Five Reasons you Should Eat Ghee

The Sanskrit word for Ghee is Grhita, which means flowing luminosity, radiance and clarity. Take one look at a cup of freshly made warm ghee, and you will know that the ancients were right on their money. Ghee is the filtered golden liquid oil that is leftover when you gently heat butter until all the moisture and milk solids are removed from it. The resulting golden liquid is pure delight. It is delicious, nourishing and wholesome beyond compare. Here are five reasons why you should add ghee to your diet, pronto.

An Excellent Source of Vitamin A and Vitamin D and Vitamin K2

A spoonful of ghee contains a good amount of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E and K2, especially if the ghee is made from milk produced by grass fed cows. Vitamin K2 is as important as vitamin D when it comes to bone and skeletal health and heart health and grass fed ghee is an excellent source of vitamin K2. Also, ghee also contains a fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is a wonderful weight loss promoter in addition to slowing down certain forms of cancer and heart disease.

A Butyric Acid Dynamo

Meet Clostridium butyricum, a friendly gut microbe that lives deep down in your small and large intestines. If the name of these teeny tiny creatures sounds important, that is because they are – they are important for the production of a short chain fatty acid called butyric acid, which is in turn responsible for healthy digestion by promoting optimal gut mucosa, by blocking the growth of toxic bacteria in the gut and by maintaining electrolyte balance in the intestinal tract.

So what does ghee have to do with this microbe? Ghee is a natural and concentrated source of butyric acid and it helps in maintaining an optimal environment for these microbes to thrive and produce more butyric acid in turn! Essentially, ghee is both a butyric acid containing as well as a butyric acid producing food. Butyric acid is the prime energy source for your colon cells and super significant for digestive health, but its benefits are even more wide reaching in the body. It reduces inflammation, promotes thermogenesis, improves metabolism and increases insulin sensitivity.

Has a High Smoke Point

A high smoke point is a good thing when it comes to cooking, and ghee has a higher smoke point than many cooking oils. World’s Healthiest Foods estimates ghee’s smoke point between 400˚-500˚F (204˚-260˚C), as compared to butter’s 325˚-375˚F (163˚-191˚C). Smoke point is the point at which fats and oils begin to visibly smoke when heated to high temperatures. At their smoke point fats begin to disintegrate and form free radicals that are considered carcinogenic. So ghee, due to its stability is a dream to sauté, fry and cook with!

Two Words: Sensory Delight!

Whether it is its rich golden hue, or its nutty flavor, or its tempting aroma, ghee is a lovely fat, eating it is sheer pleasure and it invokes strong emotions! Food writers and chefs have a tendency to wax lyrical about it. Here is what some of them have to say about ghee.

Ratna Rajaiah, an Indian health food columnist writes, “Shut your eyes and imagine the unmistakable irresistible fragrance of food cooked in ghee wafting out of your kitchen!”

Susan Jane White, an Irish nutrition writer, declares, “Seriously. I want to smell like hot ghee for the rest of my life!”

Chef Carrie Nahabedian of Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago called Naha says, “With a rich, nutty flavor, it’s delicious on everything from lobster to Brussels sprouts.”

Rujuta Diwekar, nutritionist to Bollywood stars asserts, “Above all, nothing can compare with the taste of fresh hot ghee on dal, chawal or garam rotis—or even sautéed mushrooms.”

Deborah Madison, chef of Greens restaurant in San Francisco says, casino online “The flavor of this organic ghee (referring to Ancient Organics ghee) is so deep and rich with caramel overtones, that it transforms the simplest things, from a baked potato to a bowl of polenta.”

Ghee is a High Vibration Food

Our present day nutritional sciences are heavily based on the physical dimensions of food. However, there is much to food beyond the realm of calories, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Whether we are aware of it or not, what we eat has an effect on our subtle, subliminal bodies.

The Bhagvad Gita first classified foods that promote the purity and vitality of not just the body, but also the soul as satvik. According to Ayurveda, foods that bring forth the qualities of equanimity, peace, purity and joy are considered satvik. These foods are known to increase ojas or an inner radiance. Eating these foods result in the body and mind vibrating at a high vibration, which in turns results in bliss

Ghee is considered supreme among all satvik foods. The Bhagvad Gita simply states that ghee is God. While I’m not aware of the exact frequency in Hertz measure for ghee, I’m pretty sure that it is pretty high. I don’t have to make a case for ghee, it makes a case for itself. Its high vibration is palpable.

To Sum it Up 

Thousands of years ago, in the Vedic times, ghee was considered a symbol of purity and was used both as a food and in spiritual rituals such as lighting lamps and for fueling sacrificial fires. Not much has changed since then; ghee is still a divine aid that has great power to heal. We continually interact with the foods we eat, and in turn those foods exert a huge influence who we are and who we become. An ancient food, as old as the human race itself, ghee reminds us of the divine grace that permeates everyday life. So, make sure that you “interact” with it frequently, as it is not just a nourishing food, but also, sacred sustenance.

Sources:

• Elephant Journal; Why our Bodies Love Butter and Ghee
• Ratna Rajaiah; How the Banana Goes to Heaven
• Deanna Minnich; Chakra Foods for Optimum Health
• Andreas Moritz; Timeless Secrets for health and Rejuvenation
• Susan Jane White; Gheelicious Stuff
• Outlook India; In Praise of Ghee
• Facebook; Ancient Organics
• World’s Healthiest Foods; What are the advantages and disadvantages of butter and ghee when it comes to cooking?