Talking About Ghee and Apple Cider Vinegar

Today I want to talk about a couple of products and brands I am using.  The first is ghee.  

So, what is ghee?  Another name for ghee is clarified butter.  From the website Wikipedia:  "Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from cream (traditionally made by churning dahi), skimming any impurities from the surface, then pouring and retaining the clear liquid fat while discarding the solid residue that has settled to the bottom. Spices can be added for flavor. The texture, color and taste of ghee depends on the quality of the butter, the milk source used in the process and the duration of time spent boiling."  

Here is a recipe for how to make your own ghee at home.  This site also gives more information about how to use ghee and the health benefits.


For information on the health benefits of ghee, go here.

This is the ghee I found at Walmart last week.  And below the photos of the container, is the price at Walmart for this tiny amount.  If you have a local (or within an hour's drive) Indian grocery store, or Oriental grocery store, you will most likely find a larger container with a lower price-per-ounce than this.  This package itself says it is a product of India, so it seems we pay for the cost of repackaging an already made product.  What you would find in the Indian grocery would not have been repackaged by an American company, most likely.  Also, here is a tip for buying spices.  While you are in the Indian or Oriental grocery, you will find that you can buy spices in bulk sizes for a much lower price than what you find in those little cans in our American grocery stores.  Using airtight containers at home for storage, you can save good money this way.

Now I want to move on to apple cider vinegar.  Below are photos of what I have right now.  Many of the videos suggest using a brand called Bragg's.  This is what was available to me.  I am not sure the actual brand is as important as the product itself.  

If you notice, this is organic, unfiltered, raw/unpasteurized, and "with the mother."  So being the curious person I am, I had to find out just what this "with the mother" actually means.  This is what I found out. 

And this one...

What is the Mother in Apple Cider Vinegar?  

 For more health benefits of this potent, acidic drink, see the links below.

6 Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, Backed by Science

12 health benefits of apple cider vinegar From soothing sore throats and upset stomachs to fighting hiccups and diabetes, behold the benefits of apple cider vinegar.

I can attest right now that from the first "sip" of ACV from a teaspoon, the muddled, stuffy head from my sinuses cleared up within a day.  I have what I call minor allergies, in that I am not one who ends up sneezing, wheezing, coughing horribly around cats, dogs, weeds, etc.  What I have is sinus issues that cause post nasal drip which is bothersome and irritating, but not usually a big issue for me.  But lately, my head has been stuffed up for awhile, and I can't get my sinuses to drain even with the prescribed allergy pill I take daily.  One test teaspoon of this ACV and my sinuses began to drain.  Anyone's would!  That stuff is really sour and powerful when it goes into your mouth straight!  I haven't had that stuffy feeling in my head since then and I've been drinking my "recipe" for the past three days now.  

I've been using Sweet n Low to help ease myself into the sour taste of the vinegar mixed with half cup of water.  The recipes in the videos suggest mixing with lemon juice or lime juice.  I don't have any right now but I will try it at a later time.  I've reduced the amount of sweetener each day and today I used 2 packets.  Yesterday I used 3.  Tomorrow I hope to get by with just 1 and then none.

So there you have it.  These two products are not required for you on a Ketogenic Diet.  But from these articles, you can see how healthy and beneficial they are to your body.