Ghee: Animal Fat for Vegans and Mental Health
Ghee has been a part of Indian culture for thousands of years and I’ll try to connect it to current times.
Even today ghee is used in India for several purposes, in Hindu religious rituals, in fire rituals (Homas or Havan) as a fuel and as a carrier medium for several herbal preparations in Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine.
I’ll restrict myself here in this post how it can help ADHD persons in their natural treatment options although it’s cited for several other benefits.
Before going further into the details let me give you a brief about its preparation, composition and how it compares with plant-based oils.
Preparation
Ghee is prepared from butter in a variety of methods. I will outline here the most common household method followed in India or by the non-resident Indians (NRIs) settled abroad.
Many households in India make their own butter from the curd prepared at home. For those families which don’t make their own butter then the best bet is to buy unsalted butter from the store which is available in big cities in chain-supermarkets only here in India.
The home-collected butter or store-bought butter is then simmered over a low flame in a suitable stainless-steel vessel until it’s completely melted and turns golden brown. Stop the stove and allow it to cool itself to the room temperature. Then filter or decant the liquid ghee from the brown solids at the bottom of the vessel.
The settled solids are nothing but browned milk solids and are a favorite even for neurotypical kids at home as they are tasty and crunchy to some extent.
Just transfer the filtered liquid ghee into a container with tight lid at room temperature and store it in a cool place. Overtime depending on the room temperature you will see that the liquid ghee may turn into suspended solids in liquid ghee or solidify into a smooth paste form.
Usually, in India cow or buffalo ghee is widely used as part of the meal and added a tea spoonful or even table spoonful depending on their interest. The ghee turns spicy dishes into tasty lip-smacking items. Ghee is loved by everyone in the home from the youngest to the oldest in the family.
Composition
The following table-1 shows the chemical composition of cow and buffalo milk ghee.
As can be seen from the above table, ghee in addition to the fat, it naturally contains vitamin A, vitamin E, and carotene which have antioxidant properties. Presence of Vitamin A in ghee stands out as one of the major differences in comparison with plant-based oils. One complaint often mentioned is that it comes pre-loaded with cholesterol, unlike natural plant-based oils. However, the cholesterol content is not very high and shouldn’t be a concern at all.
Further, ghee fatty acids profile is much different from that of the plant-based oils as shown below. In the following table-2 fat composition of ghee, olive oil and sunflower are compared side-by-side.
From the above table it can be concluded that ghee has higher amount of saturated fatty acids (59%, SFA) when compared to olive oil and sunflower oil. Olive oil has more monounsaturated fatty acids (76%, MUFA) than either of ghee or sunflower oil. On the other hand, sunflower oil has large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (63%, PUFA). So, we have a choice here to choose which fat we want, SAF or MUFA or PUFA. All three have different characteristics, benefits and side effects with each of them but that will become a separate topic for discussion. Nature has provided the choice and it’s up to us to use appropriately each of them for our dietary needs.
One last point regarding composition is that although ghee has 59% SAF but all is not lost as some portion of the saturated fatty acids is due to short chain fatty acids (C4-C14, for non-chemists: here ‘C’ refers to ‘Carbon atom’ and the number refers to the number of carbons in the hydrocarbon chain length).
A major difference between ghee and plant-based oils is that the former contains short chain fatty acids (C4–C6, SCFA) and medium chain fatty acids (MCFA, C10-C14).
The SCFA and MCFA present in ghee don’t contribute to the stored fat unlike the long chain fatty acids in plant-based oils or from animal fat. The short chain fatty acids are called as healthy saturated fats, and they are readily metabolized to provide a quick shot of energy.
The uniqueness of ghee arises from its SCFA and MCFA. The modern science confirms their health benefits including better immunity and better absorption of nutrients which helps in colon health. The distinct flavor of ghee comes from its butyric acid (C4 fatty acid) and this also contributes to the production of killer T cells in the gut which play important role in good gut health.
ADHD connection
It’s well known that for those who have ADHD their gut health is usually compromised because of the lack of good gut microbiome. In general, the gut microbiota feeds on fiber and produces these SCFA. In case of shortage of good gut microbiome then their gut health will be in trouble. If ghee is given to these individuals, then we are directly providing the necessary SCFA and MCFA which helps in maintaining good gut health.
In ayurveda several preparations are cow ghee based and now it’s believed that SCFA and MCFA in ghee are helpful in the better absorption of the phytochemicals of the herbs and spices.
Further cognitive health has been given high priority in ayurveda and there are many ayurvedic citations where ghee is used in improving memory, intellect, and formulations for epilepsy and other brain disorders like insanity are also referenced.
Even though ghee is a derivative of cow milk, it’s suitable for lactose and casein intolerant persons. Thus, even ADHD persons who are intolerant of casein and lactose can safely add ghee to their diet plans.
Nasya, a technique practiced in Ayurveda, is placing couple of drops of warm ghee in each nostril, is known to help cleanse the nasal passages, alleviates symptoms of allergies and headache. Most importantly, it’s believed that nose is the doorway to the brain and placing the ghee in nostrils is believed to nourish the brain and is recommended for many mental disorders. Read the reference cited for precautions before doing Nasya or consult an ayurvedic physician for proper guidance.
Another age-old technique of using ghee is to place it in the naval region and gently massage the area. There are several benefits attributed to this technique including digestive health and improved sleep. Read the Medium story ‘Using Ghee on Navel’ by secrettrickspost for additional details.
Ayurveda recognized the importance of ghee from different domesticated animals such as cows, buffaloes, camels, goats and sheep. Among them cow ghee was used in majority of the herbal preparations. However, camel’s ghee was cited more often for digestive health, goat’s ghee for respiratory health, and sheep’s ghee for excretory system benefits.
Until recently modern scientific research focused on narrow saturated fatty acid profile of ghee instead of the wider benefits of ghee in other areas of health. However, it’s changing for better, and more research is carried out in studying the other benefits of ghee.
Finally, whether ghee has helped my son in managing his ADHD. Surely yes just like plant-based oils discussed earlier and ghee also benefits him in managing his digestive and mental health.
Because of the high amounts of saturated fatty acids content in ghee it’s recommended to use your own discretion in using it but not avoid it.
More topics in later posts.
Until then cheers,
Vara
