What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Butter Every Day
Different types of fat often get demonized as “bad,” but many high-fat dieters stock up on butter by the pound. Read on to learn about how much butter is OK, according to RDs.
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
Remember “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”? Over the past 40 years, butter has ridden quite the roller coaster in terms of public sentiment. Back in the 1980s and ‘90s, anything was better than butter. We used it so sparingly, it came by the spray bottle and had dozens of margarine peers. But in the past decade, on the heels of the keto diet and the bulletproof coffee trend, real, unadulterated butter is making a serious comeback.
A well-publicized June 2016 PLoS One review that suggested that there might not be a link between butter consumption, heart disease risk, diabetes risk and overall mortality really brought the conversation to center stage.
Then in a total change of tune from the margarine-or-nothing days just decades ago, the recent butter board trend solidified the fact that butter’s reputation has most definitely changed.
So, is butter healthy? Or are we just riding a pendulum of popular belief? We asked dietitians to give us the details about butter nutrition, how much to eat and how it stacks up to other fats.
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What Is Butter—and Is It Healthy?
Butter is easy to make; simply churn milk or cream (usually from cows, but occasionally from other milk-producing animals like goats, sheep and buffalo) until the butterfat in that liquid separates from the buttermilk. The buttermilk is then strained off and sold separately, and the butterfat part of this process is the creamy, yellow spread you’re familiar with. Butter is a dairy product formed from butterfat, milk solids and water, and it’s often sold in sticks or tubs.
Now that you know what it is and how it’s made, let’s dive into the nutrition. According to the USDA, 1 tablespoon (about 14 grams) of unsalted butter contains:
Calories: 102
Carbohydrates: 0g
Dietary fiber: 0g
Total sugar: 0g
Added sugar: 0g
Protein: 0.1g
Total fat: 11.5g
Saturated fat: 7.2g
Cholesterol: 30mg
Sodium: 2mg
Vitamin A: 97mcg (11% Daily Value)
Vitamin K: 1mcg (1% DV)
Calcium: 3.4mg (0.3% DV)
“If someone asks me ‘Is butter healthy?’ I’d respond with ‘Compared to what?’ Nutrition science involves knowing what we’re putting toe-to-toe—and for what and for what population we’re considering,” says Alex Caspero, RD, a St. Louis-based registered dietitian and the founder of Delish Knowledge. “Is butter healthier than olive oil? No. Can small amounts of butter be enjoyed in the context of an overall healthy diet? Yes.”
If you ask Lauren Harris-Pincus, RDN, founder of Nutrition Starring You and author of The Everything Easy Pre-Diabetes Cookbook, it’s best not to slap a label on food at all.
“I generally avoid calling foods healthy or unhealthy and prefer to figure out how a particular food fits into the context of an overall healthy diet,” Harris-Pincus says. “Butter is one food that requires nuance when assessing its nutritional value.”
According to the 2020-2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fats like corn, canola, soybean or sunflower may help lower the risk of heart-related events and death related to cardiovascular disease.
“However, that’s one piece of the puzzle. No food stands in isolation when it comes to risks or benefits,” Harris-Pincus adds.
While butter typically isn’t thought of as a “healthy food,” it does have some redeeming qualities, explains Elizabeth Shaw, M.S., RDN, CPT, a registered dietitian nutritionist, founder of Shaw Simple Swaps and the author of the Air Fryer Cookbook for Dummies. For instance, adding a pat of butter (or any form of fat) to your vegetables helps you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins from them. “You need fat as a ‘carrier’ to really get the most bang for your bite when you’re eating plants,” Shaw says.
Plus, butter is a staple in many classic comfort food recipes, like Grandma’s holiday cookies as well as the mashed potatoes that are a must on every Thanksgiving table. “Eating food that brings us joy and elicits fond memories is important because it teaches us balance and is part of a sustainable, joyful lifestyle. Learning how to enjoy foods, like butter, in moderation is a key to leading a healthy life long-term,” Shaw says.
Just keep in mind that it’s no magic elixir. Some popular social media fitness gurus and health coaches have been claiming that butter kick-starts your “metabolic burn” when you add it to your coffee. (Ahem, the bulletproof coffee trend …) A food or drink with fat is bound to be more satisfying than its fat-free peers; however, EatingWell dietitians recommend eating rather than drinking your butter, if you choose to consume it.
“Butter is a dietary fat source that should be used in moderation and alongside other nutrient-dense foods in your diet. An overall well-rounded menu is key to support a healthy metabolism,” Shaw says.
RELATED: 13 Healthy High-Fat Foods You Should be Eating
What Happens When You Eat Butter Every Day
One of the biggest benefits of eating butter—“yumminess,” according to Harris-Pincus—can be yours regardless of how often you consume butter.
“Butter adds a rich flavor that can make eating nutrient-dense foods even more pleasurable. I love drizzling a bit of melted butter on steamed veggies or adding a bit on top of fish fillets before baking them,” she says. Butter also is essential to create the flaky texture you know and love in biscuits, pie crusts and other pastries.
So besides delivering on the flavor and consistency, how does butter impact the body? Here’s what happens when you eat butter frequently.
You May Consume More Calories
Just like other forms of fat like coconut oil, canola oil and olive oil, butter is calorie-dense, with approximately 100 calories and 12 grams of fat per tablespoon.
“It’s easy to over-consume if you don’t measure it,” Harris-Pincus admits, or if you dine out and aren’t the one doing the measuring. To max out the flavor of their menu items, restaurant chefs often add more butter and salt than many home cooks would add at home.
That means the chicken piccata, fettuccine Alfredo, butter chicken or even the unassuming seared salmon you order might sneak in 2 to 4-plus tablespoons of butter—and that’s before you consider the butter you might add to bread to kick things off.
You Might Add in a Small Amount of Beneficial Nutrients
Butter contains some health-promoting aspects, Caspero explains. Although when you analyze how much of these things you’ll find in a reasonable edible portion of butter—like 1 tablespoon—the impact of these nutrients isn’t very significant.
“Proponents of butter often like to point out that it's a good source of fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamins A, E and K,” Caspero says. “While 1 tablespoon of butter does contain 11% of the RDA for vitamin A, half of a cooked sweet potato contains about 130% of the RDA.”
This is also true with butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that’s associated with better gut health, Caspero continues. While butter does contain butyrate, your best bet to support your microbiome is to consume a high-fiber diet. Butyrate is produced during the fermentation of certain plant foods, especially legumes like beans, peas and lentils; a process that naturally occurs as those plants pass through our digestive system. Beyond the butyrate boost, that fiber will help keep you regular and deliver a whole host of other health benefits.
So sure, you could score a few extra nutrients per pat, but other food sources will make an even bigger impact if you’re looking to amp up your vitamin intake and your gut-health game. This is especially important to keep top of mind if you’re seeking out daily strategies to integrate into your lifestyle. A hearty bowl of Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili is going to deliver all of the aforementioned beneficial nutrients, plus many more, while checking the box for a full meal. That’s not exactly something a tablespoon or two of butter can do.
Your Saturated Fat Intake May Increase, Which May Impact Heart Health
Butter is one of the richest sources of saturated fat in the diet, Caspero says. About 63% of the total fat found in butter is saturated, in fact, each tablespoon of butter contains 7 grams of saturated fat. Diets rich in saturated fat appear to be associated with elevated LDL cholesterol levels, which, in turn, may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, Caspero adds.
The effect butter has on cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease has been debated in the literature for decades, Harris-Pincus says, confirming that the scientific jury is still out because whether saturated fat is “good,” “bad” or somewhere in between varies based on what you're comparing it to.
“Ultimately, it’s about reasonableness and individual needs,” Harris-Pincus concludes.
RELATED: Is Saturated Fat Actually Bad For Your Heart?
How to Incorporate Butter into a Healthy Diet
“Food is meant to be enjoyed, and butter does provide wonderful flavor and texture to meals. We have to assess someone’s overall nutrient needs based on their medical history and calorie needs to determine how much butter is appropriate and how to best utilize it to create the most nutritious, balanced diet,” Harris-Pincus says.
Personalized nutrition is key when it comes to approaching how to incorporate foods, like butter, into one’s diet, Shaw says.
If an individual is struggling with disordered eating habits and sees butter as something to be feared, it would be a huge win for that person to add a daily teaspoon or two to their roasted vegetables, for example. And if a person has family history of heart disease and has prediabetes, it might be best for them to stick to avocado oil, olive oil or other unsaturated fats most of the time.
For the general population, the USDA’s 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest keeping saturated fat to around 10% of total calories or less, or about 200 calories per day if you consume a 2,000-calorie diet. If you tap the American Heart Association, they’re a little more strict; the AHA recommends limiting saturated fat to 5% to 6% of daily calories, or about 120 calories as part of a 2,000-calorie diet.
Considering the fact that saturated fat is also found in other dairy products and meat, it’s wise to stick to 1 tablespoon or less of butter per day.
“Small amounts of butter are fine, especially in a diet that's rich in fiber and overall low in saturated fat, or less than 10% of total calories. That being said, I wouldn't advise more butter in a diet that's already rich in high-fat dairy and meat, the two richest sources of saturated fat in a typical Western diet,” Caspero says. She enjoys butter occasionally but, for her everyday cooking fat, turns to olive oil and other nut, seed and vegetable oils.
The dietitians we spoke to agree that it would be rare to encourage more butter consumption, since other unsaturated fats show more positive health benefits. “However, if eating butter is a gateway to increasing the amount of fruits and veggies you eat, that may be a reason to incorporate more into your overall diet,” Harris-Pincus adds.
If you opt to eat butter daily, try to pair it with plant-based whole foods most of the time, “and, of course, the occasional cookie baked by Grandma (or using her recipe),” Shaw says, and other treats you enjoy every so often.
Who Should Avoid Eating Butter
Until we know more about the consensus about how butter and other sources of saturated fat affect cholesterol levels, it’s wise for individuals with high cholesterol to limit consumption and lean into using other heart-healthy fats instead.
Beyond that, Harris-Pincus reminds us that “butter is a dairy product, so anyone with an allergy to cow’s milk should avoid butter. It’s also not appropriate for vegan lifestyles.”
The Bottom Line
If you eat butter daily, you will likely consume more calories, more saturated fat and add a small amount of beneficial vitamins and gut-healthy fatty acids to your diet. Overall, it’s best to prioritize unsaturated fats from nuts, seeds, avocados and oils from vegetables, nuts and seeds. That said, as long as you’re not intolerant to dairy or following a vegan diet and don’t have heart disease or high cholesterol, it’s certainly possible to incorporate up to 1 tablespoon of butter per day as part of a healthy, well-rounded diet.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
