Calories in Ghee and Nutritional Information & Benefits

Ghee, also known as clarified butter, is one of the most widely used ingredients in Indian cuisine, not only in the present times, but also since ancient times. It is rich in certain powerful nutrients that will not only help to improve your overall physiological functioning, but they can also help to improve your skin health. This article will give you a detailed account of some of the major nutrients that are present in ghee, its calories and health benefits, possible side effects, and other important details.

Calorie content in Ghee:

Ghee is slightly high in calorie content, but it can provide enough health benefits. If you are consuming one tablespoon of pure ghee made of cow milk, that weighs almost around 15 grams, then you are likely to take in approximately 120 to 130 calories. Most of the calories in ghee are derived from the fat content in it, especially milk fat.

Nutritional components in ghee:

Ghee, though high in calorie content, is also rich in certain amounts of both macronutrients and micronutrients. Here is a list of nutritional components that are present in ghee:

1. Fats: Ghee is rich in high amounts of fat content. In fact, if you consume one tablespoon of ghee, you are likely to take in around 14 grams of fat, of which 8 to 9 grams are saturated fats. The remaining amount is comprised of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

2. Protein: Being produced from milk, ghee also contains some amount of protein. But protein content in ghee is not significant.

3. Vitamins: Ghee is rich in fat-soluble vitamins, which may include some of the most vital vitamins such as vitamin A which is required for better health of your eyes and skin, vitamin D which can help to keep your bones and joints healthy, vitamin E which can often act as an antioxidant, and vitamin K which plays a major role in blood clotting and improving your bone metabolism.

Other than these, there are other nutritional components that are present in ghee include butyric acid, which is a chain of fatty acids and help to provide anti-inflammatory effects in the body.

Health benefits of ghee:

Though the nutrient content in ghee is quite low, there can still be certain health benefits of ghee, some of which can be listed here as follows:

1. Ghee can help in digestive:

Compared to other types of oils, especially refined, vegetable oils or butter, ghee contains nutritional components that can provide better digestive support. Ingredients such as butyric acid, as present in ghee, can be beneficial for better digestion, metabolism, and absorption of nutrients into the body.

2. Ghee can have anti-inflammatory properties:

Ghee has been used since ancient times, mostly for its anti-inflammatory properties. These properties help to prevent the occurrences of chronic diseases, the risks of oxidative stress, and can also help to prevent the formation of free radicals.

3. Ghee is beneficial for brain health:

The nutrients, especially the rich amounts of vitamins that are present in ghee, can be beneficial for improving the functions of your brain and can also aid in better regulation of your cognitive centres.

Which doctor should you consult before consuming ghee in your diet?

Before you start adding ghee to your meals or to your daily diet, it is important to know whether you can have ghee at all. For this, you need to consult a registered dietitian or a nutrition expert who will be able to tell you how much ghee you can have each day based on your calorie requirements, how you can use ghee in your diet, and other necessary details. If needed, you can also consult a cardiac expert, because consumption of ghee with cardiac problems may increase the chances of developing high cholesterol levels (especially the bad or LDL cholesterol), and many other types of cardiac health problems.

Final Thoughts:

Ghee will always be one of the most widely used ingredients in many Indian households. Ghee is not only rich in protein, but also consists of micro-nutrients such as vitamins, which can help to provide enough health benefits to the body, such as improving your digestive health, supporting healthy brain functioning, improving your skin and eye health, and so on. But you must always remember to consume ghee in moderation to get rid of any severe side effects.

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