Why you shouldn’t cook your food in ghee

The reputation of ghee has undergone a big change in recent times. Now, the consensus is to include this healthy fat a part of daily diet, in moderation. But becoming a popular ingredient could mean a risk of consuming it in the wrong way.

Avantii Deshpaande, gut health expert and nutritionist, took to Instagram to share why ghee should not be used to cook vegetables or as tadka in dal. She said oil is better for cooking and suggested other ways ghee can be consumed.

“I see a lot of people use ghee as tadka while preparing vegetables. As a nutritionist, I feel this is not advisable. Ghee is a saturated fat, which means it has got a lower smoke point as compared to oils. Whenever you heat ghee while preparing your sabzis or even give tadka, your temperature rises beyond a point, then because of fatty acids being saturated, it will disintegrate and this will reduce the nutritional quality of the ghee,” she says in a video posted on Instagram.

Deshpaande says the best way to add ghee in the diet is to apply it on your chapatis, put it in your rice or dals while consuming. Having ghee first thing in the morning is also recommended.

Here are all the reasons why ghee shouldn’t be used for cooking vegetables:

Ghee has primary saturated fatty l acids and these have a low smoke point. The temperatures for tadkas is l beyond 180 degrees, often going beyond that point. If the temperature rises beyond this the fatty acids will denature and this will lead to the generation of toxic substances that will increase the oxidation in the body.

The nutritionist says it’s best to use cooking oil with higher smoke points like peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, sesame seeds oil, among others. Use ghee at room temperature first in the morning or add it to dals, rice or chapatis.