Ghee: A clarified butter rich in essential fats and vitamins
According to the Ayurveda, ghee has essential healing properties that are distinctly lacking in other butters. These properties, which are slowly being validated by Western science, include:
Rich in high-quality fats
Being pure, clarified butter, ghee is extremely rich in good fats. One serving (56 grams) of ghee contains 46 grams of pure fat, of which 29 grams are saturated. Moreover, these fats contain 179 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids and 1,548 milligrams of omega-6 fatty acids, as well as butanoic acid and conjugated linoleic acid, which possess antibacterial and anticancer properties.Though allopathic medicine has demonized saturated fats for decades, studies are starting to prove that they're essential for optimum health. One three-year study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington, for example, found that women who had eaten the highest amounts of saturated fats throughout their lives were less likely to suffer from arterial plaque, and more likely to enjoy a healthier balance of good and bad cholesterol, than women who avoided them. Studies have also shown that a moderate consumption of saturated fats increases the metabolism, leading to weight loss.
Good source of vitamins
One serving of ghee contains approximately 1,418 IU of vitamin A, which is 28 percent of our recommended daily intake. Vitamin A, which is lacking in other edible oils, is nicknamed the "medicine of the immune system," since it helps to keep our mucous membrane and skin cells healthy, thereby guarding us from cell damage. Vitamin A also helps fight cancer by inhibiting DNA production in cancerous cells.One serving of ghee also contains 1.3 milligrams of vitamin E (7 percent of our RDI), an essential cancer-fighting antioxidant, and 4 micrograms of vitamin K (5 percent of our RDI), which plays a key role in blood health, including helping the blood to clot.
