Talk:Ghee

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[edit] Moved the following from the article

How do you pronounce it?
With a hard G, GEE. porge 03:35, Sep 28, 2004 (UTC)
The Gh in Ghee is pronounced like ghost - with a similar emphasis. (I am a native Hindi speaker ;-))

[edit] Is Ghee "free cholesterol"?

Hello,

Can someone help me to clear the following doubts?

Is Ghee contains "cholesterol"? Is it suitable for people who has high blood pressure and high cholesterol?

What other nutrietion and advantages by taking ghee? Or any disadvantages ? Will it bring any positive or negative consequences to our health ?

Thank you.

Of course it contains cholesterol. Cholesterol is a neccesary part of animal cellwalls. So simply all animal products contain cholesterol and no vegetable products contain cholesterol.

Ghee like any other fat is not cholesterol free. Also despite various sources and doctors saying that since ghee is 100% fat it is bad for the health, ghee is not the major cause of problems. This is only partially true, and that too when excessive intake is there (which applies to *any* food-stuff). Most Indian households use ghee, and in moderation it is not at all bad. In fact I would say that it is better than any processed fat/vegetable fat (which is hydrogenated) in that it doesn't contain any additives. If ghee were harmful, then we sould see a huge number of people dying of ghee-related problems, especially in north India (Punjab) where ghee is most consumed. Rohitbd 13:49, 7 March 2006 (UTC)
First of all I don't quite see what should be wrong with hydrogenated fat, as long as the fatty acids are not completely saturated.
Secondly, ghee is not necessarily free of additives. In Europe, for example, ghee is subsidized by the EU to get rid of the excess butter production. Then of course something has to be done to keep people from converting cheap, subsidized ghee back into more expensive butter, so phytosterol and stigmasterol are added. --RGrimmig 13:27, 28 March 2006 (UTC)
In EU & western countries, ghee may well contain additives. My comment about ghee being additive-free was about the way it is made and used in India. In Indian households ghee is seldom bought, it is mostly prepared at home so it doesn't contain any additives. Rohitbd 11:42, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
Hydrogenated oils typically contain significant amounts of trans fat. Trans fats have been shown to be significantly more detrimental to cardiovascular health than even naturally occurring saturated cis fats. Flourdustedhazzn 15:24, 31 December 2006 (UTC)
Rohitbd wrote: Ghee like any other fat is not cholesterol free. This statement is false. All plant-derived fats are cholesterol-free. —Ryanrs 23:30, 29 May 2006 (UTC)
Ghee is not a plant-derived fat. Ghee is made from unprocessed butter which in turn is derived from milk. Also, plant-derived fats have cholesterol, though to a much lesser degree (see Cholesterol). Rohitbd 11:42, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
I believe the challenged part of the statement was the implication that no fats are cholesterol free. Plant-derived fats are certainly not literally free of cholesterol, but the cholesterol content is nutritionally insignificant. Flourdustedhazzn 15:26, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Expand

"Ghee is frequently used for libations in Vedic ritual (see Yajurveda) and even finds a hymn dedicated to ghee. Ghee is also burned in the Hindu religious ceremony of Aarti and used in marriages, funerals and for bathing idols during worship."

It is also used in a sacrafice of 5 sacred substances (sugar, milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee).

"The use of ghee in Indian cooking is believed by doctors to have significant negative health consequences for Indians."

It is often used as a flavor-additive. Examples: it is brushed onto chappathis and added as flavor for some sambars.

Maybe we should add a picture? There are plenty online. The question is wether you want a picture of its bottled version or its pure (outside of the container) version.

[edit] Accuracy

"Not only does vegetable "ghee" contains high LDL, it also lacks ghee's ability to reduce serum cholesterol and it lacks the many health promoting benefits claimed for the real ghee."

LDL, which stands for "Low Density Lipoprotein" is only found in animals and therefore "vegetable 'ghee'" can not have any LDL, much less contain high levels of LDL. Otherwise a nice article. Just a note in passing and the first time that I've posted anything to Wiki.  :-) 71.113.235.19 00:45, 18 November 2006 (UTC)Ray


Ghee is 100 percent fat. Doctors believed that the widespread use of ghee in Indian cooking is detrimental to Indians' health.

The above statement does not quote any references (i.e., in what way is ghee more detrimental than other fats to Indian's health - preferably from some neutral medical source and not some company manufacturing cooking oils). Coming fom India, AFAIK ghee is used commonly (I eat it whenever I can) and I haven't seen health-risks to people eating ghee in moderation. Ghee is restricted to people who have obesity, cholesterol problems just as any other fat would be. Ghee is not any more damaging to health than other fats. Excessive intake of any fat along with a sedentary lifestyle will lead to problems - and that includes ghee. Also, ghee is additive free (especially the one made at home) so in some ways is better than other processed fats (like hydrogenated vegetable oil) for consumption. Rohitbd 14:01, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

This is 100% true. If you want, I can post a copy of my ghee container stating that it is 100% fat.
I agree that ghee is 100% fat and I do not dispute this. What I dispute is the claim that ghee is detrimental to health. I do not agree that ghee is a more serious cause of heart-problems than, say, vegetable fat (like Dalda). That said, in excess ghee is as bad as any other fat for health. PS: Please sign your posts with ~~~~ Rohitbd 11:15, 13 March 2006 (UTC)
Looks at the breakdown of ghee(clarified butter) here.As you can see, Ghee contains about 75 percent cholesterol (which is very bad for health..ask your family doctor) and a very high content of 'Saturated' fat. Not all fat is bad, it is the 'saturated/polyunsaturated' fat which is bad for your health, because human digestive system can not break this fat easily to use it as a source of energy. Just because you(Rohitbd) eat it regulary doesnt mean that consuming ghee is any better or worse. Look at the facts and hope it is clear now that among all fats, Ghee is particularly bad because all it has is cholestoral & saturated fat. -- suds 12:10, 15 March 2006 (UTC)
The article suds references claims that ghee contains 73 mg or miligrams of cholesterol per serving size of 28.4 grams. This is 0.257% cholesterol approximately not 75%. I would not dispute that ghee is mostly saturated fat but I would question the source of the information that you are referencing as the site is 'sponsored' by a company that sells diet products. This reference from the National Institute of Health (U.S.) seems to indicate that ghee is less a contributing factor to cardiac disease than vegetable oil though I would also point out that lack of exersize is noted as a factor. " Dr. Willett noted that coronary heart disease rates are increasing dramatically in developing countries, concomitant with increased intake of trans fatty acids (e.g., in vegetable ghee, inexpensive cooking oils) and reduced levels of physical activity, which can make individuals more susceptible to the effects of foods with a high glycemic load. " John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences (FIC) (1999) Minutes of the Advisory Board Forty-third Meeting Retrieved April 04, 2006 from www.fic.nih.gov/about/minadv19990928.html. A review of the original reports cited in the document may give a more complete understanding of whether butter-based ghee contributes to disease in areas where it is consumed. If 'some' Doctors are to be quoted then those Doctors should be named. Experior veritas ~Festus 23:09, 04 April 2006 (UTC)
I agree with Rohitbd that the general statement should be made more neutral, e.g. Some doctors believed that the widespread use of ghee in Indian cooking may be detrimental to Indians' health. I.e. don't take for granted that there is unanimous medical consensus regarding usage of fats. For a parallel example, look at current medical opinion about controversial low-carb nutritional approaches like Atkins: while mainstream dietists are critical at those theories, you do find scientifical studies supporting them (search PubMed for evidences). Maxx@82.181.100.181 08:13, 18 March 2006 (UTC)
I edited it to sound less ridiculous. Also, somebody should add a "cooking" section. Daniel Leavitt 04:08, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Reference to "Diet & Nutrition, a holistic approach"

G'day, I just wikified the reference to this book, added by someone else. However, I'm concerned about its veracity. From a reader review on Amazon, the book apparently explains how "our chemistry and physics teachers were wrong when they told us that the elements in the periodic table can't be transformed into each other without a nuclear reactor operating on them. The enzymes in our bodies, and in the bodies of chickens, fish, etc., are quite capable of transforming one element into another, gently, without that nuclear explosion. Potassium, sodium, iron, copper, calcium, are being switched around inside the bodies of living creatures. Nitrogen is sometimes transformed into carbon monoxide. Amazing. Chickens are capable of making their own calcium, out of other elements, in order to make egg shells." This is obvious tosh, and one has to wonder about taking anything else in the book seriously. Should the reference stay? Webaware 21:35, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

Nobody has come forward to support this cite, so I have removed it. Webaware talk 03:12, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Possibly Irrelevant

[edit] The American Heart Association recommends choosing dishes prepared without ghee.[1]

Seems like it was added just to get the word "American" into an article.

[edit] In India ghee comes under the 'AGMARK' which is the equivalent of ISI in India.

What on Earth is ISI??

[edit] Ghee vs. Clarified butter

Is there any difference between Ghee and Clarified butter? Aren't both butter minus the milk solids?

Also, the article says that you can heat the oil to it's smoke point without harming it, but isn't that what the smoke point is for various fats? The smoke point is higher than that of just pure butter, but if you hit that higher point, it will break down. Atropos235 23:03, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

I may be wrong, but my understanding is that clarified butter may not be clarified as much as ghee. High quality ghee (e.g. not Australian commercial "ghee", also called "clarified butter") has little to no casein remaining, whereas clarified butter is reasonably clear but not necessarily as pure butter fat as ghee. Personal opinion: I imagine that production of ghee has a specific process, which when followed properly results in a particular variant of clarified butter with little to no milk proteins. Certainly, my wife (who is casein intolerant) copes with certain Indian brands of ghee but not Australian brands of "ghee/clarified butter". Webaware talk 14:55, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cholesterol

What is the deal with the back and forth about cholesterol and ghee? It's not as if dietary cholesterol is significant (it isn't), so why bother about whether ghee has any or not? As a frequent consumer of ghee, and eggs, I'm often amused by tabloid coverage of dietary cholesterol and fats vs obesity and heart disease. I have doctor-shocking-good cholesterol levels, regardless of my eggs and ghee and dripping intake, so I fail to see the relevance of this issue in the article on ghee. Webaware talk 15:07, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

I've also read similar claims about the limited effect of dietary cholesterol on blood cholesterol (from the likes of Harvard and the US NIH, not just alternative health resources). This isn't the forum for a full debate on the subject, but if you'd like to cite some scientific sources here perhaps we can remove cholesterol and health references.James A. Stewart 01:36, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
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