SHOPPING STRUGGLE: BUTTER

Hey planners!

Sooo, I had a moment the other day at the grocery store.  (Forgive me for I am human. 🙏)  I had my shopping list in hand, sweeping up and down the aisles grabbing what I needed.  But then my little culinary quest came to a sudden halt.  Believe it or not, I found myself standing in front of the refrigerated case, staring at what seemed like a mountain of butters.  
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As a Registered Dietitian that eats, breathes and speaks about wellness all the time, I’m laser-focused on encouraging “healthy fats” when it comes to cooking and consuming.  I’m talking about MUFAs (monounsaturated fats), PUFAs (polyunsaturated fats), and omegas (including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids), and not so much saturated and trans fats.  (More deats on all of this to come!)

So where does butter fall?  On average, butter has the following nutritional profile…

• Per 1 Tablespoon
  
• 100 calories
  
• 11.5 grams of fat
  
•     7 grams of saturated fat
  
•     3 grams of monounsaturated fat

This is how we see and interpret food at The Meal Planning Method, guys.  Butter is neither good nor bad, but rather we recognize it for what it is… Butter is high in fat.  Butter is high in saturated fat.  Butter does contains monounsaturated fat.  However, we recognize the thinking around butter has changed recently.  (I’m sure you’ve sees headlines like “Butter is Back!”)  But you need to note, that just because something isn’t “as bad” as we previously thought, also doesn’t mean it’s automatically good now.  *cue the moderation message*

So, because we can enjoy butter occasionally (let’s be honest, certain foods just taste better with butter), I did the hard work for you.  I picked up almost every butter or butter-like product available at Publix and walked away with just a couple of options based off of their wholesome (and short) ingredient list and availability in “unsalted” (because you can always add salt, but you can’t take it away).

OUR FAVORITES

KERRYGOLD'S UNSALTED IRISH BUTTER

Pst! It’s also made from grass-fed cows!

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BREAKSTONE'S UNSALTED BUTTER

I love that it comes in 8-oz. packages!

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CABOT UNSALTED BUTTER

So, your takeaway is that butter (don’t *shudder*) can be a part of a nourishing, balanced diet.  The important thing to strive for is variety in the oils you include in your diet. 

Do you have a favorite butter product we should know about?  Tell us in the comments below or use #MealPlanningMethod on social.

lindsey