Organic Food 101: Organic butter: It's one of the good guys

December 23, 3:50 PMOrganic Food ExaminerNatalie Rotunda

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Not only has coconut oil lived with a bad reputation for decades; so has butter. Both have places in my diet, but I eat them in moderation.

Meanwhile, and for decades, margarine replaced butter as the dietary darling. In the six decades between 1910 and 1970, butter use fell from 18 lbs. per person to 4 lbs., according to historical data; while use of margarine, and other highly-processed fats and oils, spiked. 

Why bother with organic butter from grass-fed cows? It's not highly processed, for one thing; rather, it's a natural food that has been around for centuries. Churn the cream, skim off the butterfat, and voila! butter is born.

Butter is a natural fat, besides, and it's one of the best sources for fat-soluble vitamins, like A, D, E, and K. Yes, butter contains cholesterol. Cholesterol isn't a fat, though, and the body needs it for the important work of steroid production to protect against diseases---mental illness, heart disease, and cancer. The health news about this badly-maligned food gets even better: It contains essential fatty acids.

But butter-lovers have another reason for including it in our diets: Its taste. For baking, for sauteeing, nothing comes close.

One of the ways I like to use butter is a very simple, heart-healthy one:

To a stick of softened butter (1/2 cup), add 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Mix carefully (so the oil doesn't splash out of the mixing bowl) and thoroughly. Use on toast or veggies. For an extra taste kick, stir in a couple of cloves of finely-chopped garlic.

Read more about "Why Butter is Better."