A staple in Indian cuisine with wide religious, wellness and medicinal uses, clarified butter has been in use since 1500 BC.
Specially used to anoint Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna, Ghee is used in the sacred Abhishekam for Lord Shiva to ward off illnesses.
What Is Ghee (Clarified Butter)?
Ghee is a clarified type of butter, meaning that it has been simmered into a concentrate and the residue has been removed. What remains is basically a pure combination of fats, without any milk residue, which means that it does not need to be refrigerated. Ghee can last for months, or even years, without refrigeration, which made it very popular throughout history, before modern times and refrigeration.
The impressive benefits of ghee include its ability to protect your gastrointestinal system, balance the cholesterol levels, provide additional energy, reduce inflammation in the joints, eliminate certain allergy concerns, protect you from various chronic disease, improve your eye health, strengthen your immune system, and even prevent certain types of cancer.
Boosts Energy
Ghee has unique short-chain fatty acids, which are very useful for the body and can be processed by the liver and burnt as energy, not passing into the adipose tissue or contributing to weight gain.
Reduces GI
Desi ghee reduces the glycaemic index of the foods i.e the rate at which glucose enters the blood stream. Making it a perfect choice for diabetic and insulin resistant people.
Absorption of Vit D
Vit D deficiency is highly common today. Desi ghee helps in better absorption of Vit D there by overcoming its deficiency.
Desi Prebiotic
Being rich in short chain fatty acids Desi ghee also acts as a prebiotic and helps in growth of gut friendly bacteria providing them a better environment to thrive.
Brain Development
The unique fatty acid structure of desi ghee nourishes the tissues of brain making it highly recommended brain food for the growing children. In adults it helps in curbing memory loss and other ageing related brain dysfunctions.
Reduces Allergy
Since ghee is dairy-free (having had all of the dairy residue simmered off), lactose intolerant individuals or those who cannot consume other dairy products are free to enjoy the flavorful treat of “ clarified butter”.
Heart Health
Although most people associate ghee with fat and a decline in heart health, the rich variety of fats in ghee can provide a healthy boost to the heart. Omega-3 fatty acids can help decrease your levels of bad cholesterol and provide an energetic balance to your fat intake.
Eliminates Free Radicals
The health benefits of vitamin A are widely publicized and the power of carotenoids in terms of eliminating free radicals in the body are extremely valuable. When you add the antioxidant capacity of conjugated linoleic acid (present in ghee) to the power of vitamin A contained in ghee, you have a powerful anti-cancer substance that could help reduce oxidative stress throughout the body.
Eye Care
The significant levels of vitamin A in ghee make it ideal for protecting eye health. Carotenoids are antioxidants that specialize in eliminating and neutralizing the free radicals that attack the macular cells, thereby preventing macular degeneration and the development of cataracts.
Boosts Immune System
Butyric acid has also been linked to the stimulation of T-cell production, which are the heavy-hitting cells of the immune system. In other words, ghee can supercharge your immune system in addition to all of its other health benefits.
Word of Caution: All of the benefits mentioned above make ghee an ideal substitute for processed butter and refined oils; however, as mentioned a number of times, ghee is made purely of fat, so excessive consumption of ghee can dramatically change your fat intake and can act as a negative dietary choice.
Here’s a video about how to make ghee at home. Video Courtesy: Youtube.
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Uma Narula is an award winning practising Nutritionist since 10 years.If you have any queries you can email on uma@nutriguide.co.in or call on +91 99676 35556/+32 468 29 79 49.