Geoff Bond's Natural Eating
Question of the Month

Heart Attack by Ghee

Q. I have been told that ghee is an inert fat; is it therefore safe to use in cooking?

A. No. Ghee is a form of butter and is the chief form of cooking fat used in India. In the West, ghee is variously known as ‘clarified butter’, ‘butter oil’, ‘butterfat’ or ‘milk oil’.

Making Ghee
In addition to fat, ordinary butter contains about 20% water plus some protein and minerals. Ghee is made by gently heating butter so that the fat separates out from the water (and other ingredients). The fat (ghee) rises to the surface and is skimmed off.

Indian Paradox
In other words, ghee is a concentrated form of butter -- and is therefore even more danger­ous. The common use of ghee in India has led to what Indian researcher Dr. Ram Singh[i] calls the ‘Indian Paradox’ -- skinny, underfed, people who nevertheless get artery and heart disease.

Fulani
The nomadic Fulani cattle herders of West Africa are also great consumers of butterfat (ghee). The American researcher, Richard Glew, observed similar artery hardening in these tribesmen. In addition, they suffer deficiencies of essential fatty acids[ii] (in which ghee is deficient).

Artery Disease
Ghee is heavily loaded with the artery-clogging and artery rotting saturated fats, myristic and palmitic acid. It strongly raises ‘bad’ cholesterol levels.

Fat Composition
Ghee’s fat composition compared to butter (in brackets) is: saturated fat 62% (50%), palmitic acid 27% (22%), and myristic acid 10% (8%). Ghee on all these counts is significantly worse than even that arch-demon, butter.

Oxidation
Your misconception probably arose because these bad, saturated, fats do not oxidize easily -- and oxidized fats are, of course, also to be avoided.

Sources of Ghee
Most people have never heard of ghee and think that they are safe. However its alias, ‘butterfat’, is present in a great many processed foods, notably ice cream. Read the labels!

Our View
The real message is that all fat consumption should be kept to a minimum, avoid oxidizing it (by heating) and focus on the omega‑3 rich types. If you have to cook, use olive oil which resists heat well.

[i] Singh et al; J. Am. Coll. Nutr.; vol 17; no 4; 1998.

[ii] Glew et al; J. Food Comp. Anal.; 12; 1999; p 235.

 
 

Previous Questions

Mineral Water Minerals Q. Are mineral waters good to drink for their mineral content? If so, are some better than others? 

A. We regard the obsession with consuming bottled mineral water as a bizarre modern fetish. Some mineral waters, but not all, do indeed contain various minerals that might be marginally useful, or indeed marginally damaging. For example, Vichy water contains a massive 1,200 mg of sodium per liter. Health authorities warn mothers not to use Vichy water in formula milk. As the West End actor, Anthony Andrews discovered (page 3 ) there is indeed a dark side in over consuming mineral water.
Bottom Line:
Do not bother with mineral water just for its mineral content.

Pesticides, fruit and peeling

Q. Should I peel apples and pears to get rid of pesticides?  

A. No! Of all the worries that our out there, pesticide is definitely in the Little League. If you are to worry about pesticide then there is more of it in meat, milk and cereals than on fruit. Secondly, much pesticide is ‘systemic’. That is, it is found throughout the flesh of the fruit, not just on the peel. Thirdly, pesticide is not even detected on the majority of samples. Fourthly, of the samples that happen to test positive, the levels are so low that they are less than that produced by the fruit themselves. Fifthly, the peel contains much of nutritive value -- so don’t throw it away.

If you are really concerned, by all means go for organic fruit (and vegetables.)  They should be pesticide-free, but much more important, they are richer in micronutrients. Not surprising really; when stressed by insect predation, the plant produces natural pesticides (such as polyphenols) -- which do double duty as our micronutrients. In short: forget pesticide and just chomp into your unpeeled fruit with an easy conscience.
 
Interesting point: some pesticides produced by plants to kill insects are, to us, essential micro­nutrients!

Amaranth, Quinoa and Arthritis/Psoriasis

Q. My husband has arthritis and psoriasis and we have really cut down on the grains and cereals. However we see that there are other, exotic, alternatives being promoted such as the Aztec grains, quinoa and amaranth. Are they all right?

A. In a word, “no”. They are grains, and ALL grains are tarred with the same brush. They only vary in their various degrees of badness. In their different ways they are just as glycemic and loaded with antinutrients as wheat. However, like barley, quinoa and amaranth are lower in that powerful allergen, gluten. 
Amaranth and quinoa are often puffed as having a good protein content, but in fact it is no better than wheat. Ethnic grains and ancient grains (e.g. ‘einkorn’ and ‘emmer-wheat’) are often marketed to people who want something more 'authentic'. In fact these grains are only marginally less bad than the common grains that we all know and love.

So... good for you, leaving off the grains. Your husband should find his psoriasis and arthritis calming down. Next get him off the omega-6 oils and much more into the omega-3 ones (Book, page 79) But stick to the low glycemic diet. That is essential to potentiate the 'good' prostaglandin production.

Grains and Depression

Q. My friend suffers badly from depression, and I say it’s when she eats grains. She doesn’t buy into the idea that food can have a connection with her moods.

 A. There are certainly strong links between depression and food. The high glycemic diet provokes a switchback of blood sugar with regular ‘lows’ of hypoglycemia. So you were quite right to warn her off grains. She should also cut out sugars, sugary drinks and potatoes.
There is another factor: omega‑6/omega-3 imbalance. Your friend should throw out all sources of omega-6 oils in the diet and increase omega-3.

Wheat Germ Antinutrients Wheat Germ has the same antinutrients as whole grain
Canola Hysteria Debunking the hysterical alarmist stories
Fruit Sugar Smart  Understanding the importance of various types of sugar
Sweet Stevia The skinny on this new, natural sweetener
Fungus and Mushrooms Worries about mushrooms and fungal infections
Middle C Dangers of overdosing on Vitamin C

Farmed Fish Fats

Are the omega 3's in farmed fish as good?