10 Reasons Why Ghee Is The Liquid Gold We All Must Have Daily

Benefits of ghee: Ghee can be beneficial for boosting digestion and aiding weight loss

Benefits of ghee: Are you having ghee daily? Do we even need to stress how important ghee is for your health? For some of you, probably not. But for others who still believe that eating fat (in ghee) will make you fat, it is still very important to talk about the many benefits of this "liquid gold" as (celeb nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar terms it), and why the fats in it do more good than harm. Nutrition profile of organic homemade ghee is something like this: one tbsp (14 gm) of ghee contains 13 gm fat, 8 gms of saturated fat, 4 gms of monounsaturated fat, 0.5 gms of polyunsaturated fat, 112 calories, 12% of daily recommended intake (RDI) of Vitamin A, 2% RDI of Vitamin E and 1% RDI of Vitamin K.

Ghee benefits: 10 reasons why you should eat ghee every day

According to Rujuta, you must eat ghee every day, without guilt, fear and doubt. There are not one, but multiple ways of including ghee in your diet.

• You can add to your dals over the top, or use ghee for preparing tadka
• You can top it over rotis and can cook paranthas with ghee
• You can prepare the tadka for sabzis with ghee or top sabzis with a dollop of ghee
• Top khichdis and rice meals with a dollop of ghee
• All in all, ghee can be used for sautéing, frying, as a replacement for oil and butter and even broiling.

Ghee is versatile in nature and can be used for frying, sautéing and numerous other purproses
Photo Credit: iStock

Also read: This Is The Fat You Need For Weight Loss; Other Health Benefits Of Ghee You Must Know

How much ghee should you eat in a day?

Well, there are multiple answers to this question but the most simplified one is this: Add as much ghee to your food that it enhances the original taste of the food, and not kills it.

Apart from this, Rujuta recommends that you can have one tsp of ghee for each of your main meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eating this much of ghee can be beneficial for women with PCOS, people with heart disease, high blood pressure, constipation, weak joints and inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS).

Also read: Some Unknown Irritable Facts About Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Health benefits of ghee

1. To everyone's shock and surprise, you can eat ghee as part of a weight loss diet! Ghee contains omega-3 fatty acid DHA and omega 6 (CLA). These fats can help in increasing lean body mass while also reducing fat mass. Ghee also helps in mobilising fat cells to be burnt for energy.

2. Ghee is an all-natural product that can be stored for months. It is a time-tested food that is extremely versatile in nature.

3. Ghee is great for moisturising of skin and hair. If you experience dry skin woes in winter, or if you feel your hair is frizzy, then ghee is the food for you. Topically apply ghee on your skin and hair and magical results will surely follow!

Ghee can help in naturally moisturising the skin
Photo Credit: iStock

4. Ghee has anti-inflammatory properties. It can be used to treat burns and swelling. Butyrate is a kind of fatty acid in ghee, which has been linked to an immune system response linked to inflammation.

Also read: Inflammation: What Are The Risks Of High Inflammation In The Body?

5. Ghee can boost digestion. It helps in healing and repairing of the stomach lining. This benefit can be specifically helpful for people with IBS or Crohn's disease.

6. Ghee is a nutritional powerhouse containing Vitamins A, D, E and K. These nutrients can together be beneficial for strengthening your immunity and keeping you disease-free.

7. Ghee has a rich antioxidant profile. These antioxidants can offer protection to the body by damage caused by free radicals. Ghee can prevent cell and tissue damage that eventually leads to diseases.

8. Ghee is the food you need if you have joint pain, arthritis. It helps in soothing inflammation, lubricates joints and reduces joint stiffness caused by arthritis.

Eating ghee can be helpful in reducing joint pain and stiffness caused by arthritis
Photo Credit: iStock

Also read: 5 Tips To Deal With Joint Pain And Other Arthritis Symptoms In Cold Winter Months

9. In Ayurveda, ghee is considered to be one of the best sources of self-massage. It is cooling and calming in nature. If you experience trouble in sleeping, then you can massage your temples with ghee and it may help in promoting better sleep.

10. Ghee is beneficial for heart health. It contains omega-3 fatty acids, that have been found to be beneficial for brain health and heart health.

Thus, reasons are aplenty for eating ghee daily. The question is, are they enough to convince you to eat it and not worry about weight loss all the time? Let us know in the comments here.

(Rujuta Diwekar is a nutritionist based in Mumbai)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.