Ghee

🧈 What is Ghee?
Ghee is a type of clarified butter widely used in cooking, especially in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. It’s made by simmering butter to remove water, lactose, and milk proteins, leaving behind a rich, golden fat.

🤔 Why Might a Sensitivity to Ghee Occur?

A sensitivity to ghee may occur due to:

Residual Milk Proteins:
While most milk proteins are removed during clarification, trace amounts of casein or whey may remain, which may contribute to symptoms in sensitive individuals.

Pure Fat Composition:
Ghee is almost entirely fat, which may be difficult for some people to digest if bile or pancreatic enzymes are insufficient.

Histamine Sensitivity:
Ghee may release histamines during its preparation, which may affect individuals who are sensitive to histamine.

🛠️ What May Help?

• Avoid ghee for 8 weeks to allow your system time to reset.

• Retest after 8 weeks by slowly reintroducing small amounts to evaluate tolerance.

• Use easier-to-digest fats such as olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.

💊 Supportive General Supplements

Digestive Enzymes (with lipase):
Support the breakdown of fats and may reduce discomfort after consuming high-fat foods.

Probiotics:
Help support gut balance, which may improve tolerance to fats over time.

Ox Bile Supplements:
Support bile availability for digesting concentrated fats like ghee.

🌟 Why Might a Sensitivity to Ghee Occur but Not Butter or Other Fats?

Several factors may explain this difference:

• Residual Milk Proteins:
  If you are highly reactive to trace proteins, even the small amounts in ghee may affect you, while butter contains a different balance of fat, water, and proteins.

• Histamine Release:
  Ghee is heated for longer than butter, which may influence histamine release. Oils that are not heated during processing may not produce the same effect.

• Pure Fat Content:
  Ghee is more concentrated than butter, making digestion more demanding for those with limited fat-digesting enzymes.

• Fats Differ by Source:
  Oils like olive or coconut oil have entirely different fatty acid structures, which may be easier for your system to process.

🍽️ Popular Dishes Containing Ghee

• Indian curries

• Stir-fried vegetables

• Traditional desserts such as halwa

🍽️ Alternatives (if tolerated)

• Olive oil

• Coconut oil

• Avocado oil

• Butter