How To Use Ghee For Weight Loss – An Ayurvedic Aspect Of Clarified Butter

This is an educational article on how to use ghee for weight loss and how it used in Ayurveda.

Have you ever been told something like this? “Ghee or Clarified butter should be avoided while you’re on a weight loss diet plan.” Well, this statement is nothing but just a myth.

“Ghee” or “Ghrit”, also known as “Clarified Butter” is made by intensely churning the buttermilk and heating the butter at a certain temperature until it turns golden. This process leaves a part of the nonfat milk solids in the product, giving it a typical flavor. It has been used in India since time immemorial. It is an inseparable part of the rural Indian diet.

Ghee (Ghrit) And Ayurveda

Ayurveda, the most ancient traditional system of medicine (TSM), has given much importance to Ghee, especially to Cow’s Ghee. It has been widely used in the system as the base of Ayurvedic medicines ¹. The reason behind this is its ability to reach the deepest tissues in the body and to target specific sites. It is often used as a nourishing, extracting, assimilating and/or absorbing agent ¹. It is also considered as one of the best Rasayana (Anti-aging agents) and is mainly used in the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases.

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Properties Of Ghee

Ghee is considered as one of the Panch-amrita (Five divine nectars) in Ayurveda. This holy form of butter has very high nutritional values. It is rich in Fatty acids, Saturated, Monosaturated, Polysturated & Trans fats, Omega fatty acids, Cholesterols and Vitamin – A, B, D, E, & K ². It has a very low moisture content which makes it ideal for a very long shelf life.

According to Ayurveda, Ghee has a Sweet taste, Cold nature and Sweet after-taste (Vipaka) ¹. It is considered soothing, soft, oily, nourishing and moisturising. Ghee is considered excellent for balancing Vata Dosha and Pitta Dosha ¹. It is Sattvic (Healthy) food which promotes physical, mental as well as spiritual health.

How To Use Ghee For Weight Loss

Buffalo’s Ghee is known for healthy weight gain, Ayurveda recommends consumption of Cow’s Ghee for weight loss. “Ashtanga Hradaya Samhitha” considers Cow’s Ghee as the best thing for enhancing intelligence, memory, keen digestive power, long life, sexual vigour and good eyesight, for children and old people ³. Today, we will discuss how you can use Cow’s Ghee for weight loss and other health benefits of Ghee as well.

Cow’s Ghee is nutritionally excellent as compared to other oils and fats because of its medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) content. The anti-obesity and weight loss properties of these MCFAs are very well recognized ⁴.

Constipation and indigestion are some of the major rising concerns due to the lack of healthy lifestyles. Indigested or partly digested food sticks to the walls of intestines and forms “Ama” in the body, which contributes to the development of weight gain. Correcting the digestion system can help us to get ride of Ama and reduce weight by enhancing metabolism.

Cow’s Ghee is considered one of the best natural lubricant laxatives. It aids in digestion by providing lubrication and moisture to the walls of the small intestine which aids increases the bowel moment. Vata Dosha is responsible for the dryness of intestine walls. The Vata-pacifying and slimy qualities of Ghee will help in correcting the digestive system.

You can include Cow’s Ghee in your diet in the following ways:

Cow’s Ghee with Hot water

Cow’s Ghee and hot water is some of the magical remedies for weight loss. Hot water is known to promote metabolism⁵ and cleanse the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, promoting digestion, Cow’s Ghee and Hot water together act as excellent GI tract cleanser and digestion enhancer.

Ayurveda recommends taking a tablespoon of liquified Cow’s Ghee mixed with hot water empty stomach every morning. It will help to get rid of the dryness of your GI tract and will make you feel moisturized throughout the day. For better results, it is advised not to consume anything for thirty minutes after taking this holy combination.

Cow’s Ghee With Milk

Cow’s milk is famous for its low-fat content and high nutritional value as compared to other kinds of milk. Remember, along with Cow’s Ghee, Cow’s milk is also considered as one of the five divine nectars due to its exceptional nutritional values and health benefits. If you are not comfortable with drinking Ghee with hot water every morning then you can use this method too.

Add a teaspoon of liquified cow’s ghee to a glass of milk and consume it every day on regular basis. You can also add ghee to your coffee if you are not a milk person. You can convert your coffee into a latte just by adding this nectar to it. There are emulsifying blenders available in the market that will help you to create an interesting frothy drink.

Cow’s Ghee with Triphala

“Triphala” is one of the famous Ayurvedic herbal compounds. Triphala is a mixture of three fruits – Amla (Emblica Officinalis), Haritaki (Terminalia chebula Retz.) and Baheda (Terminalia bellirica). Triphala is known for its wide range of applications and is primarily used as a digestant. It aids in digestion by correcting the digestive fire and also balances the metabolism, thus decreasing the weight.

Triphala cooked in Cow’s Ghee, known as “Triphala Ghrit” is one of the famous Triphala formulations in Ayurveda. Triphala Ghrit offers the combined therapeutic properties of Ghee and Triphala. Also, triphala ghrit is readily available in the market or you can prepare it at home. You can consume 1 to 2 teaspoons of Triphala Ghrit once or twice a day depending on your body constitution.

Include Ghee In Your Meals

In India, it is common to find Ghee applied over the piping hot Chapatis (India Breads). Many Indian recipes and sweets also include Ghee as their major ingredients. You can also add Ghee to your daily diet by replacing the butter with Ghee. You can add apply it over bread or prepare your daily meals with Ghee.

Other Health Benefits Of Ghee

Apart from Weight loss, there is a wide range of health benefits of consuming Ghee on daily basis. Wrinkles and dry skin are the indications of increasing Vata with old age. Ghee is a Vata pacifier and Rasayana (anti-ageing agent), thus it helps in achieving glowing and wrinkleless skin. Cow’s Ghee is  also Medhya Rasayana which helps in enhancing memory and brain functions.

Cow’s Ghee has a spectrum of health benefits, but as the saying goes – “Anything in excess is a poison”, it should be consumed in limited quantity only. Furthermore, it should also be taken according to your Doshic constitution.

Final Thoughts on How to Use Ghee for Weight Loss

Using ghee can be a great way to bolster your weight loss efforts. We have been using it for years, and not just for weight loss, but for every day life. (It makes the best popcorn!)

We hope you have benefited from our article and would love to hear how you use ghee as well.

All the best. hyp-yoga.com

Article References

1. Ankita Mahakalkar, Bhushan Hatwar. “The Versatility of Cow Ghee- An Ayurveda Perspective”
2. Kodituwakku, Sewwandi Darshika. “REVIEW ON GHEE AND IT’S AYURVEDIC USES.”
3. Pisharodi, S. (2016). Acharya Vagbhata’s Astanga Hridayam Vol 1: The Essence of Ayurveda. India: Purnarogya Holistic Healing Centre.
4. Kumar, Anil, and S. Naik. “Ghee: Its Properties, Importance and Health Benefits.” Lipid Universe 6 (2018): 6-14.
5. Hoekstra, Sven P., et al. “Acute and chronic effects of hot water immersion on inflammation and metabolism in sedentary, overweight adults.” Journal of applied physiology (2018).
6. Baliga, Manjeshwar Shrinath, et al. “Scientific validation of the ethnomedicinal properties of the Ayurvedic drug Triphala: a review.” Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine 18.12 (2012): 946-954.

Last update on 2024-10-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API