Go for ghee

Don't say no the next time your granny adds a dollop of butter to your daal. Don't worry, this fat won't increase your waistline. Instead...

Don8217;t say no the next time your granny adds a dollop of butter to your daal. Don8217;t worry, this fat won8217;t increase your waistline. Instead, it will give you energy, more than than carbohydrate or protein.

Research shows that older people who are a little overweight live longer because they are better nourished, take more vitamins and minerals, and can draw on fat reserves when fighting an illness. The reason is that body stores fat more efficiently than it does carbohydrate which is generally used up for immediate energy needs.

Scientists also argue that it is not fat which leads to obesity. Low-fat or non-fat food doesn8217;t guarantee a lean body. A diet rich in carbohydrates can also make you plump. It8217;s all a question of how many calories you take and how many you burn up. If you take in more than you burn, you will naturally put on weight. Experts also believe that both the body8217;s tendency to store fat and its ability to burn it are genetically programmed.

Have you seen Indian wrestlers? The world-class ones? They look quite fit, even though they gorge on desi ghee besides taking lots of milk. Says R S Kundu, Sports Authority of India SAI wrestling coach: 8220;On an average all wrestlers take in more than 100 grammes of pure ghee a day in their diet.8221; This roughly comes to 4 or 5 kg a month. But still, they don8217;t put on weight or those tyres around the waist. 8220;They wrestlers burn the fat while exercising,8221; informs the coach.

Kartar Singh, winner of the gold medal in the 100-kg category in the 8217;86 Asian Games had 32 per cent fat, which experts believed should have been eight pc, but that extra bit didn8217;t stop from winning the title.

Mike, a physical instructor with the Australian Institute of Sports, who was here in the city recently, also underlined the importance of fat in our daily diet. 8220;Butter is important for endurance athletes,8221; he said. 8220;This belief is catching on fast. Now most of the international cyclists and triathletes go for fat-loading before the big race.8221; So do eat ghee, but do run a couple of kilometres to burn it.