Your Grandma wasn’t wrong about the health benefits of ghee and in this post, we show you the health benefits of ghee, that she always preached.
GHEE has started to receive the appreciation that was long due. “Fat” has been removed from the list of forbidden foods of the health conscious and Ghee has been quoted as the new superfood by health experts in the West.
Yet back at home, fear about eating ghee still persists. “Is it good for my cholesterol? What about my weight?” These are questions that still come to our mind every time our grandmom makes that halwa or douses our paratha with spoonfuls of ghee.
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She definitely has the food wisdom passed on to her from her mother but unfortunately, lacks the skill to present it in the language of “science” to you. So when you fall sick, she knows that the ghee in your khichdi will help you feel better but is unable to inform you that ghee helps you recover from illness because it has antiviral properties and boosts immunity.
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Ghee or clarified butter (as it is popularly called in the “West”) has more to it than just being saturated fat. Few reasons why you should have ghee in your daily diet are-
- Weight loss– Ghee is especially unique amongst all dietary fats due to the presence of SCFA (short chain fatty acid). The SCFA in ghee makes it “lipolytic”- that which breaks down body fat.
- Gut microbiota– Since ghee enhances the strength and diversity of gut flora, it is beneficial for those with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and/ or allergies
- Lowers cholesterol– By increasing the excretion of bile constituents, consumption of ghee in the diet helps to lower down serum (blood) cholesterol levels.
- Improves fertility– Being a rich source of Vit A and Vit D, ghee helps improve fertility and increases the probability of getting pregnant naturally.
- Anti-carcinogenic– The unique fatty acid in ghee called the butyric acid has anti-carcinogenic properties. Also, being rich in antioxidants, ghee makes for a potent anti-carcinogenic
By MUNMUN GANERIWAL, Nutritionist & Fitness Consultant
AUTHOR BIO-
Munmun Ganeriwal, founder of Yuktahaar is a well-known Mumbai-based Dietitian, Nutritionist & Fitness Consultant specializing in Indian food diets. An ardent advocate of local & traditional Indian food, she is India’s only professional to have acquired both a Master’s Degree in Nutrition Science and International Certification of Health Fitness Instructor from the American College of Sports Medicine. She has been studying & practicing Iyengar Yoga. Over the last 15 years, she has worked as a Nutrition and Exercise Consultant with a diverse set of clients from all walks of life. To know more about her- www.munmunganeriwal.com
