VIRAL VIDEO CALLS GHEE A FAT BURNER. EXPERTS FACT-CHECK
Correct us if we are wrong, but all of us have made faces when our moms and grandmothers have tried to feed us 'ghee wali roti'. While they tell us that a spoonful of ghee or clarified butter can add a punch of flavour to any dish, we only think that eating ghee is not good for us.
Recently, a video by Prashant Desai has gone viral on the web. In the clip, he claims that ghee is the best fat in the world, adding that it is a fat burner. India Today got in touch with Desai to find out more.Â
Only goodness
"I will say that ghee is probably the best food in the world. If you look at our tradition, it comes back from time immemorial. Ghee was the only fat that we would serve our God. So, there is a reason why ghee has survived since time immemorial," Desai, longevity sherpa, Stanford School of Medicine, tells us.
He adds, "If you look at it through the lens of science, ghee has a unique carbon structure. At the same time, it contains something called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), it's kind of a powerhouse that burns fat. It burns stubborn belly fat."
Commenting on this, Pooja Shah Bhave, a Mumbai-based consultant clinical dietician, shares, "Milk, butter, ghee, oil-seeds, meat are natural sources of conjugated linoleic acid. An average diet provides 15-175 mg of CLA. And, cow ghee is a decent source of CLA if the cows are fed on grass."Â
She adds that CLA does have benefits like "anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, lower blood pressure and reducing obesity".
The dietician further mentions, "The CLA content in ghee among all fatty acids is just 0.5-1.5 per cent to have any significant role in weight loss. That is why we can see Indians still having abundant ghee and yet not losing weight."
However, she states that everyone should include a teaspoon or two of ghee in their daily diet.
"Ghee is made up of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol essential to produce important components in our body. It is also a source of fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, retinol, and Vitamin D," she adds.
Meanwhile, nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, who has authored the book 'Ghee: The Fat Burner', often talks about the benefits of consuming ghee on social media. Even in her book 'Indian Super Foods', she has talked about how adding ghee to your meals can reduce the glycaemic index of food.
Know more benefits
- Prashant Desai further explains that the consumption of ghee increases lipids in the blood and reduces cholesterol. It also contains short-chain fatty acids, which are the best fats.
- "Ghee is also good for your heart. And remember, whatever is good for your heart is also good for your brain. It helps in the prevention of heart disease, and it's also great for your blood pressure," he says.
- As per Desai, ghee is also great for pregnant women to manage their thyroid function, lactation, and Vitamin D deficiency. Not only this, but it is also a great prebiotic for your gut.
- Apart from being an anti-allergen, it also helps with constipation.
- And, when you consume your food with ghee, the sugar or the glucose spike is lower.
- Not only is ghee good for your brain, but its consumption will keep you away from snacking after food.
"If you go back to your mom and grandmom after you have suffered from an illness, you will see that they will keep adding ghee to all the food that you eat to recover from that illness. That's another property of ghee, that it has antioxidant properties," says Desai.
He asserts that there is no other food that is packed with so many benefits.
Meanwhile, Pooja Shah Bhave shares that ghee works as a lubricant for joints, as per Ayurveda. "It is also a natural moisturiser and prevents dryness. One can apply ghee topically over lips or skin if they are dried or apply on mouth ulcers, they have antibiotic properties," she says.
Are there any side-effects?
According to Bhave, if taken in excess, clarified butter can have side effects.
"Ghee, although the best among saturated fats as compared to palm or coconut oil, is after all a saturated fat. So, one should not exceed more than 1-2 teaspoons in a day. Any type of saturated fat if taken in excess inevitably leads to high cholesterol and triglycerides, causes inflammation, leads to increased plaque formation in the arteries, leading to clogged arteries," she explains.
The dietician adds that eventually, excess intake will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. If those struggling with obesity or fatty liver consume excess ghee, it can worsen the condition.
She explains that if ghee is the only source of fat in the diet, it will cause a deficiency of essential fatty acids which are important for producing hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone and important anti-inflammatory compounds in the body.
"Ghee is predominantly rich in only saturated fats whereas our body also needs monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. MUFA and omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties, and they also help to reduce excess clotting in blood thereby preventing arteries from getting clogged. Thus, they protect the heart,"Â Bhave shares.Â
How much is too much?
Moderation is the key when it comes to the consumption of clarified butter.
Parina Joshi, dietician, Surya Hospital, Mumbai, says, "The right consumption depends on how much ghee is too much for you. If you lead an active lifestyle and have average health, you may include 2-3 teaspoons of ghee daily. So, if you include more than 2-3 teaspoons of pure ghee daily, it should be treated as 'too much' for consumption."
It is always recommended to have ghee and oil in a proportion of 2:1.
Can ghee help with weight loss?
For Prashant Desai, the answer is no. He says that weight loss is a function of energy balance.
"In simple words, we say calorie in calorie out if you want to lose weight. A protocol that has significantly shown to prove or guarantee weight loss is calorie restriction. So, whether you add ghee or don't, the only way to lose weight is to ensure that you eat less," he adds.
Dietary restrictions like the ketogenic diet or intermittent fasting can also help with weight loss. Desai mentions that energy balance is also important, and same is the case with weight gain.Â
Pooja Shah Bhave agrees and says that clarified butter alone as such does not have any special property that can lead to weight loss or for that matter, boost metabolism.
Weight loss depends on multiple factors, like a balanced diet, calorie deficit, and exercise.
Further, talking about the gym-goers who often avoid ghee, Joshi says, "Shout-out to gym-going fitness freaks, but do not make ghee a villain. It is a good fat, rather a golden fat when taken in moderation. So go on and enjoy your hot roti with ghee. It is good for health and soul too."
Add ghee to your diet but...
- Ghee is necessary, but experts suggest not consuming more than two teaspoons a day.
- Select cow's A2 ghee. The second-best option is homemade buffalo milk ghee. Commercial ghee is not the best option.
- You should include a combination of fatty acids daily. It can be 1-2 teaspoons of saturated fatty acids, 3-4 teaspoons of unsaturated fatty acids like MUFA and PUFA-rich oil, especially rice bran oil, soybean oil, cold-pressed mustard, and groundnut oil.
- If you are taking whole milk and high-fat dairy products, you should reduce ghee intake as the fats from milk will provide similar types of saturated fats.