Over the past year, butter has evolved from a food that received little attention and was also labelled as unhealthy to an elegant superfood, at least on social media. For example, the so-called butterboards, where the spread is spread on a plate or board together with other toppings to create a colourful dip.

At the same time, butter was used to give freshly brewed coffee an extra energy boost: “Butter coffee” or “bulletproof coffee” was also trending outside of barista circles.

The fact that butter is considered a luxury food by many people, whether on bread or in sauces, for example, is not new. However, for a long time it had a rather bad reputation due to its high fat content. But even that seems to be changing now: Some influencers are promoting butter as a healthy snack, either as a filling-in dates or as an energy bar, to bite off and chew on the go. People who celebrate butter so much often follow the principles of the “carnivore” diet, which focuses mainly on animal fat.

Is butter really a healthy snack?

But is butter a healthy snack—especially in such large quantities? “Basically, you can say that butter is not as bad as its reputation,” says Tanja Maxeiner, IHK health coach. “In combination with dates, it helps to regulate blood sugar levels, which are driven up by the very sweet fruit.”

Nevertheless, according to Tanja Maxeiner, it’s the quantity that counts: “I would recommend eating no more than 15-20g of butter a day and recommend sticking to a high-quality olive oil instead. A date filled with butter is not fundamentally bad or unhealthy, but from a nutritional perspective it is not suitable as a regular snack.”

Does butter affect cholesterol levels?

For a long time, butter was considered unhealthy mainly because of its high cholesterol content. It is now known that despite this high cholesterol content, butter in smaller quantities has no negative effects on health. Tanja Maxeiner also confirms this: “It has now been proven that the cholesterol content of butter has no major impact on blood cholesterol levels.”

According to the nutrition expert, there is generally no need to be afraid of animal fats. However, vegetable fats are still preferable, especially when it comes to high-quality olive or rapeseed oil. “Animal fats still carry the risk of hardening the blood vessels. Vegetable fats, on the other hand, are considered brain food.”

Butter or margarine, which is healthier?

Is it worth switching to margarine in this case? After all, the vegan butter alternative does not contain any animal fats. “If you eat a normal amount, it’s better to stick with butter, despite the animal fats, it’s still a natural product, whereas margarine is often highly processed and contains additives.”

However, it is advisable to opt for butter from pasture rearing. This is because the cows are fed on grass, which has a positive effect on the quality of the milk and therefore also the butter. According to Tanja Maxeiner, switching to margarine can only be advantageous if larger quantities are really needed. However, you should then make sure that it is an organic product to avoid artificial additives.

The health benefits of butter

There are no disadvantages to eating butter in the recommended quantities but does it have any health benefits for us? “Researchers are discussing whether the butyric acid it contains can have a positive effect on chronic illnesses, but this has not yet been proven and only initial studies are currently available. Apart from that, butter does contain various vitamins such as D and A, as well as magnesium and calcium—but to be honest, this is hardly relevant in the recommended intake,” says Tanja Maxeiner.

What should be considered when eating butter?

“Due to its high water content, butter can burn quickly when frying. It is therefore less suitable for cooking. It is more suitable as a spread or as a refinement after cooking, for example for mashed potatoes or vegetables.” For frying, it is better to use a heat-resistant vegetable oil. However, if you don’t want to do without the taste of butter, you can also try clarified butter or ghee, which are also suitable for heating.

The bottom line

As with most nutritional issues, the same applies here: The quantity makes the poison. So butter is not unhealthy per se as long as you eat it in moderation. According to Tanja Maxeiner, 15-20g per day is ideal. However, you should stick to this, because even though butter is a natural product, its fat content is too high to make it a healthy snack, especially if you spend most of your day sitting down.

This story first appeared on vogue.de

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