Ghee: the next best...health food?!

desidieter

I don't know about you all, but I grew up always being told by my grandmother, mother, and aunties that ghee is one of those high-fat foods that shouldn't be consumed all the time. Obviously, a lot of Indian dishes are traditionally made in ghee, but I think nowadays, a lot of us find alternative oils to cook our foods in to help make them a little healthier.

So imagine my surprise when I started hearing from my non-desi friends that they're all cooking in ghee now, because it's "better for you" than, say, EVOO. My response: WHAT?! ARE YOU INSANE?!

I don't know why this has been going around, but I'm wondering if this is becoming a fad in other areas, too? I personally blame the Paleo/Whole 30 diet for glamorizing ghee. I just think it's so weird that all of a sudden people (mostly non-desis) are going on about how it's so good for you and better for you than regular butter or other oils. But if you talk to the Indian community, most people will laugh at the thought of ghee being good for us. Or at least, that's the case in my family and extended local Indian community.

Anyone else have any experiences with this? Thoughts?

devta

Ghee is mostly saturated fat and it needs an active lifestyle to digest properly. It has simple carbs that will convert to fat of they are not burned.

jasneet12

well ghee was always recommended in our house. not in excess for sure; but that one moderate spoon a day is considered to be good. I remember my dad's heart docs also recommend ghee over other oils.

my little research of this morning also seems to suggest that ghee is still a good thing to eat; esp over oils.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/15-amazing-benefits-of-ghee.html (except for point 14 which is too iffy for me!)

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-truth-about-fats-oils.html

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food/food-reviews/Ghee-and-its-many-benefits/articleshow/10979319.cms

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2213986/A-spoon-ghee-health-Poses-danger-cardiac-health-helps-prevent-cancer.html

so dont discount ghee just yet!

desidieter

^ Interesting! Thanks for sharing those links. I've seen a lot of mixed information about it, so I was definitely curious. I guess my biggest reservation with it is the amount of saturated fats it has. 1 TBSP has like 8 grams of saturated fat, versus 1 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil that only has about 2 grams. And traditionally, health experts will tell you to cut down on saturated fats, so I guess I've always stuck to using EVOO, especially when I'm trying to be healthy. Of course, some things just taste better in ghee, so I do use it on occasion, but I was just surprised to find people saying that it's a healthier option.

jasneet12

EVOO as far as i know should not be heated; so its really a salad oil.

desidieter

Well, EVOO has a lower smoking point and shouldn't be used for high heat (like frying and such), but it can be heated to a certain degree. Canola or coconut oils are better for high heat cooking/frying.

devta

From what I've read so far, it seems like ghee has more nutritional benefits but not so much for losing weight. Thanks to Teflon we don't require much oil anyway and the food still tastes good with a spoonful of oil instead of frying.