ON THE QUESTION OF ANCIENT ORGANICS GHEE vs ORGANIC BUTTER
There is a saying in the ancient medical science of Ayurveda: “Everything in the world without exception is medicinal and everything in the world without exception is poisonous”. Why one thing would be either poisonous or medicinal depends on who is using it- what is their individual make-up, where do they live, what season is it, what time of day, etc, etc. The question of the relative benefits of ghee and butter need to be considered in this context.
Ayurveda considers ghee to be the superior fat that a person can eat. It is good for all three types of body constitution (pitta/vata/kapha), awakens the digestive fire, and is particularly cooling to pitta, the fire type. Ghee is the most penetrating of oils and carries anything that it is mixed with (other foods, medicines, herbs) deep into the tissues of the body. Many Ayurvedic herbal medicines are prepared in a medium of ghee.
Butter does not share these qualities.
Ghee has one of the highest flash points of any oil (485degF) making it ideal for sautéing. Butter will burn easily and become carcinogenic as a result.
Ghee has no lactose in it making it suitable for lactose intolerant people. Butter has lactose.
Ghee will last for months un-refrigerated. Butter only for a week or so.
Ghee awakens the digestive fires of the body. Butter does not.
Nearly everyone is confused about fats. For many years, fats have been targeted as the culprits in heart disease, stroke and high cholesterol. Recently, the American Medical Association has stated that there is no correlation between the cholesterol in the blood and coronary heart disease. Although this is huge news, it has been overlooked by the western world with its decade long obsession with a low fat diet. The factor that the AMA does suggest as the ‘causative agent’ in coronary heart disease is inflammation in the arterial walls.
According to Ayurveda, this inflammation is often due to indigestible fats or too much heat in the body (Pitta). Ghee shows itself to be ideal in that is the most easy to digest of all fats and draws the elemental heat of Pitta, which causes inflammation, from the body. It has been used for thousands of years in India with no harmful effects.
People crave fats, and in fact, they are one of the three main nutrient groups that supply calories in food, along with protein and carbohydrates.
Fats are an important nutrient for human health. A totally fat-free diet actually accelerates ageing of the skin, nerves and brain cells. Without adequate quantity and quality of fats in the diet, the body cannot adequately replace cells or reproduce hormones and other essential body functions.
The important thing is to choose the right fats. The key is eating a good quality of fat that your body can easily utilize for health. Ghee (clarified butter) actually aids in these processes, while providing the perfect source of essential fatty acids.
THE SUPREME FAT: GHEE
Pure real ghee, which protects against free radicals and is resistant to free radical damage, is an ideal source of essential fatty acids.
Ghee is the traditional Sanskrit word for what many people call clarified butter. But, ghee is much more than clarified butter. Traditional ghee is made in such a way that the milk solids, casein and lacose are carmelized or burned on the bottom of the pots during the cooking process. Ghee is the essence of butter, without the lactose and other milk solids (which makes it suitable for people who are lactose intolerant). Ghee is made by boiling butter, carmelizing the settled milk solids and leaving or removing the solids leaving the pure fat. It is considered the supreme cooking oil because of its high flash point or transformation point and its health- giving qualities, such as promoting digestion and elimination making the complexion clear and bright.
Even though ghee is technically a saturated fat, its molecular structure differs from other animal fats, because it is a short- chain fatty acid (easily assimilated by the body) rather than a long-chain fatty acid (not metabolised by the body and leading to cancer and blood clots). It is much more nourishing and, if used in moderation, does not raise cholesterol, according to research. Anything can be harmful if used in excess.
GHEE HAS MANY REMARKABLE QUALITIES
According to Western science, Ghee has eight percent lower saturated fatty acids than any other edible oil or fat, making it the easiest fat to digest. Ayurvedic science and the observation of the Indian culture over thousands of years, has confirmed this.
Ghee has no milk protein or casein, which raise cholesterol levels. Both are removed during the preparation of ghee.
(Remember again that raised cholesterol is not the cause of coronary heart disease) : http://thehealthyskeptic.org/cholesterol-doesnt-cause-heart-disease
Ghee contains the antioxidant Vitamin E, and is the only edible vegetarian fat that contains Vitamin A. These antioxidants help prevent the formation of lipid peroxides, which trigger the process of arteriosclerosis and cause damage to DNA in the cells.
Ghee contains four to five percent linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that promotes growth and development of the body's tissues and organs. "Essential fatty acid" means that the body cannot produce the fat itself, and must ingest linoleic acid in foods in order to function properly. Straus butter has the highest linoleic oil percentage of any butter on the market.
Ghee remains fresh for three or four months when stored at room temperature, removing the risk of rancidity and oxidation.
However, Ghee must be kept out of the sun and away from moisture.
Ghee has a very high flash point or smoke point. It does not undergo a radical chemical change or "burn" when used to cook or fry vegetables. This is important, because burned oil or butter becomes carcinogenic, creates free radicals, and is hard to digest. This flash point used to be called ‘hydrogenation’ and is now being referred to as ‘transformation’ or a ‘trans’ fat. For instance, because of the low flash point of olive oil, it will ‘trans’ form at much lower temperatures than ghee. Although Olive oil is an extremely good and wonderful oil, it is not ideal for high temperature sautéing.