re: Ghee: is it really better for you than butter?

Here's some information in an old post by tavolatim:


"An ode to ghee

All About GHEE
CLARIFIED BUTTER


Fact: Ghee is composed almost entirely of saturated fat. What you're already shaking your head with disgust?? Just read on and have patience. Remember a good cook must have a lot of patience.

Fact: When cooking, it can be unhealthy to heat polyunsaturated oils such as vegetable oils to high temperatures. Doing so creates peroxides and other free radicals. These substances lead to a variety of health problems and diseases. Hey now even vegetable oils sound scary! Good we're making progress here.

Fact: Ghee has a very high smoke point and doesn't burn easily during cooking. Ghee has the more stable saturated bonds and so is lot less likely to form the dangerous free radicals when cooking. Ghee's short chain fatty acids are also metabolized very readily by the body. Hmm... So now aren't you confused? Is ghee good or bad you ask with a puzzled look? Be patient, just a bit more.

Lab studies have shown ghee to reduce cholesterol both in the serum and intestine(aren't you surprised?!). It does it by triggering an increased secretion of biliary lipids (stuff coming out of your bile). Ghee is also good for nerves and brain. It helps control eye pressure and is beneficial to glaucoma patients. I bet you didn't know these, did you?

Ghee is most notably said to stimulate the secretion of stomach acids to help with digestion, while other fats, such as butter and oils, slow down the digestive process and can sit heavy in the stomach. You don't want that really.

In addition to ghee's nutritional value, it is rich with antioxidants and acts as an aid in the absorption of vitamins and minerals from other foods, feeding all layers of body tissue and serving to strengthen the immune system. A high concentration of butyric acid, a fatty acid that contains anti-viral properties, is believed to inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors.
It is also good for treatment of burns and blisters; a little kitchen remedy there for y'all. According to Ayurveda ghee promotes learning and increased memory retention. Make sure you remember that. And it'll help you remember if you had some ghee!

However, as a caveat, while in a healthy person consuming ghee may reduce your cholesterol or not affect it, it not advised for people already suffering from high cholesterol.

So should you eat Ghee or not???
If you're healthy, ABSOLUTELY. It is safer than butter and has more nutritional use than oil. Now you understand how the Punjabi’s have tonnes of ghee and still are fitter and stronger than any other group of Indians? Go get some ghee you weakling.

A high concentration of butyric acid, a fatty acid that contains anti-viral properties, is believed to inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors.

Although tests and research are still ongoing, it has been used in Indian medicinal practice to help with ulcers, constipation, and the promotion of healthy eyes and skin. An Indian folk-remedy for thousands of years, ghee is also said to promote learning and increased memory retention. It is used in Indian beauty creams to help soften skin, and as a topical for the treatment of burns and blisters."

LINK

its slightly better for you than butter. The best part about it is the nuttiness is slightly more than butter and it has a high smoke point. It's great to seer things with. Especially when blackening foods since you don't have the butter burning.