5 Reasons Why Ghee is a Superfood That You Should Eat Every Day

Nancy White, Ayurvedic Health Counsellor June 13, 2024

What is Ghee?

Ghee, also known as clarified butter, has been consumed in India for thousands of years and is considered to be an Ayurvedic super food. It is believed to contain pure 'ojas', which is the essence of good health, vitality, and strong immunity. It is also considered to be a 'sattvic' food, which means it is deeply nourishing to the body and brings clarity to the mind. In Ayurveda, ghee is used both as a food and as a medicine. It is highly pacifying for imbalances in both Vata and Pitta doshas.

To make ghee, butter is gently simmered to remove the water content and milk solids. If you are lactose intolerant, as I am, you may be able to eat ghee as it has very low to zero lactose content. Since the water has been removed, ghee is shelf-stable for up to a few months. If I don't eat mine within a few months (very rare), then I just put it in the fridge when I'm not using it. Ghee has a yummy, rich flavour, and has a high smoking point (480 F), so is great for cooking.

Why You Should Consider Incorporating Ghee Into Your Diet

1.    It has the Highest Amount of Butyric Acid Found in Any Food

Butyric acid is naturally produced in a healthy intestinal tract by a microbe called Clostridium butyricum (Douillard 2018). There is a correlation between digestive health and the number of Clostridium butyricum present: unhealthy digestive tract - low numbers; healthy digestive tract - high numbers. Increasing butyric acid in your diet will: feed the gut microbiome; help to foster the growth of beneficial bacteria; inhibit the growth of unwanted or toxic bacteria; and, boost your immunity (because 70-80% of your immune system is located in your gut) (Douillard 2018). Butyric acid is also anti-inflammatory for the intestinal tract, so will keep the intestinal lining healthy (Douillard 2018), and can reduce symptoms in inflammatory bowel conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn's Disease (Leatherman 2019).

2.    It’s High in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

Conjugated Linoleic Acid is naturally found in meat and dairy products and becomes more concentrated in ghee. It has been found to improve metabolism, to reduce adverse immune and inflammatory responses, and is anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and has antiobesity effects (Sanjay and Duttaroy 2020; Sindhuja et al. 2020).

3.  It Contains Important Vitamins

Ghee contains the fat soluble vitamins of A, D, E, and K, and also Beta-carotene (Deepshikha and Singh 2024; Sindhuja et al. 2020). These vitamins have antioxidant properties that support immune function and help to prevent cell damage (Leatherman 2019; Sindhuja et al. 2020).

4.    It is One of the Highest Food Sources of Pentadecanoic Acid (C15)

Pentadecanoic acid (C15) can deliver big health benefits in small amounts (Douillard 2024). When butter is clarified into ghee, the trace amounts found in regular butter are amplified. According to Dr. John Douillard, ghee is one of the highest food sources of pentadecanoic acid, and benefits include:

-        healthy cell aging

-        Improved Immunity

-        Support for heart and liver health

-        Supports healthy blood sugar levels

-        Supports metabolic health (Douillard 2024)

5.    It Lubricates the Skin and Joints

The unctuous qualities of ghee helps to repair dryness in the body. It can lubricate the tissues and joints to keep the body supple and flexible, and can provide a healthy luster to the skin (Lad 2012). Ayurveda considers ghee to be 'rasayana', which is rejuvenative, and is believed to be anti-aging (Deepshikha and Singh 2024).

How You Can Incorporate Ghee Into Your Diet

You can use ghee anywhere you would normally use butter. Due to its high smoking point, it's great for sauteeing, frying, or roasting. I like to drizzle a little ghee over my steamed veggies, on rice, spread over some warm naan bread, and use it as the oil for any soups or stews that I make. According to Dr. Vasant Lad, 1 teaspoon of ghee per meal is enough (Lad 2012).

Ghee can be quite expensive to buy, but it's affordable and easy to make at home. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to simmer the butter. You'll know when it's ready as it'll smell like popcorn at the theatre - yummy! Once it's cooled a bit, it can be filtered into a clean, sterilized jar. The best butter to use for ghee is organic, unsalted, and grass fed (grass fed contains 500% more conjugated linoleic acid) (Douillard 2024).

Contraindications: People with high cholesterol, obesity, or with high levels of toxins should be cautious using ghee (Lad 2012). Otherwise, ghee is safe for every body at any age.

I hope you will try ghee and experience the many benefits for yourself!

References:

Basak, Sanjay and Asim K. Duttaroy [2020]. Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Its Beneficial Effects in Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer - PMC (nih.gov)Health benefits of ghee (clarified butter) - A review from ayurvedic perspective - IJNMHS

Douillard, Dr. John. [2018]. How to Get the Butyric Acid your Gut Requires with Ghee | John Douillard's LifeSpa

Douillard, Dr. John. [2024]. Newly Discovered Super-Fat in Ghee  | John Douillard's LifeSpa

Kataria, Deepshikha and Gurmeet Singh [2024]. Health benefits of ghee: Review of Ayurveda and modern science perspectives - ScienceDirect

Lad, Vasant D. [2012]. Textbook of Ayurveda: Volume 3. General Principles of Management and Treatment. The Ayurvedic Press. Albuquerque, NM.

Leatherman, Nicole. [2019]. What Is Ghee and What Are Its Benefits? – Chopra

Sindhuja, S. et al. [2020]. (PDF) Health benefits of ghee (clarified butter) - A review from ayurvedic perspective (researchgate.net)