Another gem from the BBC’s the Food Programme. This week, the food journalist Sheila Dillon was reporting on the revival of butter and the possible reasons for it. Butter has been made for thousands of years and up until the 2nd world war we ate alot of it. Then came the health warnings of eating too much saturated fats and people began to switch over to vegetable oil based spreads. The problem was, to make these spreads solid the oil was partially hydrogenated producing trans fats which we now know to be bad for our health (see story about trans fat in children’s milk).
Despite the continued health advice that we should reduce our saturated fat intake sales of butter are increasing. Perhaps this is due to the trans fats replacement, interesterified fat, also having health concerns. Some studies have linked it to lowering the levels of HDL (the good) cholesterol in the blood and also increasing glucose levels while decreasing insulin production.
What more can be said except better the devil you know…. especially when it tastes this good!