- By foodconsultantindia_rjhvpi
- 3
(Cow’s Ghee: Tradition, Ayurveda, Nutrition and Practical Understanding)There is a published study in Food Chemistry (2022); Just wondering the impact of cholesterol and also how the Lutein affects eye health after consume the ghee. And also the theory behind why ghee can improve the bioavailability comparing to other oil. Very interesting research though
Cow’s ghee is not just a cooking fat in Indian homes; it is an ingredient connected with food culture, digestion, rituals, taste, aroma and traditional wellness. Proper cow’s ghee is made by carefully clarifying milk fat so that water and milk solids are removed and a clean golden fat remains. This simple-looking product is actually a very technical food: milk quality, cream quality, heating control, moisture removal, granulation, aroma development, storage and packaging all decide whether the final ghee is excellent, ordinary or defective.
In Ayurveda, ghee is respected as “ghrita”. Ayurvedic vaidyas use it in many ways: as food, as an anupana with herbs, in sneha karma, in medicated ghees and in specific therapeutic protocols. But this point must be clearly understood: when ghee is used as medicine, the dose, timing, herb combination and patient condition are not general kitchen advice; they depend on the vaidya’s judgement. A person with weak digestion, high cholesterol, liver issues, obesity, diabetes or heart risk should not copy someone else’s quantity blindly. Acharya Sushruta described a therapy called Netra Tarpana where warm medicated cow ghee was retained over the eyes inside a well built from urad flour dough.
It is one of the primary Kriyakalpa procedures documented in the Sushruta Samhita and Ashtanga Hridayam for nourishing ocular tissue and treating eye disor
For normal daily food use, ghee gives richness, aroma, lubrication and satiety. Many Indian families use only a small group of traditional fats such as mustard oil, coconut oil and ghee, while some also use olive oil or other oils depending on cuisine. This is a sensible food-culture approach when total fat intake remains balanced. Personally, many people take ghee with breakfast, lunch and even dinner rotis; 3–4 teaspoons per day may be common in active households. But “how much ghee is good” is not one fixed number. It depends on age, digestion, physical activity, total calories, medical condition and the rest of the diet.
Nutritionally, ghee is almost pure fat, so it is energy-dense. It contains mostly saturated fat, some monounsaturated fat and small natural compounds such as fat-soluble vitamins and aroma molecules. Cow ghee may have a pleasant yellow tone due to natural carotenoids, depending on feed and season. Because ghee has very low moisture, it keeps better than butter and gives a higher heat tolerance in cooking. That is why it works beautifully for tadka, dal, khichdi, roti, sweets and certain frying or roasting applications where flavour is important.The researchers wanted to know one thing: does the fat you eat with lutein change how much lutein your body actually absorbs?
Lutein is the carotenoid that sits in your retina. It forms the macular pigment.
They tested cow ghee against olive oil, flaxseed oil, and a control group.
Here is what they found:
Cow ghee improved oral bioavailability of lutein by 2.02x versus control, 1.41x versus olive oil, and 1.66x versus flaxseed oil
Postprandial plasma lutein peaked within 2 hours with cow ghee, the fastest of all groups tested (Cmax 135.76 pmol/mL)
How It is beneficial for eye & Brain ? Cow ghee elevated lutein accumulation directly in the eye by 1.51 folds and in the brain by 1.34 folds compared to control
The study concluded cow ghee, with its 69.28% saturated fatty acid composition, works as a targeted delivery vehicle for lutein into the bloodstream and tissues
The researchers noted this was the first study of its kind reporting the influence of saturated fatty acids on lutein bioavailability in a live system.
Vitamin A, which maintains the moist outer lining of the eyeball and is required for photoreceptor production in the retina.Lutein and zeaxanthin, the carotenoids that form macular pigment.Omega-3 fatty acids.Fat-soluble antioxidants (Vitamins A, D, E, K) that reduce oxidative stress.And because every single one of these is fat-soluble, the fat you pair them with determines how muchreaches your eyes.
The research now says cow ghee does that better than olive oil.Also the Butter made from Cow’s Milk have more benefits; But make sure that These are lot’s of Products in market which is visually same like Butter but as per FSSAI ;That is not butter,So If you would like to know the difference between Real Butter and Butter like Products Click here.
To know the 9 type of Scientific Proof of Benefits of Cow’s Ghee ; Just Click here.
