Monday, January 24, 2011

GHEE -Good or Bad???





      Ghee is  similar to clarified butter;but with complete elimination of milk solids ,unlike the clarified butter.It is  made by melting and boiling the butter constantly at a low temperature/medium flame until all the moisture content is eliminated and  milk proteins are crystallised and caramelised separating  the yellow liquid at the top.The crystallised solid portions are strained out and only the liquid portion is stored.A perfectly prepared ghee has a pleasant sweet aroma and light yellow color and sandy  consistency .
SOME FACTS:
  • .Ghee does not contain Lactin and casein and so can be used by people who are allergic to milk products too (lactose intolerance)
  • Ghee is free of harmful trans fats present in most hydrogenated oils which is a major predisposed factor for cardiovascular disease.
  • Ghee aids in digestion by neutralising  the gastric acids  and also is easily absorbed by the intestine ;unlike the other oils and butter which further slow down the digestion.
  • A longer shelf life ,and no need to refrigerate.
  • High smoke temperature (around 480 degree F) unlike oils and butter (350 to 400 degree F),so doesn't get burnt very easily.So it could be an ideal substitute for frying your food ,unless price is a constrain.
SOME OF THE SPECIFIC MEDICINAL PROPERTIES WELL KNOWN IN AYURVEDA :
  • Ghee has a very good penetrative ability into the skin and also deeper into the tissues and joints.It is well absorbed (90%)by the skin and tissues.Therefore, it is definitely proven to be a good medicine for alleviating  joint problems ,aids lubrication and flexibility and also a good moisturiser and helps nourishment and toning the skin.
  • Ghee , due to credits of  absorptive and digestive ability could aid in bowel movements and clearing the bowel in the mornings and is an useful aid for people with constipation.:)
  • Ghee has healing properties due to the presence of considerable amount of fatty acids and helps in healing of minor cuts,wounds,burns  and chaps or cracks on foot sole/lips.
  • Ghee is the major base or carrier  for preparation of most medicines in Ayurveda .A lot of herbs or medicines are added and heated in the ghee and is stored as medicines for usage in different ailments.(gritha).These are only a few highlighted points ,there are a lot more to list.
      So after reading all this ,there is a major question.Eating ghee makes me fat.Should I eat it still? Any oil can have 2 types of fatty acids :saturated(long chain and short chain fatty acids) and unsaturated (has mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids ).Poly unsaturated fatty acids like trans fatty acids which increase the level of "LDL"/"bad cholesterol" are not considered ideal part of a diet. Researches have proven that ghee contains  medium and short chain fatty acids which are absorbed easily by the body and digested too ,unlike the other oils like sunflower /canola /palm oils and hydrogenated oils like Dalda.Also ghee contains 27% mono unsaturated   fatty acids which are good and 4 to 5% polyunsaturated fatty acids.So  consider using  ghee instead of other oils for your deep fry.Another exception here is Olive oil ,which also has the highest levels of mono unsaturated fatty acids and thus helps controlling the LDL levels and only causes increase in HDL cholesterol which isn't bad. Ghee  would not raise your cholesterol levels to the levels compared to what oils would cause.But anything in limits and moderation would always be better;because ghee still contains fat may it be mono saturated or short chain saturated,and would cause a significant increase in cholesterol.2 tea spoons of ghee in your daily diet  twice a day is the recommended  amount  and wont cost u much believe me ; rather it's beneficial !But anything beyond that is left up to you:);but still I could say better than the other oils.



PS:This is my lucky charm!I got it as a give away through my blogger friend .She has her blog which has preachings of the lord simplified in her own words ,which touches your heart.Here's the link:
http://coffee-with-jesus.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-take-our-burdens-to-him.html


22 comments:

Mangala said...

nice post, will make my husband read this....he hates ghee, but cant resist sweets.

Bikram said...

dont know about this all but i am sure gheee is no good, I am perfectly healthy person and very active my chalestrol has sky rocketed and I dont eat silly food the doc says its all that GHEE i ate when i was in india punjab the Desi ghee in every dish...

NOW its taking effect so i wud not suggest it ..

Bikram's

SM said...

nice post
good explaining on Ghee

Rama Ananth said...

Even I have read about the benefits of ghee in Ayurveda, but I would stay away from it as much as possible. Not only ghee, but I try to stay away from taking anything that could lead to cholestrol, that means no butter, less oil, cream, and high fat milk and curd too.
Doctors and re-seachers are all screwed up, one day they will say coconut oil is bad, and another day they will come up with a theory that it is very good for health.
I think in everything one must be balanced, which you have already mentioned.
Nice blog Raji.

raji said...

@Bikram,Anything beyond limits is bad for that matter ,ghee,oil,sugar,salt anything!that doesnot mean you should eliminate that from your diet.There are good benefits from ghee compared to other oils.That was my point of focus here.I think you have had enough of ghee in past and now apprehensive even with 'word ghee'.:)
@Mangs and sm ,thanks.
mangala ,not sweets beyond limits :)its fine ocassionally.
@rama, hm..good that you are trying to balance your food.But have it in the proportion what i said.it's good.:)

Amrit said...

It is a cliche, but applies here. Everything in moderation is good. Ghee is good that is why it was invented and still around. Question is, are we consuming too much of it?

raji said...

@A ,hm..:)so everything invented seems good?well, in case of ghee has some more benefits unlike the regular oils which have only minimal benefits.

dr.antony said...

"Almost everything I like is either sinful, illegal or fattening" said Oscar Wilde. And isn’t that true of most things in life...Chocolate, fries and chilled beer on the beach, to name a few. Happily, ghee isn't among them. It's delicious and it's actually good for you.

So stir fry the garlic in a teaspoon of ghee, and drizzle over piping hot bread. It’s aromatherapy of the most intoxicating kind. Then feel the flavour do ghee-licious things to your taste-buds. Indulge.

raji said...

@Dr JI.wah kya baat hai!I should taste this gheelcious thing now.:)

Rachna said...

I like the comments of rama and dr. antony. I follow the same mantra. Doctors are mad -- one day egg is good, the next day it is bad, same applies to coconut oil and so many other things. Any fat is good in moderation, and deep frying -- anyway, I do it very rarely. I have heard that ghee is good for the joints. I have a little in my dal tadka purely for its good taste and avoid it otherwise.

Gayatri said...

I've been a proponent of Ghee in moderation too! Always make it a point to give it to my kids.

My fellow friend..would bring ghee from India because the ones manufactured here..are made of pasteurized butter. The ones that is gotten from India, the ghee can be gotten from unpasteurized milk. Such a milk is supposed to have the anti-whatever that helps in fighting for the immune system, he said.

chitra said...

I like to have a dash of ghee on hot kanji, but I don't like things fried in ghee.

raji said...

@rachna .thanks for your opinion.good that you are already taking these fatty stuff in moderation.Actually ghee in tadka is a good option to take ghee,also adding just 1 spoon to your food would also be a good option.That would not affect you much.:)And regarding research of doc's I agree:)

raji said...

@ gayatri .It's good that you are giving ghee to your kids;they say ghee is much better than butter for the kids.
@chitra hot ghanji and ghee is super yummy with a pickle!I really relish it.:)

NRIGirl said...

Hi Raji: Glad to follow you! Teddy looks handsome and happy! Appreciate the picture & the link.

Friend Always,
NRIGirl

NRIGirl said...

Hi Raji! It's me again - just now I could complete reading the post. Thank you for the very informative post on ghee. Many of these facts were unknown to me.

Guess what I am going to do next? Make some dal and have it with GHEE!

~ NRIGirl

R. Ramesh said...

in defence of ghee heyy!!!!

raji said...

@nri gal..thanks.friends always!:)
@ramesh,:):)

Simran said...

Very Imformative post!
THANKS FOR SHARING..
:-)

Onkar said...

A very informative write-up on ghee

Alka Gurha said...

The post makes me fell less guilty..very informative.

Shari said...

Very Informative post. Likes!!