GHEE-DY

OK, I think it's finally time to tell you about ghee. Ghee is clarified butter, which sounds terrible. At least, I never thought that it sounded like a good idea. It's kind of a big deal in Ayurvedic medicine and is encouraged by the tablespoon as a cure-all miracle oil. The research varies on the benefits and the downside to consuming clarified butter. I mean, it's fat, but it's good fat that has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol and is high in omega-3:omega-6. Ghee can be heated to extremely high temps without breaking down and reduces the glycemic index of anything cooked in it. It is a saturated fat, but one with short-chained fatty acids. So it's easily metabolized. Of course, it's still saturated fat. Moderation and common sense people. Use it. You can buy ghee at your local health food store or make your own. I think I prefer making my own because it's believed that the good energy you put into the ghee while making it, increases the benefits. The more love and happy energy you put into it the better. While the butter is on a slow boil, you turn up the music and dance. You sing to it. You whisper words of love and happiness into the pan. Then you strain it through cheese cloth to remove the milk fats and bask in the glow of the delicious ghee that you have made. And your house will smell like buttered croisants.

When I went on antibiotics at Christmas time, my skin broke out with hives and pimples. It was really bad and ugly. After the round of antibiotics, the acne got better but never really went away. One week of replacing my olive oil and butter with ghee and my skin is practically clear. I don't use it every day. Coconut oil has become my other choice for cooking oils. But many of my meals contain ghee. Rice and mung beans would taste like gruel without it. I know it sounds silly, but ghee has brought a richness to my life. I have seriously become enamored with ghee. Ghee, ghee, ghee. I love ghee.

Sorry. But I did warn you that there was an entry coming about the wonderfulness of ghee.