Here’s a nutrition newsflash that’ll make you do a double take: Butter helps the body absorb vitamins.
Saturated fat? That sure sounds like a ridiculous statement in this day and age, but let me elaborate.
Have you ever heard of Vitamin K2?
Dr. Weston A. Price is a dentist who did extensive research in the 1930s on how certain traditional cultures had no deformities or cavities, perfect bone structure and robust immune systems. He noted that these cultures living in remote villages from around the world in completely different climates and with entirely different food sources had one astounding and puzzling thing in common: they had at least four times the amount of water-soluble vitamins such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and other minerals in their diets as compared to the Americanized culture.
These cultures also had at least ten times the amount of fat-soluble vitamins like A and D, which he concluded was from access to animal foods such as butter, organ meat and eggs.
While these animal sources were high in A and D, he discovered that it was the “Activator X” or Vitamin K2 that was also present. K2 comes from eating grass-fed butter, which is made from cows eating rapidly-growing green grass.
Basically, Vitamins A, D and K2 work synergistically. Vitamins A and D tell cells to make specific proteins, and once made, Vitamin K2 activates them! How cool is that?
To "activate" these vitamins, the butter must be grass-fed.
These fat-soluble vitamins must be present for us to fully assimilate the minerals and nutrients in our foods. To “activate” these vitamins, note that the butter must be grass-fed, not regular butter. Grass-fed butter is where the magic K2 lives.
There are several other sources of K2, including chicken, duck or goose liver, emu oil, organic beef, and lamb liver and even pastured eggs, but grass-fed butter is my preferred source, of course!
When I started a routine of taking my vitamins after having butter, I noticed a huge difference in my energy, mood and clarity of mind.
4 ways to incorporate grass-fed butter into a morning routine:
Cook pastured eggs in grass-fed butter.
Make “bulletproof” coffee, which is blending grass-fed butter along with anything else into your coffee. I like to add a little collagen powder, stevia and cinnamon.
Top gluten-free pancakes with grass-fed butter.
Spread grass-fed butter on top of warm, sprouted or sourdough bread and top with a little avocado.
Learn more about Dr. Price and his studies on nutrition at The Weston A. Price Foundation.