Ghee- licious

यावज्जीवेत्सुखं जीवेत् ऋणं कृत्वा घृतं पिबेत् ।

"Yavat jeevam sukham jeevet. Rinam kritva ghritam pibet."

As stated by Charvakas, be happy as long as you live. Beg, borrow or steal, but relish ghee!

Ghee: The golden nectar of life!

Introduction to ghee:

- Semi- solid and grainy texture at room temperature. Pure liquid when heated.

- Ghee = SCFA (Short cha

in fatty acids)

- Healthy fats (US FDA 2015)

- Your body needs these special fats to fight the bad ones and thus protect you from obesity and related diseases like high cholesterol, diabetes, metabolic syndrome etc

What does Ghee do in your food?

- The special SCFA structure of ghee helps reduce Glysemic Index (GI) of food.

- For diabetic people, it is important that GI of food is always low. Welcome, GHEE!

- GI is how fast the food you consumed releases sugars in your blood. If they are released fast, your blood sugar goes up and we all know what follows. Similarly, untimely eating can cause sugars to go up or down.

- Adding one to two tsp of Ghee to your food ensures slow and steady release of blood sugars.

- Fighting post- lunch sluggishness? Add ghee to your lunch and you shall see the results.

- Better energy levels through out the day: Eat ghee at least three times a day.

- Ghee has the highest smoke point. Therefore excellent fat for cooking or even deep frying. Unlike regular fats, that polymerize and break down carbon bonds when heated for deep frying, ghee maintains its structure and helps reduce GI of deep fried foods.

- Excellent probiotic bacteria. Essential to maintain the flora in our guts.

- While fad diets ruin the diversity of your gut bacteria, Ghee helps it stay active; nourishes it and ensure easy, quick and regular motions.

What Ghee does in your body?

- As mentioned above, it promotes steady release of blood sugars. As a result there is not 911 call for insulin ( a hormone secreted by pancreas).

- GLP- 1 (Glucagon- like peptide) a gut hormone is regulated efficiently as well which helps better secretion of insulin.

- CLA- conjugated linoleic acid helps protect heart from cardio vascular diseases.

- Lipolytic nature of ghee helps cut down unwanted, unhealthy fat from difficult areas of body.

- Contributes to lipid mobility and metabolism.

- Aids better absorption of fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K.

- Vitamin D directly affects functioning of thyroid. Thyroid over- worked means weight issues. Therefore, ghee helps in keeping your weight in control.

- When pregnant, thyroid works over- time. Lactation and hormonal changes really put thyroid to work.

- Consuming ghee, two to three tablespoons at least, during pregnancy will nourish the baby and build its immunity. Moms who eat lots of ghee during pregnancy give birth to stronger babies. And the birthing process is easier.

- Ensures better sleep.

- Lubricates joints, guts, brain tissues, cells.

- Helps fight constipation.

- Helps stability and structure. Improves spinal strength. Spine supports all the bones/ joints and their functioning. Strong spine means flat stomach, better posture, better mobility.

- Sharpens brain, helps retain information.

Interesting Ghee facts:

- Takes 28 lt milk to produce 1 kg ghee. No wonder it is expensive, but worth every penny.

- Comes from dairy but lactose free. Only dairy product that is dairy- free and therefore can be consumed by those who are lactose intolerant.

- Pehelwans (wrestlers) in India consume up to 1 lt ghee everyday to support their spine and joints.

- Chapped lips, dry nostrils, dry/ rough/ brittle hair everything can be treated by application of ghee on the respective areas.

- Cracked heels healed once and for all: Massage heels with cows ghee before bed.

- Fight jet lag: Ghee in your meals

Therefore, Ghritam Pibet (eat ghee) !