Yes, butter.

Real butter!

OK...Let's get over it! 

Take a deep breath and relax...

yes you can...

And no...I haven't lost my sanity or fallen off the wagon.

No...I'm not saying go slather gobs of butter on your food, until your heart's content...

...it's not about the butter - it's about portion control...

Ask yourself why you had bariatric surgery in the first place...

For health, right? 

Then let's talk health.

After all, we did it the "other" way, with the diet mind set, deprivation and tasteless unsatisfying food...then we got fed-up, went in the total opposite direction and...we know how that turned out for us!

Eliminating butter completely is part of that diet mindset. The key isn't about tasteless, fake food or deprivation, the change comes with finding moderation and health.

Changing your mindset is the key to learning how to make lifestyle changes after bariatric surgery.

It can be done...I didn't just start using butter, I have used it for years...as a matter of fact, I've never used margarine, I hate it...even through my 165 pound weight loss and maintenance, I used butter, in moderation, careful portion control and substituted with other healthy real food items whenever possible...yes, you can!   I did!

butter is better

And lifestyle changes doesn't mean giving up butter, it means learning how to eat it within healthy limits. If you want the taste of real sweet creamy butter, be willing to eat it in moderation, just use a little. I'll tell you a tip for how to stretch it, make it healthier and you can have your taste, health and weight loss too! And you can still "kiss" that toast with the taste of butter!

Here's my personal opinion about butter. I use the real McCoy. My personal conviction is that I would rather use a little of the real thing (real, whole food) than a lot of the imitation. I still think that real butter is healthier than the man-made stuff. The key is portion control. A little butter goes a long way and gives us that sweet creamy texture and taste.

Besides, it's the "butter replacement" generation that is associated with the obesity epidemic!

Let's get back to the real food, where there is health and nutrition. We don't need imitation food, we just need to learn how to eat the real thing. Imitation food won't fix the problem. It's not about the food, it's about portions. Imitation food...come on people...What are they thinking..."Oh, there is a fat person, let's give them imitation food and see if they will eat it!" Infuriating! Insulting! Imitation food? Give me a break!

butter nutrition

Butter is nutritious and is said to be good for the health of thyroid and adrenal glands. It is beneficial for those, who are having fungal infections, especially, candidiasis. Butter is also said to possess anti tumor and anti cancer properties. It is beneficial for fighting tooth decay and to promote muscle growth. This dairy product contains less amounts of lactose and so, those, who are lactose intolerant may also consume it moderately. It is also said that the lecithin in butter is essential for cholesterol metabolism. It contains conjugated linoleic acid, which promotes immunity. It can prevent calcification of the joints and can also help the body in the absorption of minerals. 

Butter contains arachidonic acid, which is vital for the functioning of the cells as well as the brain. It is said that butter consumption is good for preventing gastrointestinal infections in children. Butter is rich in vitamin A and D, that are essential for the absorption of calcium in the body. The surge of heart diseases during the second half of the twentieth century affected the consumption of butter, which contained cholesterol. However, some recent studies suggest that butter is good for heart, as it contain lots of antioxidants and lecithin, that aids in cholesterol metabolism. 

The truth is that butter is nutritious and helps in weight loss by providing necessary nutrients and satisfying your appetite.

Here is a comparison:

• Both butter and margarine have the same amount of calories.
• Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams in margarine.
• Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.
• Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
• Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has less.
• Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.
• Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

Margarine is known to be less healthy than butter. Read on to find out the cons of consuming margarine.

• Very high in trans-fatty acids.
• Triple risk of coronary heart disease.
• Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol).
• Increases the risk of cancer up to five fold.
• Lowers the quality of breast milk.
• Decreases immune response.
• Decreases insulin response.

Now if you are not convinced of the unhealthiness of margarine, try this little experiment.

Place a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:

• No flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)
• It does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny micro organisms will not find a home to grow. Why? Because it is only one molecule away from being plastic!

Well, that sounds appetizing!

moderation mix up 

Just a little...notice; I said "kiss" it, not "kill" it with butter!

My secret...I add just a few drops of flax seed oil and a few drops of liquid vitamin D.

Vitamin D is absorbed with fat. This is a good time to get in the vitamin D, you won't taste it at all.

Now I will say that butter is not my primary "fat" choice. I opt for health oils such as olive, flax seed, grape seed, even pumpkin seed oil whenever possible, but sometimes life just calls for butter. Fat is fat...some are healthier than others, but we need fat in our diet in moderation and plant fats are good choices.

I mix butter and flax oil together. Flax oil is a healthy oil and just a few drops adds some moisture to foods such as toast, which is what the butter does. The flax oil is really good for you, and the butter gives you the rich sweet taste you're looking for. You can use less butter by stretching it with flax oil or any other healthy oil and still have tasty moist toast. I use about 1/8 of a tablespoon of flax oil which has approximately 15 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. Just a few drops!

I leave a small amount of butter out of the fridge to reach room temperature. It's better for spreading and it is easier to incorporate the vitamin D. It also makes it easier to measure with a teaspoon!

a little love pat!

A little pat will do it. Butter is not served in pats anymore. When I was growing up most everyone knew what a pat of butter was. It's gotten lost along the way. There are about 48 pats to the pound.  So a pat is about 1/2 to 1/3 tablespoon, or 1-1/2 teaspoons, or 1/3 of an ounce, or 9 grams. Look on your butter wrapper, it's usually sectioned off in 2 tablespoon sections.  So 1/2 a section would be about 1 tablespoon.  So about a third of a tablespoon would be a pat, or a teaspoon. A pat contains about 3.8 grams of fat and 34 or 36 calories. I always measure out a pat, then I can choose to use less, but that is a good start. 

I measured about how much I use. Softened it's about 1 teaspoon.  It takes 3 teaspoon of soft butter to make a tablespoon. About 1 teaspoon is considered a pat. This is the key...measure it out before you eat it. Not only takes the guess work out of it, it will also help you to realize how much you are eating. 

butter tasting

While shopping a few weeks ago, my daughter and I decided to have a butter tasting. Yeah, you read right. I'm sure we're the first! We purchased a few varieties of imported butters to see which ones we liked the best. We had family over for dinner and had fun with it...it was a first for them too. We tried French butter, Irish butter and a few others...the Irish butter won out hands down. 

let's toast!

Yes, you can. Here's how I do toast.  Start with a real slice of whole grain toast, this is the secret - fiber keeps you fuller longer and the butter keeps you satisfied. I toast it on both sides, golden brown.  Then while it's hot, I kiss it with about a pat of butter, or a little less.

I like crunchy toast, it adds texture and gives us something to chew on, but who wants dry toast all the time. Toast just isn't toast without sweet creamy butter. Warm bread toasted with rich sweet creamy butter, a marriage made in heaven...yes you can!

Say hello to fries! Oven fries that is...they're just as good as french fries, only healthier.  

I usually cut my own and oven roast them, but recently I was short on time and tried Alexia Oven Fries. My family raves about how good they are. 

First I tried the olive oil and sea salt variety, but there are several others.  

My next choice is the sweet potato ones. I usually cut my own sweet potatoes also, in chunks and roast them, but Alexia has them already cut into fry slices, so those are next on my agenda.

I cooked them according to the package directions about 20 minutes and also added a little more olive oil during the cooking process to keep them from drying out.

I will confess that I am in the process of overcoming the "diet" mentally when it comes to white potatoes. Remember potatoes are a whole and nutritous food, just keep the portion within the limits and enjoy...

...yes we can, we have many more miles to go!

You may think of peanut butter as more of a childhood staple, but you can kiss that idea goodbye because it's also a great source of protein for adults. This slightly indulgent temptation even sweetly and secretly hides a few carbs and fiber.

Surprisingly, it may also be a great for weight control: one study found that peanut eaters tend not to overeat their daily calories. As a source of antioxidants, peanuts- according to recent studies- may contain enough to be the envy of some fruits.

Some say they like to stir in a little cottage cheese, I must admit I haven't tried it but it just might work.

My all-time favorite peanut-butter protein ball recipe is in this section on proteins.    

I have some great recipe ideas for peanut butter, I'm going to try some experiments and post it soon.  

One word of "experiential caution",don't eat peanut butter alone, make it an affair for two...and always pair it with another food item, such as crackers, graham crackers, bread, bananas, apples or pancakes...it's too sticky for a "tiny tummy" all by itself...take it from me...yes we can, we have many more miles to go!

• Proteins: Peanut butter is a rich source of protein. 2 tbsp of peanut butter has approximately 8g of protein. Even though peanuts and peanut butter have protein, it is still not much, and in my non-professional opinion should not be substituted for protein...it still has a high fat content. Remember, although it may be  healthy choice, the moderation factor is the key! 
• Dietary Fiber: 8%, a high amount of dietary fiber is found in peanut butter.
• Vitamins: High amounts of vitamins such as niacin or vitamin B, and vitamin B3, K, and E as well as good amounts of riboflavin, thiamine, pantothenic acid, and folate are present in peanut butter.
• Minerals: Even minerals in sufficient amounts are found in peanut butter, namely, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus in addition to smaller amounts of sodium, zinc, iron, calcium and selenium.

There is a simmering rumble these days about alternative sweeteners. Included in the line-up is Agave. Agave is advertised as a wholesome, natural sweetener extracted from the Blue Agave plant. 

There is the Agave Nectar and also Organic Raw Blue Agave Nectar, that is produced at a low temperature (less than 118 degrees fahrenheit) and has a full sweet flavor with subtle molasses tones.

My sources inform me that the sap is heated for a long time at a low temperature and the carbohydrates break down into sugars -- specifically into a complex form of fructose called inulin, which resembles the sugar found naturally in fruits. Agave nectar is higher in fructose, which does not stimulate insulin secretion to the extent that other sugars do, and lower in glucose, so it's easier on your metabolism, preventing the familiar but unpleasant (and, for some, unhealthy) "sugar rush". Well, that is what they say..but read on...

Agave is a Low Glycemic Index (GI) sweetener, so it is stated to be slowly absorbed into the body and supposedly prevents spikes in blood sugar. It is 1-1/4 times sweeter than sugar, so you need less. Agave is a multi purpose syrup sweetener, used as a substitute for table sugar, syrup or honey.

I say supposedly prevents spikes because, if you're like myself, sensitive to sugar, you might want to watch very closely how it affects your blood sugar levels.  

There is some talk about the raw version being less processed, and therefore is a better choice.  I do use the raw agave on my waffles at breakfast. However, I can only use a small amount, (less than 1/2 tablespoon, which is just a drizzle) because it does affect my blood sugar levels. So maybe it's no different than honey or regular syrup, since I use only a small amount anyway. But since I don't like the taste of regular maple syrup and I haven't tried using honey...Agave gives me enough moisture on my waffles and taste good, so I've been giving it a try. 

Just be aware that just because products are natural, or suppose to not spike sugar levels, those who are sensitive to sugars, such as gastric bypass patients, should be aware of how these products may affect your body differently than those folks who haven't had an alteration of the lower digestive system.

At any rate, my belief that foods closer to their natural form and less processes are usually more healthy, especially when used in moderation. My next experiment is to try honey and molasses, which are also natural and unrefined, for a comparison. 

My personal choice using agave is about 1/4 of a tablespoon of Organic Raw Blue Agave, (available at local health food stores) on one of those De Wafflebakker's sweet potato waffles (available at Fresh Market) with 1 Tablespoon of walnuts sprinkled on top, or almond or peanut butters. I have also tried other butters such a pumpkin and apple, which are lower in sugar. Another personal find I discovered in the early stages after surgery is using peach baby food...don't knock it till you try it...It's a great compliment to my morning egg...sunny side up! 

Enjoy! yes, we can...we have many more miles to go! 

for other info on alternative sweeteners just use the search on the left

Speaking of toppings, this year's beauties will top off a great season. Strawberries and blueberries are in season, both at the same time! 

Check out a local nursery where you can pick your own.  There's a great one over on Gordon Road. 

I love to pick blueberries...they're my favorite berries, along with blackberries, which they also grow over on Gordon Road's Strawberries Fields. 

Picking your own means you can be as "picky" as you want, and get great exercise and fresh air at the same time!

My only issue is knowing when to stop!  

Oh, and don't forget the Reddi Whip!