Butter, clarified butter and ghee are real food. All have only one ingredient, the same ingredient, but they have a bit of a different taste. They also work inside the body a bit differently. Upsides and the downsides of how they can affect autoimmunity. And an easy gourmet homemade gift recipes…
Fat is NOT FAT
Remember, eating healthy fats is not what creates a “fat” body. Fat does not equal fat!! Processed foods, especially processed sugars creates fat unhealthy bodies. Healthy fats are good for us!!!
Chronic Illness and Ghee
Chronic illness has an inflammatory factor. Our diets matter. When we eat items that we react to (whether noticeable or not) we keep the inflammatory fires stoked and illness continues.
For some, ghee is not an option until that inflammatory process calms.
For others, ghee can be a butter alternative that provides taste and nutrients to a healthy diet.
Dairy-Free? Try Ghee
Ghee is sort-of kind-of dairy-free. Yes, its original source is from cream which is dairy. Ghee is clarified butter which has the milk solids strained off of it. It is the milk solids that contain the reactive substance called casein and whey. Casein and whey are the two main types of milk proteins.
Casein – The milk protein that is typically more inflammatory (“bad”). This is the protein that vegans often talk about when they say that dairy is bad for you. Much of the research in The China Study looked at Casein.
Whey – The milk protein that is typically more anti-inflammatory (“good”). This is often found in protein powders.
Ghee or clarified butter is a casein-free alternative to regular butter. Both ghee and clarified butter have the milk proteins casein and whey removed and what remains is butterfat. Yet, not all ghee is casein and whey free. See below for best ghee choices.
Many who are chronically ill will have a time that they simply must go dairy-free. Dairy can be a highly reactive food and we need to be calming our bodies, not creating more reactions. No doubt, removing butter from your diet is wise. In your healing journey, there may be a time to test your tolerance for butter. Many have been able to include butter in their diet again.
Gluten-Free? Try Ghee
Casein is a protein that many people do not tolerate, especially people who cannot tolerate gluten.
When we go gluten-free, we need to look past the popular culprit of wheat. It is the gluten protein that many people struggle with eating. Similar to the gluten protein, are many others in many grains and milk products.
Becoming gluten-free can feel daunting in the beginning. It gets easier and becomes second nature in time. Anyone who is chronically ill may consider a gluten-free diet to see if it changes one’s health. Usually, it will significantly help.
Ghee as Digestive Support
Ghee is actually commonly used for digestive support. It not only supports the entire digestive system but it creates a slippery slope for waste to move through our bodies. When we get toxins out and old waste out, we are healthier and more comfortable.
Ghee is rich in butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid. Intestinal bacteria convert fibers into butyric acids and then use them for energy and intestinal wall support. The components in ghee can help decrease inflammation, which is also important for maintaining a healthy digestive system.
Bile acts as an intestinal scrub, and in concert with the butyric acid from ghee, supports the health of the gut wall and microbes who manufacture butyrate all along with it.
Making Clarified Butter
It is so simple. Slowly heat grass-fed butter. Watch it separate the solids. Skim off the solids and you have clarified butter remaining.
NOTE: Making your own clarified butter is NOT necessarily casein-free and whey-free. If you have an autoimmune disease, you are trying to reduce the inflammatory response and making clarified butter might not be the answer.
Ghee Gifts
This is a great easy, inexpensive homemade gift…
This is like a compound clarified butter.
Hot ghee has an amazing ability to extract and retain the essence, aroma, and flavor of spices and herbs and then carry this essence with it when it is added to a dish. Making the ghee with herbs and spices creates the flavor base of many great dishes. Here I will give you details about Italian and Indian ghee gifts…
Tadka translates as “tempering.” It is a method widely used in Indian cuisine, in which whole or ground spices are heated in hot ghee and the mixture is added to a dish. The same concept applies to Italian cooking.
Tempering is done either at the beginning of the cooking process or as a final flavoring at the end.
Here, we are going to use it at the beginning of the process to infuse/imbed the intense flavor into the clarified butter or ghee.
You can purchase a jar of ghee or make your own clarified butter…
- Make clarified butter by heating grass-fed butter in a skillet, then remove milk solids with spoon or stainer
Now, to make the gift…
- Clarified butter or ghee should be very hot at first – DO NOT let it get so hot that it smokes – then reduce the heat to medium
- Once that is done, add the herbs and spices – one at a time, in rapid succession, whole first, then powders – move quickly through this step
- Garlic – if using garlic, put it in last because it burns quickly
- Remove from heat within a few seconds – the herbs and spices might start to splatter as they heat up which is fine but that is when it is done
There is NO way of saving a burned batch. You have to start over again. Your nose will tell you when you’ve burned it; it is not a smell you will easily forget.
- Let it cool a bit before straining (straining is optional but suggested)
- Pour into glass gift jars
- While it is still a liquid, place a sprig of fresh herb inside, close to the glass, so when it cools and hardens, it shows through the glass — makes a beautiful gift
I purchase small glass jars in bulk because I use them for various gifts; ghee, pumpkin spice, kitchari spice mix, make-up remover, etc.
- BALL 4-Ounce Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands – total 36
- VERONES Mason Jars Canning Jars, 4 OZ Jelly Jars With Regular Lids – total 40
Make a personal label…
Make it Italian…
You can use very small amounts of any combination of these herbs and spices. For each 4 inch jar, use only a pinch of each of the herbs and spices you chose. You do NOT need to use them all. Any combo will work.
Common Italian cuisine ingredients…
- Whole pepper – with grinder – organic
- Crushed red pepper flakes – organic
- Coriander powder – organic
- Parsley flakes – organic
- Paprika powder – organic
- Garlic – fresh and chopped – organic
- Salt is abundant in Italian cooking – organic
Fresh herbs used in Italian cuisine – Oregano, Basil, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme (sometimes found at your local grocery in the produce aisle with other fresh herbs).
Place a sprig of fresh Italian herb inside the warm gift jar so as it cools, the sprig shows through the glass.
You can give the beautiful glass jar of compound clarified butter as a gift alone. You can also add a bag of gluten-free pasta so it creates a full meal. Pasta with Italian seasoned clarified butter!!!
Make it Indian…
You can use very small amounts of any combination of these herbs and spices. For each 4 inch jar, use only a pinch of each of the herbs and spices you chose. You do NOT need to use them all. Any combo will work. Or keep it simple by the all-in-one blend.
Common Indian cuisine ingredients…
- Cumin seeds – organic
- Cumin ground – organic
- Mustard seeds whole – organic
- Ginger ground – organic
- Turmeric ground – organic
- Cinnamon ground – organic
- Cardamon ground – organic
- Red chili pepper ground – organic
- Red curry powder – organic
- Curry leaves – fresh from USA
- Salt is used in Indian cooking – organic
- All-in-one Garam Masala – Classic Blend of Aromatic Indian Spices – organic
Fresh herb used in Indian cuisine – Coriander (sometimes found at your local grocery in the produce aisle with other fresh herbs). Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. It is also known as Chinese parsley, and in North America, the stems and leaves are usually called cilantro.
Place a sprig of fresh coriander inside the warm gift jar so as it cools, the sprig shows through the glass.
You can give the beautiful glass jar of compound clarified butter as a gift alone. You can also add a bag of rice and beans so it creates a full meal. Rice with Indian seasoned clarified butter!!!
- Basmati Rice – Long-Grain Aromatic Rice Variety – Fluffy & Quick Cooking – organic
- Split Beans (for easier digestion) – Yellow Mung Dal – organic
Veggie Rice — Take a head of organic cauliflower and finely chop to make a “rice.” You can also chop in a food processor. Heat “cauliflower rice” (or not) and pour the heated Indian seasoned clarified butter on top.
Made With Love – Nourishing
This gift also has nutritional benefits, since the hot ghee (or clarified butter) helps the spices unlock their healing properties you are creating one of the tastiest nourishing gifts. Make it with love and you have a wide-spectrum nourishment gift.
Nourishment is not just nutrients, it is love and kindness as well!!
Entertaining With Love & Nourishment
I used to entertain a lot. Cooking meals for others filled with love and nourishment.
You can use either Italian or Indian themes and recipes above and make a dish for your company. When they leave, send home a glass jar filled with the ghee gift. That way they know what it is and how to use it once they get home.
Buying Ghee
If you are looking for low or casein-free and whey-free ghee for health reasons try one of the following…
- Grassfed Organic Cultured Ghee – by Pure Indian Foods, 14 oz, Pasture Raised, Lactose Free, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, Paleo, Keto-Friendly, Batch Tested for Casein and Whey
- Viva Naturals Organic Ghee 29 oz – from 100% Grass-Fed Cows, Non-GMO, and Certified Paleo Diet Friendly
- Beneficial Blends Ghee, made from grass-fed butter
Pure Indian Foods has taken the time and effort to consistently test their ghee and appear transparent on the situation. Read Pure Indian Foods on the subject of lactose intolerance, casein, and whey.
