What is Ghee?
Ghee is a clarified butter originating in ancient India. Sometime near 1800-2000 BCE, the need to carry butter for distances – probably for trade – led to the creation of shelf-stable butter known as Ghee. Ghee has been used not only for cooking but also as a traditional medicine. Ghee is made by removing the milk solids from butter through a slow cooking process. Because of this, it can be tolerated by most and does not require refrigeration. Use a clean, dry spoon with each use and store away from sunlight to retain purity. It's consistency will change with the weather, liquifying slightly in the warmer months and solidifying in the cooler months.
One Good Choice Ghee is made on a waxing or full moon, a traditional process that is believed to enhance it’s positive qualities. Nutritionist Paul Pitchford states that: 'Ayurveda also describes clarified butter (ghee) as one of the finest cooking oils; it increases "digestive fire" and thereby improves assimilation and enhances the nutritional value of foods" Pitchford, Paul, (2002). Healing with Whole Foods, 3rd Edition, p 182
One Good Choice Ghee is made on a waxing or full moon, a traditional process that is believed to enhance it’s positive qualities. Nutritionist Paul Pitchford states that: 'Ayurveda also describes clarified butter (ghee) as one of the finest cooking oils; it increases "digestive fire" and thereby improves assimilation and enhances the nutritional value of foods" Pitchford, Paul, (2002). Healing with Whole Foods, 3rd Edition, p 182
Benefits of Ghee
From: 10 Reasons to Use Ghee Every Day
Ghee is 100% butterfat… golden, flavorful, nutrient-rich butterfat. Butter contains primarily butterfat, but also milk proteins and water. To create ghee, butter is simmered to separate the oil from the other components, which are strained off. Ghee traces its roots to the ancient tradition of Ayurveda, where it was considered a sacred, medicinal, cleansing, and nourishing food.
1. Ghee is Lactose Free
The ability to digest lactose – a sugar found in milk – varies depending on the quality of the dairy product, your digestive health, and even your ethnicity. Traditional cultures knew how to improve the digestibility of dairy. Raw milk, for example, contains enzymes that break down the lactose. Fermenting dairy into yogurt and kefir breaks down much of the lactose. And the process of creating ghee removes the lactose and leaves behind a pure butter oil.
2 Casein Free
Casein, the protein component of milk, is blamed for milk allergies (technically, an allergic reaction occurs to the protein in a food). When gut flora is compromised, casein consumption can actually create an opiate effect on the brain because it is not being properly digested. In the creation of ghee, the milk solids containing the lactose and casein (separate from the oil) and are removed.
Note that if you are actually allergic to milk, trace proteins in ghee may trigger a reaction.
3. Ghee is a stable fat for cooking
Quick high school biology review: in fatty acid molecules, the more double bonds between the carbon chain, the more unstable the molecule. This means that the bonds are more likely to break when exposed to heat or pressure, and the fatty acid oxidizes and becomes toxic to our cells. Polyunsaturated oils (think plant oils, like sunflower oil and safflower oil) contain many double bonds and are least stable for cooking. Ghee, however, is a primarily saturated fat and is highly heat-stable for sautéing and baking (smoke point 450-485°F) . Note that the smoking point of oils does not indicate the stability of the oil. Vegetable oils may have a high smoke point, but they are so delicate they actually rancidify with heat and processing used during the oil extraction.
4. Ghee is a saturated fat
We now have research showing that saturated fat consumption does not cause heart disease. For example, there are two monstrous meta-analysis from 2010 and 2014 showing consumption of saturated fat does not correlate with heart disease.
5. Ghee boasts bioavailable vitamin A
The dairy products of ruminants (cows, sheep, goats) grazing on grass provides an excellent source of fat-soluble vitamins including vitamin A. These vitamins are stored primarily in the fat portion, so the concentration of vitamins in ghee is higher than in milk. Vitamin A plays an essential role in hormone balance, liver health, fertility, and stamina. Contrary to popular belief, vitamin A cannot be obtained from plan sources such as carrots. The conversion of carotenes in vegetables to the useable form of vitamin A is insignificant, and made further negligible by health conditions such as thyroid imbalances. The vitamin A in ghee is both immediately useable by the body, and also contains the fatty acid cofactors required for absorption.
6. Ghee contains Conjugated Linoleic Acid
Ghee and butter are the best dietary sources of this fatty acid. As with all nutrients in ghee, concentrations of CLA are drastically higher in ghee from grass-fed cows. Numerous studies show that CLA inhibits the growth of breast cancer. Supplementation with CLA has also been shown to cause fat loss and improved body composition in humans. I believe a nutrient from a whole-food source – in this case, CLA in ghee – is more effective than a supplement due to being paired with naturally-occurring cofactors. Further, the fat content of ghee plays an essential role in weight loss due to satiation quality.
One recent study shows why ghee offers health-protective benefits for children.
7. Ghee is a good (!) source of cholesterol
Further, the cholesterol in ghee is something to revere, not fear. Science tells us that cholesterol does not cause atherosclerosis. As a healing agent in the body, levels of cholesterol rise during periods of stress or when inflammation is present. Providing cholesterol through good quality fats, such as grass-fed ghee, allows the body to help address the inflammation (there is an informative link in the full article on how fats work in the body)
8. Ghee provides Vitamin K
Grass-fed ghee contains the highly elusive nutrient vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is the shuttle that transports calcium into your bones. You can eat as much calcium as you want but it won’t strengthen your bones unless it is accompanied by vitamin K2. (Source.) As a fat-soluble vitamin, it requires the fatty acids in ghee for absorption.
9. Ghee is a source of butyric acid
Ghee contains a significant level of butyric acid, an anti-carcinogenic short-chain fatty acid. Butyric acid has been shown to inhibit the growth of mammary tumors. Butyric acid is also a biological response modifier, a substance that arouses the body’s response to infection. Studies show that it boasts numerous healing and soothing properties on the intestinal tract (source, source). Some strains of beneficial gut flora produce butyric acid, and research shows the butyric acid produced may be a potential treatment for Irritable Bowel Disease.
10. Ghee has incredible flavor
“Fat gives things flavor.” – Julia Child
Ghee is 100% butterfat… golden, flavorful, nutrient-rich butterfat. Butter contains primarily butterfat, but also milk proteins and water. To create ghee, butter is simmered to separate the oil from the other components, which are strained off. Ghee traces its roots to the ancient tradition of Ayurveda, where it was considered a sacred, medicinal, cleansing, and nourishing food.
1. Ghee is Lactose Free
The ability to digest lactose – a sugar found in milk – varies depending on the quality of the dairy product, your digestive health, and even your ethnicity. Traditional cultures knew how to improve the digestibility of dairy. Raw milk, for example, contains enzymes that break down the lactose. Fermenting dairy into yogurt and kefir breaks down much of the lactose. And the process of creating ghee removes the lactose and leaves behind a pure butter oil.
2 Casein Free
Casein, the protein component of milk, is blamed for milk allergies (technically, an allergic reaction occurs to the protein in a food). When gut flora is compromised, casein consumption can actually create an opiate effect on the brain because it is not being properly digested. In the creation of ghee, the milk solids containing the lactose and casein (separate from the oil) and are removed.
Note that if you are actually allergic to milk, trace proteins in ghee may trigger a reaction.
3. Ghee is a stable fat for cooking
Quick high school biology review: in fatty acid molecules, the more double bonds between the carbon chain, the more unstable the molecule. This means that the bonds are more likely to break when exposed to heat or pressure, and the fatty acid oxidizes and becomes toxic to our cells. Polyunsaturated oils (think plant oils, like sunflower oil and safflower oil) contain many double bonds and are least stable for cooking. Ghee, however, is a primarily saturated fat and is highly heat-stable for sautéing and baking (smoke point 450-485°F) . Note that the smoking point of oils does not indicate the stability of the oil. Vegetable oils may have a high smoke point, but they are so delicate they actually rancidify with heat and processing used during the oil extraction.
4. Ghee is a saturated fat
We now have research showing that saturated fat consumption does not cause heart disease. For example, there are two monstrous meta-analysis from 2010 and 2014 showing consumption of saturated fat does not correlate with heart disease.
5. Ghee boasts bioavailable vitamin A
The dairy products of ruminants (cows, sheep, goats) grazing on grass provides an excellent source of fat-soluble vitamins including vitamin A. These vitamins are stored primarily in the fat portion, so the concentration of vitamins in ghee is higher than in milk. Vitamin A plays an essential role in hormone balance, liver health, fertility, and stamina. Contrary to popular belief, vitamin A cannot be obtained from plan sources such as carrots. The conversion of carotenes in vegetables to the useable form of vitamin A is insignificant, and made further negligible by health conditions such as thyroid imbalances. The vitamin A in ghee is both immediately useable by the body, and also contains the fatty acid cofactors required for absorption.
6. Ghee contains Conjugated Linoleic Acid
Ghee and butter are the best dietary sources of this fatty acid. As with all nutrients in ghee, concentrations of CLA are drastically higher in ghee from grass-fed cows. Numerous studies show that CLA inhibits the growth of breast cancer. Supplementation with CLA has also been shown to cause fat loss and improved body composition in humans. I believe a nutrient from a whole-food source – in this case, CLA in ghee – is more effective than a supplement due to being paired with naturally-occurring cofactors. Further, the fat content of ghee plays an essential role in weight loss due to satiation quality.
One recent study shows why ghee offers health-protective benefits for children.
7. Ghee is a good (!) source of cholesterol
Further, the cholesterol in ghee is something to revere, not fear. Science tells us that cholesterol does not cause atherosclerosis. As a healing agent in the body, levels of cholesterol rise during periods of stress or when inflammation is present. Providing cholesterol through good quality fats, such as grass-fed ghee, allows the body to help address the inflammation (there is an informative link in the full article on how fats work in the body)
8. Ghee provides Vitamin K
Grass-fed ghee contains the highly elusive nutrient vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is the shuttle that transports calcium into your bones. You can eat as much calcium as you want but it won’t strengthen your bones unless it is accompanied by vitamin K2. (Source.) As a fat-soluble vitamin, it requires the fatty acids in ghee for absorption.
9. Ghee is a source of butyric acid
Ghee contains a significant level of butyric acid, an anti-carcinogenic short-chain fatty acid. Butyric acid has been shown to inhibit the growth of mammary tumors. Butyric acid is also a biological response modifier, a substance that arouses the body’s response to infection. Studies show that it boasts numerous healing and soothing properties on the intestinal tract (source, source). Some strains of beneficial gut flora produce butyric acid, and research shows the butyric acid produced may be a potential treatment for Irritable Bowel Disease.
10. Ghee has incredible flavor
“Fat gives things flavor.” – Julia Child
Uses of Ghee
Some of the many uses of Ghee:
• Make it your primary cooking fat for sautéing and searing
• Swap it for butter for spreading on baked goods
• Toss steamed vegetables with ghee and sea salt
• Use it in any recipe that calls for cooking oil or butter
• Use it in place of coconut oil or palm oil for baking
• If roasting vegetables, you can melt ghee and then drizzle it on like olive oil before baking
• Fry your kitchen spices or mix your medicinal herbs in ghee to absorb and transport the
healing benefits to targeted areas in your body
• Dab it on your skin to heal minor burns
• Make it your primary cooking fat for sautéing and searing
• Swap it for butter for spreading on baked goods
• Toss steamed vegetables with ghee and sea salt
• Use it in any recipe that calls for cooking oil or butter
• Use it in place of coconut oil or palm oil for baking
• If roasting vegetables, you can melt ghee and then drizzle it on like olive oil before baking
• Fry your kitchen spices or mix your medicinal herbs in ghee to absorb and transport the
healing benefits to targeted areas in your body
• Dab it on your skin to heal minor burns
