I never worried about GMO’s until 2 years ago legislature passed a law allowing alfalfa seeds to be GMO’d in the U.S. and later found out Europe was using the same seed. Whole Foods as well as Organic Valley both supported the bill. I was so disappointed! I am a member of Weston A. Price which is where I received this information.
I use Challenge butter from the military commissary. Anyone know about this?
I use a brand called Balade Light Butter with sea salt – product of Belguim. I buy it at Trader Joe’s – any idea if its safe or not?
I’ve seen a few people ask about Challenge Butter that has “Real California Milk” in it. Its not on the “bad list,” but looks like one of the products “Berkely Farms Butter” on that list is made from the same “Real California Milk.” I went to the RCM website and it seemed legit. Do you have an opinion or knowledge about this butter? Thank you.
What about Benecol ?
Can you please tell me why everyone has gotten so fearful of their food? I feel perfectly safe eating dairy food that may originate from GMOs at this time. Why? First, I am very familiar with the function of a cow’s four-compartmented stomach, and how that miracle organ works to breakdown all foodstuffs a cow ingests and then keeps the good things to turn into milk, long seen as nature’s most nearly perfect food. Secondly, I am familiar with the research that has gone into producing plants that are described as GMOS, and that several years of scientific based research is applied to each variety before they are ever released to the marketplace. Like all technologies, some discipline needs applied to all aspects of food production, but diversity is the key to feeding the world in the future. Fear has no part of feeding the world in the future. It would be great if we lived in a perfect world, and solutions could be defined in categories as simple as GMO/non GMO, but that is just not possible. There is room for all kinds, but fear-mongering is doing hungry people around the world a disservice.
Some people understand that anything an animal consumes, they too will consume and part of that animal. Thus, plants that are GM’d to produce a natural insecticide or are GM’d to resist being drenched in hazardous chemicals which are then taken up by the plant are feed to animals it affects that animal on a cellular level. Maybe even a molecular or DNA level.
Yes, poor people need to eat. Why can’t it be healthy, non pesticide laden, DNA manipulated food. Or what might be easier… labeling to indicate genetic modification.
People are beginning to realize this form of industrial agriculture (mono-culture) is not healthy for the environment or people. The excessive use of chemicals is not healthy for the environment or people and yet farmers are so willing to suck up what ever Big Agra puts in front of them not once stopping to think of the ramifications on the whole. Farmers boast about feeding the world yet don’t have a clue that mono-culture farming is hazardous to the environment. Why? Because farming is a business and as a business it is run to make a profit just like any other business. They’re not looking down the road 20, 50, or 100 years. They’re looking to the end of the year, or maybe to retirement, tops.
Jeanette,
I am a farmer in Louisiana and I do grow GMO crops. You’d be very surprised to know that farmers do know that mono-culture farming is harzardous to the environment, the soil and not a good thing in fighting weeds, insects and diseases. It is a rare occasion when I plant the same crop on the same field two years in a row. We do a good job. Have you ever visited a commercial farm in your area or do you rely on sterotypical websites for your information on how farmers really are? I am sorry you feel the way you do about us.
Did anyone mention Avocado oil?
The only thing missing Food Babe, is that in the past few years butter now has an additional ingredient…..Lactic acid, Acetic Acid, Cultures, Natural flavors, etc. These have been found in all butters including some of the “good” ones you mention….including Kerry Gold. You absolutely CANNOT find a butter that has ONLY butter as its ingredient. Why do “cultures” and/or the above ingredients need to be in butter????
How about Challenge? I only use whipped butter. I’leve a hard time finding it in general, no less unsalted and organic. My health food store stopped carrying whipped butter completely!
I avoid butter at all costs! I use extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, and replace it with things like bananas in baking 🙂
Why? Do you have problems with dairy? Real butter is good for you.
What about Lurpak brand butter? It’s the best, IMO.