Health Benefits of Ghee

The tremendous health benefits of Ghee, or clarified butter, are in the news lately. I switched from all butter or margarine products and now use only ghee. This amber liquid melts in your mouth and can be used for cooking, baking, to drizzle on veggies or spread on toast. Just what is Ghee and what benefit does it give to your health?

Ghee, or clarified butter, is made when the milk solids are separated from the liquid, leaving a pure, clear, amber-colored substance . It has been used for about 2,000 years in Ayurveda or the ancient natural healing system of India. Ghee has about 14 grams of fat per tablespoon.

Health Benefits of Ghee

• Ayurveda maintains that Ghee is a vital food for healthy skin, mental clarity and good digestion. It also helps the body assimilate nutrients.

• Ghee is salt and lactose free so it is beneficial for those who can't drink milk or eat cheese.

• Ghee is said to have anti-cancer and anti-viral properties.

• Contains CLA or conjugated linolenic acid which aids weightloss, especially stubborn belly fat and has been shown to slow the progress of some types of cancer and heart disease.

• We all need healthy fats in our diet and Ghee is an easily digestible source of saturated fat that contains no trans fats or hydrogenated fats. Ghee, however, is low in the essential omega 3 fatty acids you need for good brain health so supplementation with omega 3's is a needed for a healthy diet. 

• Ghee is also very alkaline for your body, which helps to offset the overwhelming acidity of most American diets. Coffee, sugar, alcohol, fast food and processed food are all very acidic, which helps to promote inflammation and diseases such as arthritis and cancer in our bodies. For more information on the acid/alkaline diet, read Donna Gates book, Body Ecology Diet-Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity.

Other Benefits of Ghee

• Making Ghee is a great way to preserve butter, which turns rancid or loses flavor quickly. Ghee won't turn rancid at room temperature like butter and retains it's original flavor and freshness for up to a year without refrigeration.
• Withstands high heat in baking at temperatures above 240 degrees Farenheit and is one of the few unrefined oils that does so.
• Ghee is also delicious. After years of eating fake margarines, which are full of chemicals and preservative, you'll love the taste of ghee on your food.

Ghee is widely available in health food stores but it's easy to make your own. Try this easy to make ghee recipe.

Sold on the health benefits of ghee but don't want to make your own? Visit our Ghee Store on Amazon.com for many brands of ghee, plus several Indian Recipe books, which feature ghee.