Some things should be simple. Like lying down on your bed to sleep after a long tiring day. Like peeling down a riped banana? Or licking a coated spoonful of your favourite iced cream at the peak of scorching summer. Right? Well, I am not so sure anymore.

The tub of butter I picked up the other day read:

Ingredients: Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed, Palm, Sunflower in Varying Proportions), Water, Salt (1.4%), Emulsifiers (Sunflower Lecithin, Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Acid (Citric Acid), Flavourings, Colours (Carotenes), Vitamins (A, D).

I was unsure if this was what I really wanted, so I dropped it for a more prominent brand known for its praises. It read:

Ingredients: Vegetable Oils in varying proportions (39%) (Rapeseed, Palm, Sunflower), Water, Olive Oil (21%), Salt (1.1%), Buttermilk (Milk), Emulsifiers (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Acid (Citric Acid), Natural Flavouring, Vitamins A and D, Colour (Carotenes).

Butter is made out of Churned milk. Knowing this fact doesn’t demand a degree in Animal farming. Therefore, the ingredients in butter shouldn’t be this complicated. Why do I need added vitamins and flavouring in my butter?

My Butter Fallacy

The ingredients on the real butter shouldn’t be more than three and definitely, it shouldn’t contain any added vitamins. There are naturally occurring vitamins and minerals in butter.

I set out to buy butter and I know the difference between butter, buttery spread and margarine. Margarine is a portion of processed food. It is an emulsion of cheap fats and water made to mimic the taste and performance of butter.

Buttery spread is something similar to margarine. Many shops sell buttery spread as “light or “trans-fat-free”. It is should be plant-based, however, it does sometimes contain dairy.

I don’t have any problem with people using margarine or buttery spread. If you feel and think margarine does it for you, by all means, indulge in it. The only problem I have is always with the food companies misleading people.

I am a big believer in the old adage CALL A SPADE A SPADE. Why label margarine as butter when the products are different? In the meantime, if you’re looking to buy real unadulterated butter read the label.

The Real Food

Many of the foods we ingest were discovered centuries or decades ago. Some wise women and men experimented with different food items and put the recipes together to form the nutritious or non-nutritious(if you think otherwise) meals we have now.

Oils and various kinds of butter have been in use for centuries. Oils like olive and coconut oils are packed with goodness. Likewise, these oils (Coconut and olive oils for instance) can be made at home.

Palm oil is derived from the outer part of the fruit of oil palm. A look at fresh palm fruits tells the tales of where palm oil comes from.

Butter contains calcium. This is basic knowledge since it is from cows or goats or sheep. It also contains vitamin D, a nutrient that is vital for bone growth and development. Calcium is known to prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones weak and fragile. It also contributes to healthier skin.

What I Am After

I am not after the cosmetics of our present food culture. A bunch of fresh thyme in an old pot by your window seal is better than the fancy-packed fresh thyme you bought in your supermarket.

For the stress-free life we crave, we add more stress through our poor eating habits. We have become lazy at tracing the source of our food. The main purpose of food is to nourish the body and soul.

But, what happened when vital ingredients are swapped just for gains and wins? What are the consequences of taking out nutritional ingredients for a look-like and feel-like? We pay the price with something much more valuable: Our health. Simple!!!

Why do we ingest the opposite of what we sought to get? Real food shouldn’t be misleading. The moment we stop caring about our food content and chase after brands over nutrients, we have failed.

I am a big believer in the old adage CALL A SPADE A SPADE. Why label margarine as butter when the products are different? In the meantime, if you’re looking to buy real unadulterated butter read the label.