grass-fed butter Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Ghee: Is It Better Than Butter?

The AHA! Team — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 05:09:52 +0000

Rachael Link, MS, RD via Dr. Axe – So what is ghee butter, and why should you add it to your pantry? Keep reading. With the surge in popularity of health trends like the ketogenic diet, healthy fats have garnered a lot of attention. Right alongside familiar favorites like olive oil and coconut oil is ghee, a type of fat made by heating butter — ideally grass-fed butter — to boost its natural nutrient profile and flavor. It is full of fat-soluble vitamins and healthy fatty acids, and ghee benefits can range from building stronger bones to enhancing weight loss. Used for thousands of years and a staple in Ayurvedic healing practices, ghee is one of the most powerful healing foods out there. So what is ghee butter, and why should you add it to your pantry? Keep reading. What Is Ghee? Ghee is similar to clarified butter, which is produced by heating butter to remove the milk solids and water. However, in comparing ghee vs. clarified butter, ghee is simmered longer to bring out the butter’s inherent nutty flavor and is left with a higher smoke point than butter, meaning that it can be heated to a higher temperature before it starts to smoke. Not only that, but ghee is rich in beneficial nutrients and contains several fatty acids that are important to health. Plus, there are numerous benefits of ghee, and some of its components have been shown to do everything from boost weight loss to improve digestion and relieve inflammation. Ghee has been used for thousands of years, quite literally. It’s truly an “ancient” health food and definitely not a fad. The first known use of butter was back in 2000 B.C. It became very popular in the cooler northern parts of India but didn’t survive well in the southern warmer regions. It’s believed that the southerners started to clarify butter in order to keep it from spoiling. Ghee quickly was integrated into the diet, into ceremonial practice and into Ayurvedic medicine. It’s believed to promote both mental purification and physical purification through its ability to cleanse and support wellness. Ghee benefits the body both inside and out and is actually used topically as well. Ghee benefits for skin include treating burns and rashes and moisturizing the skin and scalp. Much like coconut oil, it’s a multi-use fat that is healthy in many ways. Although ghee originates in India, it is also commonly found in South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines and is used now around the world. Although fat was once vilified as unhealthy and disease-causing, we are now beginning to understand the importance of including healthy fats in your diet. Today, ghee is recognized not only for its intense flavor and versatility, but for the numerous health benefits associated with it. Nutrition Facts Ghee benefits come from the nutrition ghee provides. It’s high in fat and provides an extra dose of several fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin K. A one-tablespoon serving of ghee (about 14 grams) contains approximately: Calories: 123 Total Fat: 13.9 g Saturated Fat: 8.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5 g Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g Protein: 0.04 g Sodium: 0.3 mg (

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Dairy Milk Hormones’ Effects on Cancer

The AHA! Team — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 08:44:47 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – What are the effects of the female sex hormones in cow’s milk on men, women, and children? All foods of animal origin contain hormones, but most of our dietary exposure to hormones comes from dairy products. By quantity, as you can see below and at 0:16 in my video The Effects of Hormones in Dairy Milk on Cancer, it is mostly prolactin, corticosteroids, and progesterone, but there are also a bunch of estrogens, which concentrate even further when other dairy products are made. For instance, Hormones are five times more concentrated in cream and cheese, and ten times more in butter. When it comes to steroid hormones in the food supply, about three-quarters of our exposure to ingested female sex steroids come from dairy, and the rest is split evenly between eggs and meat (including fish). Indeed, eggs contribute about as much as all meat combined, which makes a certain amount of sense since an egg comes straight from a hen’s ovary. Among the various types of meat, you get as much from white meat (fish and poultry) as you do from pork and beef, and this is just from natural hormones—not added hormone injections, like bovine growth hormone. So, it doesn’t matter if the meat is organic. Animals produce hormones because they’re animals, and their hormones understandably end up in animal products. About half of the people surveyed “did not know that milk naturally contains hormones,” and many “lacked basic knowledge (22% did not know that cows only give milk after calving)”—that is, they didn’t realize what milk is for—feeding baby calves. Researchers suggested we ought to inform the public about dairy production practices. In response, one Journal of Dairy Science respondent wrote that telling the public about the industry’s new technologies, like transgenic animals (meaning genetically engineered farm animals), “or contentious husbandry practices” (such as taking away that newly born calf so we can have more of the milk or “zero-grazing for dairy cows”—i.e., not letting cows out on grass), “does not result in high rates of public approval,” so ixnay on the educationay. The public may not know the extent to which they are exposed to estrogen through the intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows, which has potential public health implications. Modern genetically improved dairy cows, can get reimpregnated after giving birth and lactate throughout almost their entire next pregnancy “Modern genetically improved dairy cows, such as the Holstein,” the stereotypical black and white cow, can get reimpregnated after giving birth and lactate throughout almost their entire next pregnancy, which means that, these days, commercial cow’s milk contains large amounts of pregnancy hormones, like estrogens and progesterone. As you can see in the graph below and at 2:42 in my video, during the first eight months of a pregnant cow’s nine-month gestation, hormone levels in her milk shoot up more than 20-fold. Even so, we’re only talking about a millionth of a gram per quart, easily 10 to 20 times less estrogen hormones than you’d find in a birth control pill. In that case, would drinking it really have an effect on human hormone levels? Researchers analyzed three different estrogens and one progesterone metabolite flowing through the bodies of seven men before and after they drank about a liter of milk. Within hours of drinking the milk, their hormone levels shot up, as you can see in the graph below and at 3:08 in my video. The researchers also looked at the average levels of female sex steroids flowing through the bodies of six schoolchildren (with an average age of eight) before and after they drank about two cups of milk. Within hours of drinking the milk, their levels shot up, tripling or quadrupling their baseline hormone levels, as you can see in the graph below and at 3:23 in my video. So, one can imagine the effects milk might have on men or prepubescent children, but what about women? Presumably, women would have high levels of estrogen in their body in the first place, wouldn’t they? Well, not all women. What about postmenopausal women and endometrial cancer, for example? Estrogens have “a central role” in the development of endometrial cancer, cancer of the lining of the uterus. “Milk and dairy products are a source of steroid hormones and growth factors that might have physiological effects in humans.” So, Harvard researchers followed tens of thousands of women and their dairy consumption for decades and found a significantly higher risk of endometrial cancer among postmenopausal women who consumed more dairy, as shown below and at 4:19 in my video. What about dietary exposure to hormones and breast cancer? Unfortunately, “understanding the role of dietary hormone exposure in the population burden of breast cancer is not possible at this time.” For more on the relationship between cancer and dairy, see related videos below. I talk about the effect of dairy estrogen on men in Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility. What about the phytoestrogens in soy? See here. Key Takeaways Although hormones are in all animal products, the majority (about three-quarters) of our dietary exposure comes from milk and other dairy products. The hormones in milk concentrate even further when other dairy products are produced—e.g., five times more concentrated in cream and cheese, and ten times more in butter. The rest (about one-quarter) of our exposure to ingested female sex steroids is split evenly between eggs and meat (including fish), with eggs contributing about as much as all meats combined and white meat (fish and poultry) contributing about as much as pork and beef. About 50 percent of people surveyed didn’t know that hormones are naturally found in milk, and more than one in five didn’t know that cows only produce milk after calving (intended to feed their calves). In response to the suggestion that consumers should be informed of dairy production practices, a Journal of Dairy Science respondent disagreed, believing that telling the public about practices, such as genetically engineering animals, removing calves soon after birth, and keeping cows off grass or pasture, “does not result in high rates of public approval.” Today, dairy cows may be reimpregnated after giving birth and lactate throughout nearly their whole pregnancy. So, large amounts of pregnancy hormones, like estrogens and progesterone, can be found in commercial cow’s milk. Researchers found that hormone levels shot up in men and school-aged kids within hours of drinking about a liter of milk. Estrogens play “a central role” in the development of endometrial cancer, and researchers found a significantly greater risk of this type of cancer among postmenopausal women who consume more dairy, which is a source of steroid hormones and growth factors. Regarding breast cancer and dietary exposure to hormones, “understanding the role” isn’t currently possible. To read the original article click here.

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Chocolate Mug Cake: Valentine’s Day Last-Minute Special

AHA Publisher — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 08:00:55 +0000

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN – We’ve all seen the trend of making desserts in a mug, right? The idea is to whip up an easy, decadent single-serving of cake in just minutes, typically with the help of a microwave. My chocolate cake in a mug will bring the same joy and satisfaction as those other mug cakes, but with some upgraded ingredients. “In A Mug” Trend! Cakes in a mug have spiked in popularity the last several years, thanks to food bloggers on the internet. Who doesn’t love having a quick option for post-dinner dessert? (Such as for Valentine’s Day!) The problem with many of these chocolate mug cakes is the list of ingredients in them. Refined flour, addictive sugar and conventional dairy are at the top of the list, and you know how I feel about those ingredients. Some mug cakes even call for highly refined vegetable oils, which typically are rancid since they have been exposed to light and air while being processed. When I make my chocolate cake in a mug, I actually bake mine in the oven. Using an oven allows the cake to bake evenly without heating the ingredients up too quickly. Although it would be quicker to use a use a microwave for this chocolate mug cake, the quality of your ingredients will stay intact using an oven. For the Gluten-Free Baker This recipe is perfect for the gluten-free baker who always has ingredients on hand. Since this chocolate cake in a mug is for one, you’ll only need a little bit of each ingredient to make this mug cake come together. No need to run out to the grocery store to get a whole bag of cassava flour (although with this moist chocolate cake recipe, it would totally be worth it)! How to Make Chocolate Mug Cake You’ll start with part of a dark chocolate bar, with a minimum of 70 percent cacao. Cacao is rich in magnesium and antioxidants, so the darker the chocolate bar, the better. Melt the chocolate bar pieces with a tablespoon of grass-fed butter. If you want to keep it dairy free, substitute with coconut oil. Add the melted chocolate mixture to a mug, or in a mixing bowl if you plan on doubling or tripling this mug cake recipe. Next comes coconut flour, which is a healthy gluten-free flourhigh in fiber. Add in cassava flour, which is another great gluten-free flour. It’s highly versatile, a great replacement for wheat flour and free of grains. I added a little bit of baking powder and sea salt, as well as a pastured egg. Since I used an oven to make the chocolate mug cake, I preheated an oven-safe mug as the oven was preheating. Carefully remove the mug from oven and pour in the chocolate cake mixture. Place mug or mugs onto a baking sheet, and put back into the oven. Bake the mug cake for 10–12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Your mug will be hot, so be careful as you dive into this delightful chocolate cake in a mug. Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe The idea of a chocolate mug cake is to whip up an easy, decadent single-serving of cake in just minutes, typically with the help of a microwave. Here’s a healthier version but done in an oven. Much better all around! INGREDIENTS ¼ cup dark chocolate (minimum 70% cacao), chopped 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter or coconut oil 2 tablespoons coconut flour ¼ cup cassava flour ⅛ teaspoon baking powder pinch of sea salt 2 eggs INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350 F. Place oven-safe mugs in the oven while preheating. In a small sauce pan, melt dark chocolate and butter. Pour chocolate mixture in a small mixing bowl. Add in coconut flour, cassava flour, baking powder, sea salt and egg and whisk until well combined. Carefully remove mug from the oven and pour mixture into the mug. Place back in the oven. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Top with coconut whipped cream, if desired. To read the original article click here.

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Fewer Migraines From More Fish Oil and Less Vegetable Oil, Study Reveals

AHA Publisher — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 07:00:02 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – If you are one of the millions of Americans who suffer from migraine headaches, you know that the pain can be relentless – persisting for hours and even days. Unfortunately, these disabling headaches are far from rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), research from 2018 showed that over 15 percent of all American adults reported having a migraine within the past three months. While Western medicine attempts to address migraines with pharmaceutical drugs – including addictive opioids and toxic NSAID medications – new research published in the medical journal The BMJ shows a simple dietary intervention may reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. To discover how “tweaking” your diet may help tame migraine headaches, read on. Ladies, Beware: Women Suffer Migraine Headaches Twice as Often as Men Do Migraine headaches are usually characterized by throbbing, pulsing pain, limited to only one side of the head. In addition, nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound can occur, along with visual disturbances such as flashes of light and blind spots. Migraines can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours and can strike at unpredictable intervals. Some patients report rare, isolated attacks, while others suffer multiple headaches a month. Studies show that women are almost twice as likely to experience migraines than men, disproportionately affecting younger women. In fact, one of the benefits of senior citizenship is that the frequency of migraines seems to take a nosedive as we age. According to the CDC, one-fourth of women between 18 and 44 reported a severe headache within three months – a rate that plummets to only 7.6 percent of women aged 75 and over. Older men also fared better than younger, with 12.3 percent of men 18 to 44 reporting headaches, compared to a mere 4 percent in men 75 and older. Still, despite the measure of relief some patients gain in their “golden years,” migraine headaches remain a painful ordeal for many. “Double-Edged Sword” – Balance of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Affects Pain and Inflammation The research investigated the effects of two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids – omega-3s, found in cold-water fish in the form of EPA and DHA – and omega-6s, found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. Omega-3s are believed to be strongly anti-inflammatory, while omega-6s can be pro-inflammatory. Does this mean that omega-6 fatty acids are “bad?” Not necessarily. After all, a certain amount of inflammation is needed by the body to fight injury and infection. But, dietary intake of the two fats must be balanced, with most natural health experts advising an “omega-3 to omega-6 ratio” of 1:4. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (aptly abbreviated as SAD!) tends to be top-heavy with omega-6 oils (thanks to soybean oil in many commercial foods) while potentially low in omega-3s. The effect of this unhealthy way of eating? Systemic chronic inflammation – which not only can trigger migraines but lies at the root of many degenerative diseases. The new study showcases the benefits of properly balancing this pair of essential fatty acids. BIG NEWS: Research Highlights Hope for Migraine Sufferers The study – conducted by researchers from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – involved 182 frequent migraine sufferers experiencing 5 to 20 headaches a month. One group of participants received a diet with increased omega-3s (EPA and DHA in the amount of 1.5 grams a day), while a second group received a diet with increased omega-3s along with decreased amounts of linoleic acid (a common omega-6). By comparison, the control group was given a diet that featured a higher ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s. The results helped to confirm what natural health experts have long maintained about the power of proper nutrition to mitigate inflammation. An impressive finding is that the diet higher in omega-3s reduced total daily “headache hours” by up to 40 percent. And, when the diet was higher in omega-3s and lower in omega-6s, the number of “migraine days” in a month were decreased by four – also a significant improvement. In addition, the greatest decrease in severity and frequency occurred with the combination diet. Study leader Christopher Ramsden, MD, noted that this was the first moderate-sized controlled trial showing that targeted changes in the diet can decrease physical pain. The key to the dietary intervention’s success seems to revolve around oxylipins, natural fatty acid-derived compounds that influence pain and inflammation. While omega-3s help produce oxylipins that reduce inflammation and pain, omega-6s appear to create oxylipins that worsen pain and provoke migraines. Experts Concur on the Importance of Anti-Inflammatory Omega-3s Other noted headache experts are “on board” with the study’s findings and acting on them. For example, Rebecca Burch, MD, a physician with the Graham Headache Center at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA., declares, “(The study) results support recommending a high-omega-3 diet to patients in clinical practice.” For a better balance of polyunsaturated fats in your diet, seek to avoid processed seed and vegetable oils that are high in omega-6s (as well as the processed foods that contain them). Instead, olive, palm, and coconut oils – along with grass-fed butter – are a wiser choice. To boost beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, experts advise eating two servings of cold-water fatty fish – such as wild-caught salmon or sardines – a week. Pastured-raised eggs can also help provide omega-3s. Ramping up omega-3s while decreasing omega-6s is an intriguing natural intervention that shows promise in helping to manage painful headaches and bring much-needed relief to migraine sufferers. Sources for this article include: ScienceDaily.com Medscape.com CDC.gov CDC.gov To read the original article click here.

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Cauliflower Mash the Delicious Mashed Potatoes Alternative

AHA Publisher — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 07:00:42 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – Are you looking for a low-carb mashed potatoes alternative? While delicious, mashed potatoes are unfortunately loaded with starchy carbohydrates that will knock you out of the Keto Zone and sabotage your weight loss progress. That is why we are sharing this delicious creamy keto cauliflower mash recipe. Cauliflower is an amazing ketogenic food. This low-carb vegetable is chock full of fiber and micronutrients while being low in starchy carbohydrates. Now you can have all of the delicious flavor and creamy texture of mashed potatoes without spiking your blood sugar! Ingredients 1 large head organic cauliflower 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter 3 cloves organic garlic, minced 4 organic chives, chopped 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 teaspoon organic black pepper Instructions Boil a large pot of water over medium heat. Chop cauliflower in half and cut in to florets. Place cauliflower florets in to a steamer basket. Put steamer basket in to the pot of boiling water and cover. Steam cauliflower for about 15 minutes or until florets are soft. While the cauliflower is steaming, mince the garlic and chop the chives. Once cauliflower is cooked transfer to a food processor. Pulse cauliflower in the processor until a coarse mashed consistency is reached. Add in garlic, butter, spices, and half of the chives. Continue to process until desired consistency is reached. Transfer the mash to a serving bowl and top with remaining chopped chives. Serve and enjoy! Nutrition Facts Servings: 5 Per Serving: Calories: 151 kcal Total Fat 14 g Total Carbohydrates: 6 g Fiber: 3 g Net carbs: 3 g Protein: 2 g Recipe adapted from myketokitchen.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Colbert click here.

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