Butter vs Olive Oil: Which Is Truly Healthier?

I think it’s safe to say that the majority would believe olive oil is far healthier than butter. Most, in fact, would consider this a no-brainer and would think anyone who believes differently is insane.

I know this because I’m in the butter camp. I love butter and eat it as a snack, and in doing so, I’ve had friends and family give me many a sideways look as I gorge on this dairy delight. Yes, I’m the crazy one in my gang.

Olive oil is branded as the healthy option in mainstream advice. At this point, before I delve into the facts, I actually have no major issues with olive oil, assuming it’s cold-pressed and not mixed with anything else, i.e., pure oil made from nothing but olives.

I reckon whether you eat olive oil or butter, you’ll be doing much better health-wise than anyone choosing vegetable or seed oils over these two options. Seed oils are, in my humble opinion, not food.

They are not supposed to be consumed by humans. I’d go as far as to say, they are poisoning us… very, very slowly. So slow, we don’t know it’s even happening.

Anyway, I digress… back to the question: Butter vs Olive Oil: Which Is Truly Healthier?

One’s been painted as a villain for clogging arteries, while the other’s been crowned the “heart-healthy” hero. But is it really that simple?

For years, mainstream advice has urged us to consume plant oils instead of animal fats. Yet when you look at history—and even common sense—the story isn’t so clear. Butter has fueled humans for centuries, while olive oil arrived much later for most of the world.

So let’s cut through the myths and see what makes these two fats different.