Modern science now verifies what Ayurvedic health science has said for thousands of years about the health benefits of Ghee. Cooking with ghee is good for the mind, body, and spirit. It is a tasty superfood.
What is Ghee?
Ghee is clarified butter.
It is butter that has had all milk proteins and any other impurities removed, leaving only the soluble fat itself, and nothing else.
It’s pure fat, specifically from butter, so it’s called clarified butter.
Ghee originated in India and is commonly used in South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, traditional medicine, and religious rituals.
I consider ghee — a form of clarified butter — an essential powerfood and it’s really easy to make at home!
Health Benefits of Ghee
1. Ghee has a high smoke point (250 °C 482 °F).
You can cook and fry with ghee and it will not break down into free radicals like many other oils.
2. Ghee Does Not Need Refrigeration
Ghee does not spoil easily so does not need refrigeration. Some ghee mixtures last up to 100 years.
One of the primary reasons to make your own ghee is because it’s stable at room temperature and last so long.
3. Buttery taste without causing dairy allergies.
Ghee is made from butter but the milk solids and impurities have been removed. One of the primary health benefits of ghee is that most people who are lactose or casein intolerant have no issue with ghee.
Ghee Benefits on Energy and Weight Management
4. Ghee is Nutritionally Rich
Ghee is nutritionally rich Like Coconut Oil and is rich in medium chain fatty acids which are absorbed directly to the liver (like carbs) and burnt as energy.
Athletes can use ghee as a consistent energy source.
5. Weight Loss
The energy from these medium chain fatty acids can be used to burn other fats in the system and lose weight.
6. Digestion and Immune Strengthening Benefits
Ghee (unlike other oils) is rich in butyric acid, a short chain fatty acid. Beneficial intestinal bacteria convert fiber into butyric acid and then use that for energy and intestinal wall support. A healthy body, therefore, makes its own form of ‘ghee’ but you can aid that greatly by just consuming it.
7. Healthy Digestive Tract
Research shows that people with unhealthy digestive tracts do not produce butyric acid.
Plums are really good for the digestive tract as well.
8. Healthy Immune System
Research shows that adequate production of butyric acid supports the production of killer T cells in the gut, and thus a strong immune system, so another one of the strong health benefits of ghee.
9. Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer
- Researchers are using oral butyrate supplements and butyrate enemas to treat inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
- Ayurvedic physicians have been using ghee enemas for centuries to decrease inflammation.
10. Strong Appetite
Ghee stimulates the secretion of gastric acid, thus aiding in the digestive process. Better digestion equals better health and weight loss.
Mind and Spirit
Ghee can help cleanse negative emotions from the body and feed the positive.
11. Molecules of Emotion
Modern research is now revealing that negative emotions have a chemical nature. This is what ancient cultures have always maintained, that the mind and body are one. These chemicals are attracted to and stored in fat.
Ghee can be used to replace those fats. Plus, if used properly in a cleanse, can attract and pull out these emotional toxins so they can be cleansed from the body.
12. Positive Food
Within Ayurveda, ghee is considered one of the most sattvic foods.
Satvic foods promote positivity, growth, and expansion of consciousness.
13. Holy Cow
The positive subtle health benefits of ghee are said to come from the fact that it comes freely from cows.
Cows are special or holy because they receive and store thousands of spiritual energies from the environment. The milk from cows, therefore, contains the essence of all those energies and ghee is the essence of the milk.
Herbal Energizer
14. Fry Your Spices in Ghee
Many of the medicinal properties of herbs and spices can be absorbed and transported to targeted areas of the body with ghee.
This is why Ayurveda uses ghee in thousands of different herbal preparation.
You can do the same thing by frying your kitchen spices in ghee before adding to your dishes.
Ghee Nutrition Benefits
- It is rich in the oil-soluble vitamins A, D and E.
- Also, is rich in K2 and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) – an antioxidant with anti-viral properties if it is sourced from grass-fed cows.
Make and Store Ghee
Ghee is made the same as clarified butter but heated longer. The two things that will degrade ghee are water and sunlight.
Learn how to Make Ghee in your own kitchen. It’s easy.
As for how to store ghee, it’s pretty much foolproof:
- Always store your ghee in a container with a good seal in the dark.
- This is why it is best not to store ghee in the refrigerator if you are using it often. When you open it up to the warm air, water will condense on the ghee and cause oxidation.
- Ghee will last 2-3 months if you keep it in an airtight container.
- When kept in a refrigerator, without opening, ghee can last up to a year.
Embrace Ghee
Ghee was once thought to be unhealthy because it is saturated, but research has now revealed the truth about fats and oils. Ghee is one of the five healthy fats YOU NEED in your kitchen..
Recipes using Ghee
Cardamom/Coconut Palau: I took all her tastiest palau ideas and put them together into this one delicious recipe.
Diana’s Potato Latkes: Latkes taste wonderful but usually are made with eggs. This is a healthy eggless recipe.
Peppy Potato Yum! Spicy potatoes.
Curried Popcorn: My favorite popcorn recipe.
All the recipes on our site are vegan, with the exception of ghee which would be considered vegetarian. If you’re looking for something healthy and new for a vegan dinner or condiment, please check out my personally created recipe collection.
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Very informative article sir, ghee has lots of benefits on health if consumed controlled quantity, But i would to know which ghee is better cow ghee or buffalo ghee from health perspective ?
I am not aware of any comparisons between the two ghees but you are definitely safe with cow ghee since most of the studies are on cow ghee.
There is also a long tradition of spiritual benefits being attributed to cow ghee?