Ghee - The original Anti-Aging Superfood
“Ghee is nutritious, rejuvenating, good for the eyes and vision, enkindles digestion, bestows lustre and beauty, enhances memory and stamina, increases the intellect, promotes longevity, is an aphrodisiac and protects the body from various diseases."
-Bhava Prakash (16th century Ayurvedic text)
According to Ayurvedic medicine, the milk of pasture grazing cows is considered to possess the essence of pure solar energy (extracted in the digestive process from the chlorophyll rich green grasses of the cow’s diet) and ghee is the essence of milk. It is said in the Vedas that ghee is hidden in milk, like the Divine God in creation. The Vedas call ghee the ‘first and the most essential of all foods’ and it is the most important food substance in Ayurveda.
Ghee is said to be pure sunlight in a digestible form.
In India, ghee has always been a sacred and celebrated symbol of auspiciousness, nourishment and healing; especially in the daily rituals of cooking and worship.
Ghee is a premium cooking oil celebrated for its taste, nutritional benefits, and medicinal qualities. Ayurveda, the ancient medical science of India, recognizes ghee as an essential part of a balanced diet, and considers it to be the best fat one can eat. Ghee is the very essence of butter; the end result of a long, slow, careful clarification process that removes all the moisture, milk solids and impurities. The absence of milk solids and water in ghee make it completely shelf stable. Ghee has one of the highest flash points (485ºF) which make this oil the best choice for high temperature cooking.
Ghee is comprised of full spectrum short, medium and long chain fatty acids, both unsaturated and saturated. Ghee contains Omega 3 and Omega 9 essential fatty acids along with vitamins A, D, E and K. Ghee made from organic butter of pastured cows is one of the highest natural sources of CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). 9 phenolic anti-oxidants, as well as numerous other minerals are present in ghee.
Ghee is known as a substance that gives longevity, its elemental qualities balance the aging characteristics by enriching the living body.
Ghee has been used for centuries as a digestive and elimination aid, for energy, sexual vitality, skin and eye health, as a lubricant for the joints and for alkalizing the blood.
The purity of ghee allows it to be deep penetrating and nourishing as it passes through the lipid membranes of cells. For this reason, the vitamins and minerals from food cooked in ghee will be drawn deep into the body where they impart the most benefit. The assimilation of the nutrients increases when suspended in a ghee matrix. When you add spices to ghee to cook with the flavor is carried deep into the food. Many herbal preparations use ghee as the carrier oil because of these characteristics
But isn’t ghee mostly saturated fat and cholesterol?
Saturated fats are divided into long-chain fatty acids and short-chain fatty acids. Long-chain fatty acids (most animal fats) cannot be completely metabolised by the body and can lead to disease. Short-chain fatty acids, on the other hand, are assimilated and metabolised so that they release energy. These short chain fatty acids make up about 60-70% ofghee’s composition (ghee made from organic butter from pastured cows) ,while the other 30-40% is mostly Omega 3 & Omega 9 essential fatty acids. Since our body needs both saturated and unsaturated fats, this combination is close to ideal. In addition, ghee made from the organic butter of pastured cows has super high levels of the “super fat” CLA as well as Vitamins A, D, E and K and 9 phenolic anti-oxidants.
While cholesterol is present in Ghee, it is not oxidized cholesterol. The cholesterol in ghee is an essential molecule for our brain, nerves, and tissues. Ghee has also been shown to increase the secretion of bile and reduce serum cholesterol in the body. Studies continue to reveal that ghee reduces plasma LDL cholesterol.
Ayurvedic Doctors have used ghee for thousands of years to improve immunity and promote sustained energy, mental clarity and vitality. Ghee also greatly enhances the digestive processes on which all nutrition depends.
Since ghee is such a balanced oil, it has a very high flash point. It is said to be the most heat stable of all oils. When it is used as a cooking oil, not only is the oil not oxidized or transformed in any negative way, but it bonds with vitamins, minerals, medicinal herbs and spices - penetrating the lipid-based cell membranes of the body. This allows it to carry the active components to the interior of the cells where they impart the most benefit.
An ancient scripture summarizes it best: Ayurghritam - Ghee is life!