Jimmy Carter's Affinity For Drinking Buttermilk May Not Have Been As Unhealthy As You'd Think

American presidents have always had their favorite foods. Teddy Roosevelt enjoyed mint juleps. Barack Obama was a broccoli fan. But you might be less familiar with one of Jimmy Carter's preferred foods, which is buttermilk, which has more potential health benefits than its name suggests.

Despite what it's called, there's no actual butter in buttermilk. It's a byproduct of the butter-making process that gets tangier with age as it ferments. (Today, the fermentation process of commercially available buttermilk is controlled for food safety reasons, as it is with similar products like yogurt.) One cup of buttermilk provides about 8 grams of protein, 284 milligrams of calcium, and 370 milligrams of potassium, all for less than 100 calories.

Individually, protein, calcium, and potassium have