Can you eat ghee if you are lactose intolerant?

Can you eat ghee if you are lactose intolerant

Can you eat ghee if you are lactose intolerant?

Do you have a lactose intolerance and are looking for a butter alternative? Is it okay to eat ghee?

If you’re lactose intolerant, then you know that dairy can be a real pain in the butt (and stomach!) But what about ghee?

Here’s what you need to know.

Ghee is made by simmering butter, at very low temperature, until the water evaporates, and the milk solids settle at the bottom. The solids are then caramelised and then removed.  What is left behind is a pure, golden oil that is rich in nutrients and flavour. (If you want to know what ghee taste like click here)

The milk solids that are removed include casein and lactose two common allergens. With 99.9% of the lactose removed, it means that it is considerably lower in lactose than regular butter.

Many people use ghee as a butter alternative if they are intolerant to lactose.

In addition to being lower in lactose, ghee also contains higher levels of butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and healing on the gut lining.   This is good news as being lactose intolerant has symptoms of nausea, gas, bloating, cramps caused by the inability to break down lactose in the small intestine.  Read here for more signs, symptoms and how lactose intolerance occurs.

Most with lactose intolerance sadly swap butter for less desirable and chemically laden products such as margarine.  These products do nothing to improve wellbeing.  If you are looking for a butter alternative that spreads, cooks and taste like butter and is healthy for you, then ghee is your answer.

In summary, can you eat ghee if you are lactose intolerant?  Yes.

So, if you are lactose intolerant and looking for a butter alternative that you can cook with and is still rich in nutrients and flavour, ghee may be a good option for you.

Just be sure to check with your doctor or dietitian first to make sure it is okay for you to consume.

Where to find ghee in the grocery store

A photo of the dairy aisle at the local grocery store. In this blog we show you where to find ghee in the grocery store.

Looking for ghee in your local grocery store or supermarket can be tricky. There are so many different brands, and it’s not always clear which one is the best. But, where should you look for ghee in the grocery store?

  • International Aisle
  • Dairy Aisle
  • Health and Wellness Aisle

In this shopping guide, we recommend some of the most common places to find ghee in the grocery store. We’ll also give you a few tips on how to choose the right brand for your needs.

International Aisle

The best place to start is in the international aisle. Many supermarkets have a section dedicated to Indian and Asian foods, and this is where you’re likely to find traditional ghee. If your smaller grocery store doesn’t have an international aisle, check the shelves near the spices. Ghee is often shelved with other cooking oils, so that’s another good place to look.

Dairy Aisle

Another option is to check the dairy aisle. Ghee is made from butter, so it’s technically a dairy product.  It is also used by many as a healthy, lactose free butter alternative – hence the buttery aisle.

Health and Wellness Aisle

You may also find ghee in the health and wellness section of your grocery store. This is because ghee is lactose-free and with has extraordinary health benefits and is a favorite for those on keto diets and intermittent fasting programs.

You will usually find OMGhee in the dairy aisle. Because of its shortbread taste profile, many of our customers use it to spread their bread, dollop on their vegetables as well as cook their eggs and mushrooms.

What to look for in choosing your ghee in the grocery store

Now that you know where to find ghee in the grocery store, let’s talk about how to choose the right ghee for you.. The first thing you’ll want to look for is a brand that uses high-quality ingredients. This is important because ghee is made soley of butter. If the butter is of poor quality, the ghee will be poor.

Grass-fed butter

The other thing you should look for is 100% grass-fed butter as the sole ingredient. This means that the cows were fed a diet of only grass, and no other grains or supplements. Grass-fed ghee is higher in vitamins A and K2, is rich and beta carotene, and has higher amounts of CLA.

At OMGhee take our butter choice one step further and use Paris Creek Farms butter for our biodynamic, organic ghee. Biodynamic farms produce the highest nutrient profiles butter (great soil equals great grass for the cows). These farms have also been regenerated and so are fully sustainable (carbon neutral)  Add to this there are no nasties like GMOs, additives, or hormones. This is especially important when using ghee as medicine.  If you are using ghee as medicine, you might want to give the grocery store or supermarket a skip and instead get a recommendation from you health provider.

Country of origin

Lastly, country of origin, buy Australian organic ghee made with high quality organic Australian butter and you’re guaranteed to get the health benefits of a great ghee. Sadly, because of the cost of butter there are many unscrupulous manafacturers in other countries that adulterate the ghee with other oils, animal fats and starchy vegetables. Governments are cracking down this practice and and say another indication is price. Very cheap, mass produced ghee is more likely to be adulterated than not.

We hope you found this overview of where to find ghee in the grocery store or your local supermarket and what to look for when choosing ghee helpful. And don’t forget, you can order ghee online too. Happy cooking!

Easy Ghee Biscuits

Easy Ghee Biscuits
Ghee Biscuit
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Ghee Biscuit

Course: DessertCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium
Servings

12

Biscuits
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Calories

127

kcal
Resting Time

5

minutes
Baking Time

15

minutes

This easy ghee biscuit recipe has just three main ingredients, ghee, flour and sugar. I didn’t even know they exsisted until a friendly market goer suggested we make them for our stall. What a fabulous suggestion this was. These ghee bisucits are yummmy and go beautifully with a cup of tea. If you are familiar with melting moments – they’re very similar. After scouring the internet for recipes and trying a few, this one by Sharmila Kingsly, seems to be the easiest, and the tastiest. Like anything, the quality of the ingredients for these ghee biscuits definitely make a big difference. I would also like to suggest, the attitude you hold, while you are making them, matters. We suggest, like our ghee kitchen, having an intention of love and joy. If you decide you want to toss in some kindness too, I am sure the person eating them would appreciate it.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup of soft to melted Ghee

  • 1/2 cup Powdered (Icing) sugar

  • 1 Cup of plain flour

  • 1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla essence

  • #love #bundles of joy (optional #kindness)

Directions

  • Prepare by preheating your oven to 180 and lining a baking tray with baking paper.

  • Sift the flour

  • Mix the all the dry ingredients together – flour and sugar.

  • Add the wet ingredients – ghee and vanilla essence – into the dry ingredients.

  • Mix well to form a soft dough.

  • Pinch out tableslpoons of the mixture, rolling each into balls and placing on the baking tray.

  • Bake at 180 degrees for 15 mins or once the cookies start to brown.

  • Allow to cool.

  • Enjoy with a cup of Tea, Coffee or milk.

Fun Fact

  • These biscuits, if they don’t get eaten immediately, will store well in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Did you make these easy ghee biscuits?  Share a photo on our socials and let us know how long they lasted in your household! 🤣

If you’re looking for more easy ghee recipes there’s a list of all of them on our website here.

Can I Substitute Ghee for Butter? The Benefits of Swapping.

Can I substitue ghee for butter

There are a lot of butter alternatives on the market these days. If you’re looking for a butter alternative, you may be wondering if you can substitute Ghee for Butter. The answer is yes and there are many benefits to swapping butter for ghee in your diet. Let’s take a look at how Ghee and butter differ, and some of the benefits of making the switch!

Ghee has no milk solids – this means that there is no lactose, casein, or anything else that can affect those with dairy intolerances. Butter, on the other hand, contains all of these things. So, if you’re looking for a dairy-free option, Ghee is the way to go as a butter substitute.

Another difference between Ghee and butter is shelf life. Ghee can be stored in the back of your cupboard for years without going bad. Butter, on the other hand, will only last for a few months in the fridge. So, if you’re looking for an ingredient that will last longer, Ghee is a great choice.

Ghee has a higher smoking point than butter. This means that it can be used for cooking at higher temperatures without burning. Butter will start to smoke and burn at lower temperatures, so it’s not the best choice for cooking.  In many recipes Ghee as a substitute for butter is the obvious choice.  Cake do become a little more denser but biscuits are yum!  Here’s our favourtie ghee biscuit recipe – they’re a little like your favourite melting moments.

Ghee is the healthier option compared with butter.

Studies have shown Ghee has been shown to reduce cholesterol and inflammation levels in the body while boosting immunity. In fact, there are a whole range of health benefits to ghee that butter does not have – here are the 10 health benefits of ghee if you want to dive deep.

There are many advantages to swapping out butter and using Ghee as the alternative in your diet. So, if you’re looking for a healthier, dairy-free option with a longer shelf life, Ghee is a perfect choice. Give it a try and see how you like it. You might just find that you never go back to butter again!

If you have any questions, feel free to email us and I’ll be happy to answer them.

Do you have any tips for making the switch from butter to ghee? Let us know on our socials and be sure to check out our other blog posts for more ways you can swap our butter and use ghee as a healthy butter substitute.

What Does Ghee Taste Like?

A photo of a sad face, a smiling face and a really happy face indicating how people might feel after they realisew hat ghee tastes like!

We often get asked ‘what does ghee taste like?’

If you’ve never tried ghee before, you’re in for a treat! Or are you? Is it buttery and delicious? Or is it gross and oily and slimy?

We decided to list some of the comments our customers tell us about their taste tests so you can find out!

Ghee is sometimes described as nutty with a grainy feel.  But our customers say our ghee tastes completely different.

For example – from the mouth of babes, Miss 5 says

“it tastes like the bottom of the cornflake crackle” 

If you don’t know what a cornflake crackle is check out the original recipe here. It is basically butter, sugar, honey and cornflakes. 


Others describe it as “butterscotch” or “caramelised” and many say “It’s nothing like any other ghee I’ve ever tasted before!”.

The most common description of what ghee taste like is  ‘shortbread’.

We lovingly hand-make our ghee and think this is the key difference from other ghees. It is in the process of handmaking the ghee that we can achieve deep caramelization of the proteins. This is what gives our ghee its unique taste that people can’t quite put their finger on!

Ghee might not be the first obvious choice as a butter alternative, but those who do enjoy it, really enjoy it!

We say ‘you better believe it is better than butter’ and our consistent five-star google reviews back us up and do the raving for us.

So there you have it – our ghee is made from the finest quality organic butter Australia has to offer and tastes great! (unless you’re not a fan of cornflake crackles that is).

If you’re feeling adventurous, why not give it a try? You can purchase it on our shop page here – We’d love to hear what you think.

Ghee Popcorn

A photo of popcorn cooked with our healthy, creamy butter alternative organic ghee.
Ghee Popcorn
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Ghee Popcorn

Course: AppetizerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

2

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

5

minutes
Calories

100

kcal

If you’ve never had ghee popcorn you’re in for a real treat. Besides the OMG taste, the best thing about cooking your popcorn in ghee is that you don’t have to add butter to it at the end of the process – meaning less washing up. With Winter upon us and the rise of Netflix and chill moments as we cower inside out of the cold, ghee popcorn is a healthy, snackable treat for both children and adults alike. It’s one of the easiest of ghee recipes – besides smearing it on a crumpet or dolloping it on cooked vegetables that is – and takes advantage of the high smoking point of ghee.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup of popping corn (dried corn kernels)

  • 2 heaped tbsps of OMGhee

  • 1 medium, heavy based saucepan (with a lid and preferably glass, but not essential – the glass that is – the lid is critical)

Directions

  • Place the ghee in a heavy based saucepan.

  • Heat the ghee so it is very hot – and hot enough to pop the corn kernels.  How do you know when it is hot enough?  Take a single corn kernel and drop it in the ghee.  If the oil is hot enough it will begin to move, turn and then after a short while pop.

  • Place the remaining popcorn in the ghee.

  • Place the lid on your saucepan. This is super important unless you want popcorn all over your kitchen.

  • As the corn pops lift the saucepan from the stove, giving it a quick shake to move the kernels around and then place back on the heat. This technique lowers the chance of burning the corn and is especially valuable if you’ve overloaded the saucepan with too many kernels!

  • You know when the ghee popcorn is nearly ready with the  length of time between the pops becomes extended.  Once the corn has not popped for 10 seconds or so remove from the heat.  Some like to turn the heat off and let the remaining heat cook the last few.

  • Quickly pour out your corn into another bowl to avoid the heat ‘steaming’ the cooked popcorn.

    Voila! you’re done.

Special Tip

  • Add salt and more ghee to taste. Enjoy!

Enjoy this gheelicious ghee rice recipe! Find more OMGhee recipes here!

Caramelised Peaches and Ghee Recipe

Caramelised Peaches cooked in ghee
Caramelised Peaches
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Caramelised Peaches

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Calories

102

kcal
Serving Size

2

This caramelised peaches and ghee recipe is not only quick and easy, but also yummy and healthy. Who said you can’t mash those things into one?!

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe and juicy organic peaches

  • 1.5 tbsp of Ghee – OMGhee of course!

  • A good pinch of your favourite desert recipe spice mix (we use cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and ginger)

  • Mint for garnish

  • A squeeze of lemon to taste.

Directions

  • Wash your peaches, take out the seed and slice them into bit-sized slices (about 8 slices per peach)

  • Heat pan and add Ghee

  • Add peaches and cook in Ghee until the edges caramelise.

  • Now you’ve caramelised your peaches in ghee, it’s time to add your dessert recipe spice mix

  • Continue to cook for another few minutes until golden

  • Remove from heat and serve with mint, a quick squeeae of lemon to taste and your favourite toppings such as Paris Creek Farms greek yogurt or decadant ice-cream.

    Click here more ghee recipes or get your The Ghee Cookbook delievered to your in-box.

    This recipe – Caramelised Peaches and Ghee first appeared here as a feature on Best Desserts.

    Reducing Inflammation with Ghee.

    Man holding painful arm and suggesting to reducing inflammation with ghee

    Ghee is a type of fat that has been used in Indian cuisine and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. Recently, ghee has gained popularity in the west for its potential health benefits.

    One of the benefits of ghee is reducing inflammation in the body.  (see here for more ghee benefits)

    What is it about ghee that makes it so great at reducing inflammation? 

    To answer this question, let’s first take a look at what inflammation.

    Inflammation is a natural response of the body to infection, injury, or foreign invaders, such as bacteria or viruses. When the body is inflamed, it increases blood flow to the affected area. This helps to fight off the invading organisms and promote healing.  This is considered good inflammation.

    However, chronic inflammation can be harmful.

    Chronic inflammation is believed to be a contributing factor in a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

    One of the key components of ghee is butyrate.

    Butyrate is a fatty acid that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in the body. The Butyrate in ghee helps to reduce inflammation by suppressing the production of inflammatory molecules and by promoting the production of anti-inflammatory molecules (1).

    Ghee is also rich in fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, E, and K.  All these viatimins are are essential for maintaining a healthy immune system. These vitamins help  reduce inflammation by supporting the body’s natural defenses and promoting healing (2).

    In addition to butyrate and fat-soluble vitamins, ghee is also a good source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).  CLA has too been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects.

    Studies have found that CLA can help to reduce inflammation in the body by suppressing the production of inflammatory molecules and promoting the production of anti-inflammatory molecules (3).

    Overall, the combination of butyrate, fat-soluble vitamins, and CLA make ghee an effective tool for reducing inflammation in the body.

    So, the next time you’re looking for a healthy and delicious way to support your body’s natural defenses, and reducing inflammation with ghee, consider adding OMGhee to your diet.

    For more benefits of ghee see our top 10 here  – Health Benefits of Ghee. Our Top 10.

    References:

    1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6485023/
    2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6485023/
    3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6481944/