Butter: properties, calories and nutritional values

butter

Butter is a very controversial food, some say it should be avoided and those that have been mentioned. Where is the truth? Can we safely eat butter? and how much can we introduce?

But let’s start with the calories of butter and its nutritional values , in order to be able to make some considerations objectively.

Calories butter

BUTTER 100G
Kcal 717
carbohydrates 0.1g
Sugars 0.1g
Protein 0.8g
Grassi 81,1g
Saturated fats 51,3g
Monounsaturated fats 21g
Polyunsaturated fats 3g
Cholesterol 215-270mg
fibers 0g

Butter is definitely a caloric food, with a high content of fats (saturated) and cholesterol. It should be noted that although having many calories it has less olive oil (886kcal / 100g) and that the content of cholesterol is high but if we use a little butter (10g) we take just 5% of the recommended daily ration. Among other things, unless you suffer from cholesterolemia , the body regulates its internal production as a function of how much cholesterol we introduce, the less we eat less it produces it.

In short, the first big consideration is that the butter hurts if we take too much , while if the quantity is moderate there are no apparent signs that can really hurt.
But to deepen further, we see its fats of what kind they are.

Fatty acids of butter

butter hurts

FATTY ACIDS BUTTER %
palmitic acid 25 – 33
oleic acid 19 – 29
stearic acid 9 – 13
myristic acid 8 – 12
butyric acid 3 – 3.5
lauric acid 2.3 – 3.9
capric acid 1.8 – 3.7
linoleic acid 1.0 – 3.5
palmitoleic acid 1.0 – 2.0

The composition of butter fatty acids is not exceptional but not terrible either. The saturated fatty acids stand out:
1. palmitic acid  which has a negative effect on our body only when we take too much of it. Palmitic acid is the most fat in our body and is the first that our body self-synthetizes. 2. Stearic acid that has no negative effects 3.   Myristic acid and this is connected with intestinal inflammation , organic, insulin resistance and the less we take and the better it is. 4. butyric acid

which is a “good” fat essential for nourishing the cells of the intestine (enterocolitis). It is the same fatty acid that our bacteria ( microbiota ) create from the dietary fibers we eat.

The composition of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids is varied and not unbalanced (we have not marked all the fatty acids present in the butter because they are all divided into small doses).

Does the butter hurt?

At this point we should have understood that butter does not hurt but not even well , it depends exclusively on the quantity we take. It is a condiment worse than olive oil but it is better than many vegetable fats (tropical fats) and margarines with trans fats (in fact even butter has around 3% trans fats, physiologically present in all ruminants ).

When we find baked goods with butter inside, we are easily eating a healthier product than industrial products in the supermarket.

Butter properties and benefits

butter properties

We have talked about possible risks so far, but butter also has several benefits. As we mentioned the ‘ butyric acid is essential for the health of our intestines , in addition to this the butter contains several fat-soluble vitamins:  Vitamin A , Vitamin E , Vitamin K and also a small amount of Vitamin D . It also has several minerals such as calcium and phosphorus , plus a small amount of zinc and selenium .

Finally, although the butter is a saturated fat is not optimal for frying as it has a smoke point around 130 ° -150 ° , the version of clarified butter can better withstand the high temperatures. This is because in the clarification the water and the thermodegradable proteins are removed and the smoke point of the butter rises to around 250 ° (so we can use it for frying).

The lactose content in butter is minimal which makes it suitable to be eaten even for those who are intolerant to this sugar. The presence of medium and short chain fatty acids makes butter an easily digestible fat.

Concluding we can use the butter reminding us that it is a condiment and like all condiments should be used sparingly, because just a few grams are enough (10g = 72kcal) to significantly increase the energy intake and saturated fats to our diet.

See Another Article: Caffeine: effects and dosages of a poorly understood supplement

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