A couple of decades back, in any conversation amongst Indians, at home or abroad, the words “ghee” and “healthy” couldn’t be used in the same sentence.
But of late, interestingly, the mist around this most indispensable and flavorsome member of any Indian kitchen is being cleared.
It wouldn’t be way off the mark to even say that ghee-also known as clarified butter is regaining its lost glory since the past couple of years, as more and more dietitians and fitness experts are singing praises of this erstwhile vilified fat agent.
A recent post by India’s leading celebrity nutritionist, Rujuta Diwekar, better known as the brain behind Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor’s size zero, has recommended a teaspoon of ghee in breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And she promises you the unthinkable, something that can be music to most Punjabi ears like yours and mine: "eating ghee can help you lose weight!"
Ghee has for long been pegged as a very healthy fat in Ayurveda, an ancient Indian text about herbal and alternative medicine. Ghee is indispensable in India’s religious practices too as most religious rituals of Hinduism and Sikhism can be performed solely by using ghee.
Interestingly, now the developed world is swearing by ghee’s benefits.
America's famous reality TV star Kourtney Kadarshian has mentioned in her website that she drinks “one big teaspoon” of ghee first thing in the morning.
“I love the Ayurvedic properties of ghee and so I keep in mind some general rules while I enjoy the amazing flavour.”-Kourtney Kadarshian
If fit, beautiful and svelte ambassadors of ghee like Kourtney and Kareena endorse its consumption, chances are people will not only sit up and listen but also follow their advice.
However, at SBS Punjabi, we do not claim to have any expertise on health and fitness. Therefore, for reliable advice, we took our queries on ghee and its recent resurgence on the global health charts to a Melbourne-based dietitian, Gagan Cheema.
She advises caution while consuming it and also maintains that physical activity should not be forgotten if ghee is to be consumed. Listen to the full feature here.
