Is Ghee Paleo?

If you’re engaged in the paleo diet, does that mean you have to cut ghee out of your life?

The Short Answer:

Ghee can be a fine addition to a Paleolithic diet.

The Long Answer:

Ghee is a topic hotly debated within the paleo community. As a form of clarified butter, ghee is technically a dairy product and, by definition, should be barred from a paleo lifestyle. However, when you consider how ghee is created, one can find some wiggle room and make a solid case for its inclusion.

Ghee is created by heating butter until the butterfat and solid milk parts are separated. What differentiates ghee from normal clarified butter is that the process goes a little further. By continuing to heat the butter until the solids caramelize, ghee attains its signature nutty flavoring. Removing the milk solids also takes out lactose, which is helpful for individuals who have a hard time processing dairy. The major allergens which cause lactose intolerance are all found in carbohydrates and protein components, which are burned out with the milk solids.

Because of this, I find ghee to be an acceptable addition to a paleo diet. What’s more, if you want to be super strict and eliminate all dairy completely, ghee is a nice way to test the waters when it comes time to reintroduce. Try ghee and if your body reacts well, switch to butter and then work your way up to reintroducing acceptable levels of dairy into your post-paleo life.