[Food] The Great Norweigan Butter Crisis of 2011

[GasBandit]

A low-carb, high-fat “fad diet” that’s taking Norway by storm has caused the Scandinavian country to run out of butter.

The stockpile was already experiencing a shortage due to weather conditions, which reduced Norway’s milk supply.

Things have reportedly gotten so bad that people have taken to a popular auction site to sell their personal butter stores at nearly four times the regular price.

The lack of butter couldn’t come at a worse time for Norwegians, who are preparing to stuff their face full of traditional Christmas biscuits that require a plentiful quantity of the hot commodity.
The Nordic nation’s high import duties are reportedly keeping out dairy exporters such as nearby Denmark from shipping in butter.

Norwegian dairy company Synnøve Finde is said to be importing 300 tons of Belgian butter to ease the crisis. “I think it’s horrible that Norway’s biggest and, in fact, only supplier [TINE] doesn’t have control of its production,” said a Synnøve Finden spokesperson.

PROTIP: If your diet requires so much butter that you run out of butter, switch to a different diet.

 

[Gusto]

...What!?

 

[Allen who is Quiet]

There's a headline I never thought I'd read.

 

[Wahad]

Guess it's time for them to start buttering up other countries.

 

[Gusto]

I hope CNN will be providing up to the minute updates on this Crisis for the next 3 days.

 

[figmentPez]

PROTIP: If your diet requires so much butter that you run out of butter, switch to a different diet.

Hell no. I like my diet just the way it is. In fact, I might start adding butter to my soup. I need a few extra calories with the cold weather setting in.

 

[Frank]

Christmas biscuits don't sound low carb to me.

 

[strawman]

Guess it's time for them to start buttering up other countries.

That churns my stomach.

 

[Namesake]

 

[PatrThom]

Ah, now I know why the magazines 'shop her face into incandescence.

--Patrick

 

[Bowielee]

That is THE stupidest diet fad I've ever heard of.

The term "putting out fire with gasoline" comes to mind.

 

[Frank]

Eh, Atkins was huge in North America for a while too.

 

[Bowielee]

Atkins was high protien, low carb. This one is high fat, low carb...

HIGH FAT... you know to lose weight...



Cause nothing gets rid of the lipid reserves in your body like... stuffing more lipids in there.

 

[Tress]

Never underestimate the desperation of some fat people to lose weight without doing any work. I should know, most of my family acts this way. When my grandmother passed away we found a huge stash of weight loss systems, pills, equipment, and special diet books. Each one promised to help people lose weight without making any real changes or strenuous activity. Judging by my grandmother's size at the time of her death, they were all worthless.

 

[Bowielee]

I know, it just frustrates me that people are so fast to overlook simple logic for quick fixes.

 

[figmentPez]

Atkins was high protien, low carb. This one is high fat, low carb...

HIGH FAT... you know to lose weight...



Cause nothing gets rid of the lipid reserves in your body like... stuffing more lipids in there.

I'm guessing the media has grossly misrepresented whatever original diet started the fad. I'm currently on a doctor prescribed diet that, among other things, features a lot of fat. The thing is, it's not just any fat, but the... oh, screw it. I'm not going to waste my time trying to explain the difference between an Omega-3 and an Omega-6 and why grass fed beef/dairy, coconut oil, avacados, etc. are legitimately different than cottonseed oil, soybean oil, grain-fed beef, etc.. I've lost nearly 40lbs now because I'm getting the nutrition I need and I'm not stuffing my face with extra calories just because I feel hungry for nutrients I'm either not eating or not digesting. Now I am a special case because I've got health problems, besides my weight, that are being fixed and contributing to the weight loss, but it really is true that fat makes you feel full. It's honesty hard to overeat without a lot of carbs, even if I can eat as much fat as I please (mmm, big hunks of lamb fat in my soup.)

TL;DR Fat is not evil, and there's nothing inherently illogical about a high-fat diet actually causing weight loss.

 

[Frank]

I was probably on a very similar diet Pez when I lost my weight 6 years ago.

Fat rules and I eat too much of both it and carbs, I just make up the difference on the treadmill.

 

[Bowielee]

I understand that there is good fat, but creamery butter is most certainly not the good kind.

Really a high ANYTHING diet is inherently unhealthy. your body needs all the basic building blocks to function properly.

 

[figmentPez]

I understand that there is good fat, but creamery butter is most certainly not the good kind.

Depends on what type of cows the butter came from, and what those cows ate.

 

[Mathias]

I'm guessing the media has grossly misrepresented whatever original diet started the fad. I'm currently on a doctor prescribed diet that, among other things, features a lot of fat. The thing is, it's not just any fat, but the... oh, screw it. I'm not going to waste my time trying to explain the difference between an Omega-3 and an Omega-6 and why grass fed beef/dairy, coconut oil, avacados, etc. are legitimately different than cottonseed oil, soybean oil, grain-fed beef, etc.. I've lost nearly 40lbs now because I'm getting the nutrition I need and I'm not stuffing my face with extra calories just because I feel hungry for nutrients I'm either not eating or not digesting. Now I am a special case because I've got health problems, besides my weight, that are being fixed and contributing to the weight loss, but it really is true that fat makes you feel full. It's honesty hard to overeat without a lot of carbs, even if I can eat as much fat as I please (mmm, big hunks of lamb fat in my soup.)
TL;DR Fat is not evil, and there's nothing inherently illogical about a high-fat diet actually causing weight loss.

I was going to respond in kind to the fat is evil group, but you did a good job.
Empty calories are what's bad in all honesty, and people going nuts with butter is a good example of that. You're a special case where a doctor/nutritionist specifically put you on a very specific diet. The general rule of thumb still follows the rules of thermodynamics: the more you eat and less you expend energy, the more gets stored. What you eat, however, makes a huge difference. A 2000 calorie diet consisting of candy bars and soda is NOT the same as 5000 calorie diet of fish, potatoes, and oatmeal.
Added at: 05:32

Depends on what type of cows the butter came from, and what those cows ate.

I'd also like to throw in the processed food vs. natural food argument. High fat processed food (like a LOT of butter found in the store) is horrible for you. I'd argue that processed food overall is why America is so much fatter than the rest of the world. So if you're looking to drop a few pounds without doing anything - drop the fucking pop-tart in the morning and make a bowl of oatmeal with real oats and milk. No syrup, no cane sugar, maybe a little brown sugar (like a teaspoon for a whole bowl).

You know what fad diet works? A diet that involves people making their own meals from scratch. Make your own spaghetti sauce, apple sauce, make your own noodles etc... Bake your own cookies. Stuff like that takes time and some skill honing, but honestly it's worth it. It's not that hard to be honest. Grandma and Grandpa used to do it all the time.


http://www.intermartialarts.com/article/bruce-lee-diet


And I'm sick of this no carb bullshit. Carbohydrates are extremely important.

 

[PatrThom]

Yep. As regards the 'basic building blocks' comment, if your 2000 calories contain a full day's supply of all your basic building blocks, you're less likely to want to eat more. If your 2000 calories only contain 50% of a full day's supply, then you get tempted to eat 4000 calories to make up for it. The numbers are a bit crude, but you get the idea.

We've spent the last 5 years or so prepping for parenthood, being parents, and generally being forced to eke the maximum benefit from every dollar spent due to the economy. A lot of that optimization ended up involving education regarding food choices (purchase/preparation). It has not been a radical change, but it is definitely noticeable.

--Patrick

 

[Cajungal]

This is insane. Also, the phrase "personal butter" creeps me out.

I'd be so sad if I had no butter. That delightful little pat makes my morning omelet special.

 

[PatrThom]

You're welcome.

--Patrick

 

[LordRendar]

Why dont they just use Margerine?

 

[PatrThom]

Too many trans-fatty acids.
Also, Norway isn't known for its huge corn production.

--Patrick

 

[Cajungal]

Also, margarine is gross.

 

[LordRendar]

Well sorry if some of us are lactose intolerant. I could fart the room full....but i prefer not to.
but yeah...butter really tastes better.

 

[makare]

I like to cook with butter but on toast I need I cant believe it's not butter. It finally got down to 2 dollars a tub again so no I have toast. I missed toast. I love you so much toast!

Also, atkins was pretty high fat. My family did that and they ate loads of fat. Lost lots of weight too actually. Mysteries of life i guess.

 

[Mathias]

I like to cook with butter but on toast I need I cant believe it's not butter. It finally got down to 2 dollars a tub again so no I have toast. I missed toast. I love you so much toast!

Also, atkins was pretty high fat. My family did that and they ate loads of fat. Lost lots of weight too actually. Mysteries of life i guess.

The Atkins diet forces your body into ketosis (essentially trying trick your body to thinking that it's starving), and the exclusive high fat diet can lead to things like high cholesterol and heart disease. Weight loss is not easy (2 million years of evolution makes it this way), and I laugh at any fool that essentially tries to "trick" their body into burning fat and losing weight. The only way to lose weight is to use up more energy than you store (i.e. exercise), and use up that energy more efficiently (i.e. good diet).

 

[Bowielee]

The Atkins diet forces your body into ketosis (essentially trying trick your body to thinking that it's starving), and the exclusive high fat diet can lead to things like high cholesterol and heart disease. Weight loss is not easy (2 million years of evolution makes it this way), and I laugh at any fool that essentially tries to "trick" their body into burning fat and losing weight. The only way to lose weight is to use up more energy than you store (i.e. exercise), and use up that energy more efficiently (i.e. good diet).

The Atkins is dangerous and actually counter-productive. The second you stop with that diet, your body still thinks it's going to be starving and will start storing up fat at an acelerated rate to return to some form of homeostasis. So, in essence, you'll probably end up fatter after the Atkins diet than before.

 

[figmentPez]

And I'm sick of this no carb bullshit. Carbohydrates are extremely important.

Damn straight they are. For taste if nothing else. I want them back in my diet as soon as my system can handle them. (I have to limit the amount of carbs I eat because of a fungal infection. The weight loss is a side-effect to treatment.)

 

[makare]

Well fad diets are always going to be pretty laughable I think. My mom did one in high school where she ate nothing but grapefruit. Yuck.

 

[PatrThom]

Oh, come on. We all know that all you need to lose weight is myostatin deficiency and a 200mg/day dose of resveratrol. It's so simple!

--Patrick

 

[David]

I never managed to lose weight until I started calorie counting. Can eat anything I want as long as it doesn't in total exceed 2000 calories in the day. Dropped from 240+ to 215 in a matter of months.

(Was also taking a gym class at my community college at the time and so was regularly jogging the treadmill and lifting weights, which probably didn't hurt)

 

[Frank]

The Atkins diet forces your body into ketosis (essentially trying trick your body to thinking that it's starving), and the exclusive high fat diet can lead to things like high cholesterol and heart disease. Weight loss is not easy (2 million years of evolution makes it this way), and I laugh at any fool that essentially tries to "trick" their body into burning fat and losing weight. The only way to lose weight is to use up more energy than you store (i.e. exercise), and use up that energy more efficiently (i.e. good diet).

Basically this.

Honestly, exercise and common sense are really all it takes. I won't say it wasn't hard, but I managed to drop nearly a hundred pounds with minimal dietary changes (less soda mostly) and gradually ramping the exercise up as I began to lose weight.