Eating butter is good for you

It's holiday season and that means rich and butter-laden food, cookies, pudding, cakes almost every other dish; so should you feel guilty every time you take a bite?

Contrary to what health Nazis say about butter, it's actually good for you, say some health experts.

While it is true that we sometimes eat too much fat and that our diets are far from ideal, butter is not the culprit.

In fact, when eaten in moderation, it can do you a lot of good.

"There appears to be an enormous mismatch between the ­evidence from long-term prospective studies and perceptions of harm from the consumption of dairy food items," the Daily Mail quoted Professor Peter Elwood, an expert in fat metabolism, as saying.

And if you think margarine was a better choice, you are wrong.

Many varieties of margarine are packed with other unhealthy substances and chemicals - synthesised unsaturated fats which increase the risk of coronary heart disease by raising ­levels of 'bad' low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and ­lowering levels of 'good' high-­density lipoprotein cholesterol.

So even though butter contains animal fats at least it's natural and natural in this case is much better.

Butter is a simple emulsion of milk-fat, protein and water, and is packed with nutrients. It is a high-energy food, containing 700 calories per 100g. It is rich in Vitamin A, which is needed for the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Butter is also rich in Vitamin D, which helps build strong bones, and contains Vitamin E and selenium - essential for healthy nervous and immune systems.

In fact, recent studies have shown that it can help to fight cancer, as it is rich in an anti-carcinogenic fatty acid obtained through cattle eating grass.

Although butter is 'fattening', you really don't need to eat a lot of it to feel satisfied.