The heady essence that wafts through the kitchen just as spoonful of clarified butter or ghee hits the pan is not just an olfactory delight. The sweet yellow viscous liquid used in many homes today, packs in many traditionally valued benefits for your hair, skin, and internal organ functions. Most importantly, it is said to support healthy immune function and vitality. What is it that makes this delicious healthy fat such a popular choice among health freaks? Bonus read inside-the trending recipe for bulletproof coffee or ghee coffee, a morning fuel for all ages.
Did you know that, contrary to the popular myth about weight gain propagated by refined oil companies, clarified butter can be part of healthy weight management? More on that later.
Your One-stop Solution
Looking to support regular, healthy elimination or nourish dry hair and skin? Want to support your bone health and healthy immune function? Clarified butter is your go-to. It is traditionally used to balance Vata and Pitta, which are often disturbed by lifestyle excesses, with lack of sleep, improper diet and stress leading the way.
Charak Samhita, the authoritative text on Ayurveda, mentions clarified butter as a Sattvic of pure food, with ample nourishing benefits for
- Eye sight
- Physical strength
- Supporting healthy joints and bones
- Longevity
- Nourishment
- Glow of skin
- Supple skin
- Luster in hair and skin
- Ojas or vitality
- Moisturization and hydration of internal organs
- Soothing and moisturizing skin
- Digestion
Where can you source high quality clarified butter?
High quality clarified butter or Ghee is available in select stores. But you should be able to do a quality check on your own. Check if the ghee is made using grass fed cow over other types of milk. You will feel a distinct difference in the quality of clarified butter depending on the source. Grass Fed milk is better to taste, healthier and much better for digestion.
- Ideal smoking point
Ghee has a high smoking point, which is the degree of heat beyond which the oil starts burning and putting out smoke. A high smoking point is a good thing, since that gives you many cooking options, without burning the skillet black.
2. Easy to digest
Clarified ghee is unique among the healthy fats in that it is easy to digest. That is the reason why in most of the Indian sub-continent, whenever someone needs a light, gentle meal, they are fed a diet of plain pulses and rice along with a spoon of clarified butter.
- Detoxifying
According to Ayurveda, the quality and longevity of your life depends on how well one manages the toxins or ama that tends to accumulate in the body from time to time. Clarified butter not only helps digest better but it also supports the body's natural cleansing processes, according to Ayurveda. Ayurveda holds that accumulated ama can slow the body's metabolism. This is also the reason why ghee is an indispensible part of Ayurvedic Panchakarma programs, which are holistic body cleanses including diet regime, warm oil massage and traditional cleansing practices.
- Excellent medium for absorbing nutrients
Ghee is also a source of healthy fats and a soluble fatty acid. Ghee is extremely helpful in absorbing and assimilating fat soluble vitamins like A, D,E and K.
Also the presence of omega 3 fatty acids in clarified butter helps nourish dry skin. Our body cannot make omega 3 fats and it must be consumed through food sources. We need omega 3 fatty acids for the health of cell receptors in membranes of each cell in the body. Omega 3 fatty acids help make hormones involved in normal blood clotting, the movement of arterial walls and a healthy inflammatory response. They also work with cell receptors responsible for genetic function, and are said to help support heart health.
For this reason, Consuming ghee in moderate amount is recommended by Ayurveda practitioners today.
- Nourish your skin
Ayurveda holds that dull, dry-looking skin can stem from excessive drying or from digestive imbalance. Clarified butter is traditionally used to support the body's natural cleansing processes. Regular use of clarified butter as part of an Ayurvedic routine keeps the digestive system robust, skin glowing and your body and mind feeling light and energized.
Rich in antioxidants and micronutrients, Ghee is a fine moisturizer that hydrates the skin, provides nourishment and lends the soft and supple quality to it. It can be used to soothe and moisturize dry, chapped skin and to brighten the look of dark circles and dull-looking skin.
Face pack using clarified butter for winter
Take tablespoon each of ghee and honey.
Add drops of raw milk.
Apply it to your skin.
Let it sit for 15 minutes.
Wash it off with a gentle cleanser.
clarified butter, raw milk
- Ghee for good hair
Lack of moisture can reflect as dull dry hair that gray or fall easy. Ghee plays a crucial role of hydrating and moisturizing the scalp and fortifies the hair follicles with the nutrition it provides, along with the moisture.
It also lends your hair more shine, smoothness and volume. It also doubles up as a deep conditioning agent, if you apply some warm ghee to the scalp roots and leave it overnight, covered in a shower cap. A warm massage with ghee also stimulates the hair follicles and increases circulation of blood in the region, for fuller-looking, healthier-looking hair.
Ghee for hair mask
Blend 2 tbsp of ghee with 1 tbsp of coconut oil.
Warm the blend for 15 seconds, to melt it little.
Add a few drops of essential oil of your choice.
Apply it to the scalp.
Massage your scalp in circular motion from scalp outwards.
Lock your hair in a shower cap.
Let it sit for half an hour.
Rinse it off with shampoo.
- Ghee coffee
Yet another rage among the keto enthusiasts is the bullet coffee or healthy fat coffee. This comes loaded with the additional nutritional benefits of a healthy fat like ghee and additional energy boost, instead of the regular fare. Here’s our much healthier, zingier and tastier twist on the bullet coffee-the ghee coffee.
Recipe for Ghee Coffee
Ingredients you need
Ghee- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric- 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut sugar or jaggery- 1 chunk
Cold brew- 1 cup
Ground cardamom- 1 pinch
Water and non-dairy milk- half and half.
How to make Ghee Coffee
- Heat the cold brew in a pan till the coffee begins to simmer.
- Add to it, ghee, turmeric, jaggery, and cardamom. Cook for under 2 minutes until the ghee and jiggery dissolves. Make sure you are cooking on low flame.
- Add the coffee with above ingredients to non-dairy milk and blend it, but not for too long. You don’t want the fat to disintegrate and make a mess.
Benefits of Ghee coffee
- It can be part of healthy weight management. The linoleic acid present in ghee may support healthy fat metabolism.
- The coffee helps curb appetite.
- Gentler on your stomach, as the ghee helps balance the acidity of coffee.
- Become more energized and driven.
Published by Ruchira Roy
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