10 solid reasons why ghee is good

If you are one of those who refused to bow down to the health faddists and continued to include some ghee in your diet, then take a bow… because by doing so you have done your body a lot of good. There's lots going for this much maligned fat source; our ancestors always knew it, but we somehow got side-tracked along the way. Thankfully now research too is getting clearer on its health benefits, now it's time to remind everyone why we must include some (a teaspoon or two) in our diet daily:

1. Ghee is actually a great source of healthy fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K, that our body needs a supply of regularly. A is essential to keep our eyesight sharp and skin moist and smiling with health, D keeps fatigue and bone pains away, E is essential for heart health and K helps to keep our bones strong.

2. Research is now indicating that ghee in spite of being a source of saturated fat, actually helps keep the serum cholesterol levels down and thus helps down the heart disease risk. In fact, research has found "no" significant evidence about dietary saturated fat being associated with an increased risk of heart disease. We have simply been blaming the wrong foods for our heart issues, all this while it seems, ghee included.

3. Ghee helps keep inflammation in the body in check thanks to its exceptionally high smoke (flash) point, the temperature at which a bluish smoke begins to emerge from the fat source and it begins to burn and disintegrate (basically when the pan starts smoking and an acrid smell begins to emanate).

Besides spoiling the taste of the food, studies point to the fact that at this point oils turn carcinogenic too. Cooking with ghee has no such worries as it has a very high smoke point, so unlike most other fat sources it does not form cancerous free radicals when heated to high temperatures.

4. In fact according to a paper by the National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal, published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research in 2012, cow ghee decreases the activation of cancer-causing carcinogens in the liver. "Ghee decreased the activities of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1 and CYP2B1, responsible for activation of carcinogen in liver," the study states. Wow!

5. Today, one big problem most of us are facing is the skewed ratio of Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids - omega 6 and omega 3 in our diet. Thanks to over usage of vegetable oils we are consuming way too much of omega 6, which again increases inflammation in the body. Ghee, fortunately, has an outstanding omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, so is far safer that way.

6. According to Ayurveda, ghee is good for brain too, as it makes it sharper and increases memory retention. Now modern science hasn't really caught up on this aspect yet, but hopefully soon it will.

There's more!

7. Ghee has butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid that acts as a detoxifier, improves colon health, helps aid digestion and also boosts our immunity.

8. When sourced from grass-fed cows, ghee is a rich source of hard to find vitamin K2 (not found in leafy greens unlike K1). K2 is a calcium regulator of our body - it puts calcium where it should be (teeth and bones) and takes it out of places it shouldn't (arteries, kidneys, tissue, etc). Research is proving its heart-friendly properties too. In fact, many believe that this is the elusive "X factor" that makes ghee so essential for us to eat.

9. Plus it is also one of the highest natural source of a healthy fat CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) - an antioxidant with anti-viral properties. CLA also has proven weight gain fighting properties, particularly around the abdomen.

10. Now here's a fact that makes me particularly happy: although ghee is derived from milk, it contains very low lactose so is perfectly okay even for lactose-intolerant folks like me. Plus it is the absence of milk solids and water in ghee that makes it shelf stable (stays okay even without refrigeration for long, unlike butter).

Finally let's face it, ghee does add a lot of taste and flavour to food, (a parantha tastes like a parantha only when made with some ghee. Right?) and unless the food is tasty, it will never satisfy us. Of course as with any other food, particularly with a highly calorific fat source (ghee), moderation is the key. So go easy on it, but make sure you have some every day.