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Benefits of adding ghee to your food
Ghee. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- No other food element has got as much bad press as ghee.
- However, with research conducted over the years, it has come to light that instead of harming the body, ghee is actually good for you.
“Ghee might be a saturated fat but it provides a vast array of other nutrients that make it healthy, especially when eaten in moderation,” says Amanda Twebaze, a nutritionist.
Ghee (Omuzigo) also known as clarified butter is a variation of clarified butter, popular in the culinary traditions of not only Africa, but India and the Middle East.
It is made from cow milk butter, which is treated with low heat until the water evaporates, leaving behind milk solids. The solids are skimmed off or strained if needed. What remains is only clarified liquid fat known as ghee.
Nutritional value of ghee
According to PharmacyEasy.com, ghee is purely fat and has no significant amount of proteins, carbohydrates, sugar or fibre.
Most of the fat present in ghee is saturated fat. 100ml of ghee contain almost 99.8 grammes of fat. Ghee is a calorie-dense food where 100ml of ghee gives as much as 883 calories of energy. Ghee is also rich in vitamins A, E and K if the source of ghee is the milk from grass-fed cows. It also contains butyric acid.
According to Dr Ismail Tamale, a nutritionist from Taimex Nutrition Centre, ghee contains lactic acid, a byproduct of lactose, found in milk.
“Milk, contains lactose, but when the milk is turned into ghee, the lactose, turns into lactic acid, which contains a number of nutrients,” Tamale explains.
Lactic acid is an organic acid found naturally in fermented foods such as pickled vegetables and fermented dairy products. Lactic acid and the bacteria that produce it are associated with several health benefits, including improved gut health and increased nutrient absorption. Lactic acid may also act as an antioxidant to protect against cell damage and chronic disease.
Gut health
Dr Tamale says ghee is rich in butyric acid, a type of short-chain fatty acid that promotes the growth of probiotic bacteria in the gut and optimises normal digestive function. Adding ghee to your meal helps balance the amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and aids the production of bile in the liver.
“Once your digestive system is functioning well, then your immune system will be in perfect shape,” he says.
Vitamins
Ghee is a source of critical oil-soluble vitamins A and E that are needed for a healthy liver, balanced hormones and fertility. These vitamins, according to Dr Twebaze, are also powerful anti-oxidants which help fight off free radicals that cause inflammation, disease and internal body stress.
Ghee is also good for your skin. Rich in antioxidants, fatty acids and a natural emollient, ghee helps you maintain healthy skin by locking in moisture, improving skin repair, treating cracks and softening the skin. Twebaze adds that Ghee also contains good amounts of vitamin C, which help make collagen, absorb iron more effectively in the body and enhance general body immunity.
Bone health
Ghee is rich in vitamin K, which helps in calcium absorption and prevention of tooth decay. It also prevents atherosclerosis.
Ghee contains Omega three fatty acids, which, according Dr Charity Asaba from St Catherine Hospital in Kampala, also promote anti-oxidant activity, which help to reduce bad cholesterol in our bodies (LDL cholesterol). Omega 3, also helps to keep the skin vibrant.
It is also lactose free, making it favourable for those who are lactose intolerant.
Ghee, according to ParmEasy.com, also helps with weight loss by speeding up the body’s metabolism. Because ghee helps with hormonal imbalance, it has the potential to treat menstrual problems, making it an ideal contender, for those looking to find relief for menstrual issues such as premenstrual syndrome and irregular periods.
Downside
Dr Franklin Wasswa, a general practitioner, says: “Ghee is a saturated fat, which makes it an unhealthy type of fat choice. All fats and oils are a mixture of saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated). Solid fats contain more saturated fats and/or trans fats than oils.
Saturated fats and trans fats tend to raise LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease.”
