Ghee, butter or olive oil?

Including some form of fat in your diet is essential to achieve optimal weight loss. While there are a lot of options available to us today, healthy oils and butters are most talked of. In recent years, ghee too has made a comeback and is used in multiple ways- cooking meals.

Its important to include some form of fat in your diet to drive up calorie burning and reach weight loss goals faster. You need to eat the right kind of fat, in the right quantity to burn fat.

Despite long believed myths, butter isn’t completely bad for you, as long as it is consumed in moderated portion sizes. It contains no trans fats and since it is extracted from dairy, you get to harness beneficial nutrients like Vitamin A, E, antioxidants, calcium. Not to forget, it can act as a quick energy source for the body.
Not only does butter add a flavour to dishes, it can also be a great oil substitute. Since it mostly contains fat, butter packs about 100 calories in a spoon and over 12 grams of fat.

There are a lot of solid reasons which make olive oil one of the healthiest and nutrient-rich oils. olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids which is a healthy source of fat, assists weight loss and promotes satiety. One tablespoon of olive oil contains 119 calories, 13.5 grams of fat (of which 1.86 grams is saturated) and good trace vitamins.

Despite being termed to be a ‘weight-gain’ ingredient, ghee has now takers from all across the world for its purposeful weight-loss aiding benefits.

Ghee is a form of clarified butter that is also a good source of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D and K. Ghee has a high smoke point making it great for cooking. Ghee is a pure form of fat and contains no casein, making it perfect for dairy-intolerant people. Ghee also contains gut-friendly enzymes which help in its easier digestion.
As for the nutritional benefits, a serving spoon of ghee contains 115 calories, 9.3 grams of saturated fat, 0 carbs and 38.4 grams of cholesterol, so much like butter, best consumed in moderate quantities.

Butter, ghee and olive oil are no doubt healthy fat sources. However, if your primary concern is weight loss, sticking to one fat source would be better, depending on your preferences, lifestyle and overall food consumption.

As for the calorie count, butter is the heaviest calorie-dense source of all, since it is mostly composed out of fat. The fat intake is also similar in all three. What would be rather ideal is to look for the nutritional aspects of all fat sources, as they could help drive faster weight loss, and serve additional health benefits.

Of the three, incorporating olive oil would be best suited, while the other two fat sources can be added to the diet, in limited quantities.