Are you on a weight loss spree? You may have heard a lot of people coming up with a pro-tip or two. And one of the most common weight loss tips we have all heard is- avoid fats. In a bid to lose weight, you may have even considered eliminating all fats sources from your diet. But doing so may do you more harm than good. Fats, carbs are three macronutrients that are essential for sustaining a healthy life. Removing any food group from your diet is never a sustainable way to lose weight. What you do need to do however is – choose better. Avoid all bad fats in fries, burgers and processed junk, and choose better alternatives in the form of ghee, avocados etc. According to Shilpa Arora, ghee is one of the most preferred vehicles for oleation: a process of ingesting oil over a period of time. This actually helps pull fat soluble toxins out of the cells and triggers fat metabolism, a process where the body kick-starts to burn its own fat for fuel.
5. Good For Intestinal Health:
Shilpa also shares with us, that ghee happens to be one of the highest quality food sources of butyric acid, which makes it an ideal pick to support the health of the intestinal walls. The cells of the colon use butyric acid as their preferred source of energy
6. Apply It Over Your Rotis To Decrease Glycemic Index:
In India, spreading ghee over chappatis and parathas is a standard practice. It is said that applying ghee on chapattis could bring down the glycemic index of the chapatti by some amount, in addition to making it more moist and digestible. Bangalore-based nutritionist, Dr. Anju Sood recommends eating chapatis with a little ghee on top. “Latest research says that about 4 tablespoons of oil is the adequate amount of saturated fats per meal, so one percent of the saturated fats could be derived from sources like ghee. Teaming it with ghee facilitates the digestibility of the chapatti.” Applying ghee on chappatis is a hit with celebrities too, Kareena Kapoor in one of her media interactions said that her grandmother, who is eighty years old, always spreads ghee on her chappatis. Even during pregnancy, Kareena made sure she had her regular dal with a spoonful of ghee, she revealed at the book launch of ‘Pregnancy Notes’ by Rujuta Diwekar.
7. Keeps Constipation At Bay:
Having a tough time with your bowel movements? Ghee may come to your rescue. According the book, ‘The Complete Book of Home Remedies’ by Dr. Vasant Lad, milk and ghee make for a mild and effective remedy for constipation. “Taking 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of ghee in a cup of hot milk at bedtime is an effective but gentle means of relieving constipation,” notes the book.
8. Good For Heart:
Much like all fats, ghee too has been guilty of raising cholesterol levels. But contrary to popular belief, ghee is in fact a much safer bet to invest in for heart health as compared to refined oil. The book ‘Healing Foods’ notes that the fats present in ghee are not associated with heart disease in the way that long-chain fatty acids are, as they are used directly as energy by the body and not stored as fats. Consultant Nutritionist, Dr. Rupali Datta says, “Ghee can be consumed daily in small quantities as a source of saturated fats. Children can afford to have a larger quantity every day.” Studies have shown that ghee can be good for lowering bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol.
9. Great For Skin:
Desi Ghee has been a staple part of various beauty care rituals since time immemorial. Its vital fatty acids act as a nourishing agent that can do wonders to infuse life in your dull skin. Pure desi ghee is made out of cow’s milk and is said to be extremely powerful in giving you a soft and supple skin. Ghee is known to be suitable for all skin types and it also has vital fatty acids that help in hydration of the skin cells.