One ingredient you’ll always find in my kitchen: ghee butter. You may be familiar with this type of butter if you follow Ayurvedic medicine as its roots are in India, but if you’ve never heard of ghee butter before – you’re in for a treat! Not only is ghee butter delicious, but it helps bolster your gut health too. A lot of folks who follow a paleo diet incorporate ghee into their day, and if you’re familiar with the practice of adding a fat source to your morning coffee – ghee is a common addition in this trend too. Oh and even celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian claims she drinks straight up Ghee in the morning.
Ghee butter is clarified, meaning that it is unsalted butter that goes through a slight heating process to separate milk solids from the liquid (which is a beautiful golden color). If any foam populates on top of the pan, it’s also whisked away to create *just* a liquid form: ghee! It has a much higher smoke point than other oils, which is why I love using it when I bake or saute dishes, and it smells nutty and savory – just like it tastes. Here’s why I’m adding it to my recipes:
Ghee nutrition information.
Can be tolerated by those who have a dairy sensitivity: Ghee contains a lower content of dairy proteins than regular butter, meaning that it can be tolerated by those who have a sensitivity to dairy – AKA me! Because a good majority of these dairy proteins have been removed in the process of creating this clarified butter, it’s lower in lactose and casein.
Contains healthful fatty acids: Ghee has a specific fatty acids such as linoleic acid and butyrate which has been linked to lower levels of heart disease and digestive health. These fatty acids may also have anti-inflammatory properties! Oh and BTW, these fatty acids are also considered MCT – which I wrote about recently too! MCT fats are digested at a quicker rate giving you great levels of natural energy to use vs. being stowed away in your body as fat. My article on MCT’s explains this in more detail if you’re curious to learn more about it. Although Ghee butter still contains saturated fat (which isn’t the healthiest form of fat you can eat), it contains more MCT’s than regular butter. A few nutritionists and MD’s I’ve spoken to believe that when eaten in moderation, there is less of a negative effect on your heart health than regular butter.
Good for the gut: The fatty acid butyrate specifically is great for the digestive tract due to its anti-inflammatory properties that can help support optimal function. It’s important to keep in mind though that if you have a severe intolerance to all dairy, ghee may still not agree with your tummy. Ghee butter also helps you absorb nutrients like fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A, D, E and K (and ghee also contains Vitamins A, D, and E.). So you can add ghee butter to your pan of roasted veggies that are packed with these antioxidant boosting vitamins to help you better absorb all that nutritional goodness!
When it comes down to it, ghee is essentially *all* fat. And as with any fat, you shouldn’t be guzzling extreme amounts of it. I’ll limit myself to 1/2 a tbsp when adding it to recipes. I always make sure to source grass fed Ghee butter for the additional benefits. You also want to make sure to read the labels to confirm that there aren’t any preservatives or additives that weaseled their way into the product.
How to cook with ghee.
- You can use ghee butter as your fat when roasting vegetables in the oven.
- You can create one pot saute’s using ghee since it has a high smoke point.
- You can add a dollop to your pasta sauces or marinades.
- It also tastes great in warming stews and rice bowls.
- You can spread it on toast or make sunny side up eggs with it.
It’s important to remember to use it in moderation since it is still 100% fat! You don’t even need that much since the flavor is so rich as well. If you want to get some recipe inspiration of recipes that ghee butter would be a great addition to, here’s some links!
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