Healthy Fats Are Where It’s At
Healthy Fats Are Where It’s At.
I am frequently asked what oils to use when cooking.
The answer is actually very simple.
You can achieve almost all the taste and health benefits from whole healthy fats by using coconut oil and/or ghee either together or alone.
While coconut oil is a rising star in the cooking world due to its heat stability and many health benefits, you may not be aware of ghee. Ghee has been used for thousands of years in India as a premium cooking oil celebrated for its taste, nutritional benefits, and medicinal qualities. In fact, Ayurveda recognizes ghee as an essential part of a balanced diet and considers it one of the best fats one can eat as its elemental qualities enrich the body. For deeper background, see modern reviews linking classical Ayurveda uses with contemporary research here and here.
Please note: Recent negative press aside by the AHA on saturated fats, these two oils are still stars of my kitchen along with cold-pressed organic olive and avocado oil. For context on the AHA’s position, see the 2017 Presidential Advisory summarizing evidence to replace a portion of saturated fat with unsaturated fats for cardiovascular benefit AHA Advisory and a concise clinical summary ACC overview. Extra-virgin olive oil’s monounsaturated fat profile and outcome data are reviewed here and here, with consumer guidance on MUFAs from MedlinePlus here.
For an amusing and all too true parody on dietary mis and disinformation check out these two videos.
This Is Why Eating Healthy Is Hard (Time Travel Dietician)
So what is Ghee?
This liquid oil gold, called Ghee, is the very essence of butter; the end result of a long, slow, careful clarification process that removes all the moisture, milk solids and impurities. And it is the absence of milk solids and water in ghee that make it completely shelf stable (it requires no refrigeration if kept in an air tight container) and so beneficial to your health.
It is the purity of ghee that makes it so special. This purity allows it to be deep penetrating and nourishing as it passes through the lipid membranes of cells. For this reason, the assimilation of vitamins and minerals from food cooked in ghee is greatly enhanced. And for all you cooks out there, know that food cooked in ghee will taste better because spices added to food cooked with ghee are carried deep into the food.
Let’s look at some of the benefits of Ghee.
It has one of the highest oil flash/smoke points (about 482–485ºF), making it one of the best choices for high-temperature cooking; see reference values summarized here and consumer-friendly explanation here. General cautions on exceeding smoke points are reviewed by Colorado State University here.
It is comprised of full spectrum short, medium and long chain fatty acids, both unsaturated and saturated and when made from butter from pastured cows, it is one of the highest natural sources of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). Reviews on CLA-rich dairy fat and ghee are here and dairy feeding effects on CLA are summarized here.
It contains Omega 3 and Omega 9 essential fatty acids along with vitamins A, D, E and K.
It contains nine phenolic antioxidants, as well as numerous other minerals.
It has been used for centuries as a digestive and elimination aid, for energy, sexual vitality, skin and eye health, as a lubricant for the joints and for alkalizing the blood. Classical and modern perspectives from Ayurveda research can be explored here and here.
Of All the Ghee on the Market One Stands Out Above the Rest
The combination of purity, processing and taste make Ancient Organics Ghee is unlike any other you will find on the market today.
From using award-winning pasture-raised Straus Family Creamery Organic churned butter to cooking in small batches over an open flame to honoring the tradition of artisan ghee and limited production to the full or waxing moon in a peaceful, mantra-infused kitchen as the influence of the bright and waxing moon have been shown to amplify the elemental healing qualities and taste of ghee.
You can read more about the process of making Ghee here and more about the Strauss Family Creamy here. You can purchase Ghee here
Here is a great source of coconut oil.
And when looking to purchase coconut oil, I highly recommend the organic, cold-pressed and solvent free coconut oil from Wildly Organic. Their oil is made like no others and it is the coconut oil that I personally use. It combines the cold pressing of freshly dried coconut flesh with centrifugation to remove fine proteins and clarify the oil.
You can purchase Wildly Organic coconut oil here.
So how to decide which to use?
Coconut oil is sweeter so is best for curry, grain-free pancakes and baking.
Ghee is best for eggs and dishes with spices.
For those on a budget, make a 50:50 coconut oil/ghee blend which will reduce your usage of ghee and still provide many of the health and taste benefits.
Where flavor is an issue go with olive or the more mild avocado oil.
Olive oil is also best to use on salads. If you want the science lens on why extra-virgin olive oil is a strong default for dressings and low-to-moderate heat, see outcome-oriented reviews here and here.
This my favorite olive oil as it has a free low acidity or rancidity. It is one of the few companies to actually list these numbers. This is our local source of avocado oil.
Enjoy!