Monday 21 November 2011

Facts about Ghee and why it is good for health

Fact:   Ghee is composed almost entirely of saturated fat.  
 What you're already shaking your head with disgust??   Just read on and have patience.   Remember a good cook must have a lot of patience.     

Fact:   When cooking, it can be unhealthy to heat   polyunsaturated oils such as vegetable oils   to high temperatures. Doing so creates peroxides   and other free radicals. These substances lead   to a variety of health problems and diseases.  Hey now even vegetable oils sound scary!  Good we're making progress here. 

Fact:  Ghee has a very high smoke point and doesn't  burn easily during cooking. Ghee has the  more stable saturated bonds and so is lot  less likely to form the dangerous free radicals  when cooking. Ghee's short chain fatty acids  are also metabolized very readily by the body.  Hmm... So now aren't you confused?  Is ghee good or bad you ask with a puzzled look?  Be patient, just a bit more.

Lab studies have shown ghee to reduce cholesterol  both in the serum and intestine(aren't you surprised?!).  It does it by triggering an increased secretion  of biliary lipids (stuff coming out of your bile).  Ghee is also good for nerves and brain.  It helps control eye pressure and is beneficial  to glaucoma patients. I bet you  didn't know these,  did you?

Ghee is most notably said to stimulate  the secretion of stomach acids to help with  digestion, while other fats, such as butter and oils, slow down the digestive process and can sit  heavy in the stomach. You don't want that really.

In addition to ghee's nutritional value,  it is rich with antioxidants and acts as an aid  in the absorption of vitamins and minerals from  other foods, feeding all layers of body tissue  and serving to strengthen the immune system.  A high concentration of butyric acid, a fatty acid  that contains anti-viral properties, is believed to  inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors. 

It is also good for treatment of burns and  blisters; a little kitchen remedy there for y'all.  According to Ayurveda ghee promotes learning and increased memory retention. Make sure you  remember that. And it'll help you remember  if you had some ghee! 

However, as a caveat, while in a healthy person  consuming ghee may reduce your cholesterol  or not affect it, it not advised for people  already suffering fromhigh cholesterol. 
So should you eat Ghee or not???

If you're healthy, ABSOLUTELY. It is safer than  butter and has more nutritional use than oil.  No you understand how the Punjabi's  have tonnes of ghee and still are fitter and stronger  than any other group of Indians?  Go get some ghee you weakling.   

A high concentration of butyric acid, a fatty  acid that contains anti-viral properties, is believed  to inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors.

Although tests and research are still ongoing,  it has been used in Indian medicinal practice  to help with ulcers, constipation, and the promotion  of healthy eyes and skin. An Indian folk-remedy  for thousands of years, ghee is also said to promote  learning and increased memory retention. It is used  in Indian beauty creams to help soften skin,  and as a topical for the treatment of burns and blisters.






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