Butter Is Not A Carb, But How Much Calories Are In A Stick Of Butter?

If you’re a 90’s kid, then you might be a part of the generation that still remembers Mean Girls and all its iconic lines like “Is butter a carb?”. It was an era-defining film with the most iconic lines that most millennials love quoting every chance they get to the point that it actually got people asking if butter is a carb.

If you go on Google and type “is butter,” it will already auto-populate the choices based on people’s search, and it looks like many people were Googling if butter is a carb. That iconic line has also spawned several health and lifestyle articles referencing “Is butter a carb?” a question Regina George asked Cady Heron in the film, to which she says “Yes.” Unfortunately, no. Butter is not a carb; it is fat.

So, now that many people have debunked the Mean Girls myth that butter is a carb let’s answer another important question: “How much calories are in a stick of butter?

Again, Butter Is Not A Carb!

Is Butter A Carb?

In Mean Girls, Regina George was trying to lose weight for their high school prom, and Cady Heron wanted to sabotage her diet by misleading her into thinking that butter is a carb. Now, this is where the film is intentionally wrong. What we mean by wrong is that the film perpetuated this miscategorization of butter as a carb and that you can secretly use it to sabotage your friends into gaining weight so they wouldn’t fit in their prom dresses.

Yes, we love Mean Girls, and we know that this storyline of girls losing weight and sabotaging each other’s lives is problematic nowadays. But before you go being a snowflake, let’s remember that this is a teenage comedy film that satirizes youth culture. 

Can Butter Make Me Gain Weight?

Again, butter is not a carb. It is saturated fat, and it’s not bad for your health at all – as long as you eat it in moderation. Butter actually has several health benefits like lessening your chances of developing some diseases like diabetes and cancer. It also helps improve your eyesight, strengthen your bones, and make your skin healthier.

When it comes to butter’s weight-gaining properties, each tablespoon of it has 102 calories. So, Cady Heron was half-right when she used it to make Regina George gain weight. But butter can only make you gain weight if you consume maybe eight sticks of butter in one seating, which is humanly impossible.

Additionally, while butter is healthy if consumed in moderation, it could lead to health conditions like some heart diseases and Alzheimer’s. So, if movies like Mean Girls got you paranoid about eating butter, do yourself a favor: don’t be. You can eat it with your toast and pancakes; just don’t overdo it, okay?

WATCH VIDEO: “Is butter a carb?” – Rachel McAdams answers deep questions from Mean Girls

Our Unhealthy Relationship With Health

Is Pizza A Carb?

Our Unhealthy Relationship With Health - How Much Calories In A Stick Of Butter

Is butter a carb? A big nope. Source: unsplash.com

So, while we’re on the topic of food, it’s a perfect opportunity to bring to light our unhealthy obsession with food and unhealthy eating habits. It’s no question that most of the food we consume, like French fries, grilled meat, canned goods, pastries, pizzas, soft drinks, beers, etc., are unhealthy. Yes, even pizzas. It’s like there’s nothing we can eat that wouldn’t make us unhealthy.

Even the snack your little sister loves to eat has almost zero nutrition. Do you know the sour patch kids nutrition? It has none and it has too much sugar and 150 calories, it’s almost like eating a stick of butter.

But why are we buying them and consuming them on a daily basis? To simply put it: we crave these kinds of food because they contain additives and sugar that trigger some pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters in our brains. And when you combine that with the capitalistic society we live in that wants to profit from our unhealthy eating habits, then it’s a losing game. Well, that is unless you make a change in your diet and your relationship with your health.

Are you interested in looking at some movies perfect to watch while eating? Check out movies like Legally Blonde.

Is Fast Food A Carb?

Is Fast Food A Carb? - How Much Calories In A Stick Of Butter

Is fast food a carb? Who cares. Just avoid them – How much calories are in a stick of butter? Source: unsplash.com

In recent times, many people have filed lawsuits against food companies for misleading food labels and causing unhealthy diets for many people. Some people might think it’s absurd when these companies did not force you to eat their food. To some level, it is true, but that is a totally bonkers argument because these companies have been profiting from their lies. They are marketing food that is causing the diseases many of the people we know are probably suffering from, and it is time for them to face the consequences of their actions.

If you use the “Is butter a carb?” scene from Mean Girls as an analogy for the food industry controversies, Cady Heron is the personified version of the food industry, while Regina George represents us, the consumers. The former has been lying to the latter about their food intake. Both of them are mean girls; both of them are responsible, but one was secretly evil. And as many of us are starting to wake up to the truth that we have been lied to, these events could change the food industry forever. Hopefully, it will be for the better.

Besides being lied to by the fast-food industry, they could also be gaslighting you. Find out if you are indeed being gaslighted by taking our quiz.

You Are What You Eat

You Are What You Eat - How Much Calories In A Stick Of Butter

Butter may not be a carb, but try not to eat this much in one sitting – How much calories are in a stick of butter? Source: unsplash.com

So, while there are many articles, news, and lawsuits out there, you should consider making a change in your diet. Don’t let the capitalists win. Eat healthily. Eat butter moderately.

At the end of the day, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. 

Are you interested in knowing the meaning behind some expressions like closed mouths don’t get fed? Clue: it’s not about eating. 

Leonard

Leonard hails from the Philippines and works as a freelancer, author, poet, and visual artist. He discovered his passion for writing and painting at an early age, leading him to pursue a degree in Mass Communications. He worked at a few places after college before landing what he thought was a "life-changing" writing career. He was also the lead singer and songwriter for a band. His career as an English teacher, poet, and visual artist took him to Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2018. You can see more of his work on Instagram at @anumalei.