If You Don't Have Ghee In Your Diet, You're Doing It Wrong

An ode to the heart chakra, 4th & Heart is more than just a food company. It was formed out of the intersection where many get stuck, thinking rather than feeling their way through things. But before we get into the details on the high-quality ghee, or clarified butter, that 4th & Heart produces, let's focus on the system that helped bring the company to life: Ayurveda.

"Ayurvedic medicine is the ancient Indian healing practice that has been shown to treat a variety of modern conditions, ranging from digestive distress to infertility," says Dr. Josh Axe in The Daily Meal's piece, 8 Ways to Make Healthy Lunches for the Whole Family. "And while there are a number of factors that make Ayurveda so effective, one of the most important is the use of certain spices and herbs in cooking. Crank up the flavor and healing power of your food by sprinkling on some cumin, coriander, clove, or cinnamon. You'll stoke what is known as the 'digestive fire,' preventing the development of digestive disorders and promoting natural weight loss."

As one of the world's oldest holistic healing systems, Ayurveda has proven to be quite effective over the years and has undergone its own renaissance of late. As the daughter of a modern Ayurvedic practitioner, Raquel Gunsagar found herself absorbing her mother's knowledge and wanting to inspire others to learn about such lost treasures. And so 4th & Heart was born.

Ghee is a delicious superfood with restorative properties that is similar to butter, but is better for your health. This pure, clarified butter is boiled to perfection, eliminating all milk solids making it dairy-, casein-, and lactose-free. Ghee is an essential healthy fat and a nutrient powerhouse rich in butyric acid, vitamin K, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, and medium chain triglycerides among others.

4th & Heart is bringing this ancient Ayurvedic ingredient to the spotlight by crafting ghee in one-of-a-kind flavors of White Truffle, East Asian Garlic, Himalayan Pink Salt, Madagascar Vanilla, and a delightfully untouched original. Each one has a superb flavor profile and is a tremendous addition to a variety of dishes and meal preparations, both savory and sweet. From chocolate pudding to walnut bolognese to kale pesto, there are endless uses for ghee.

Click here for our best ghee recipes.

Gunsagar puts the utmost value on nutrition and properly nourishing the body, and she is thrilled to bring her ghee to the community. 4th & Heart, formerly Tava Life, has just undergone a rebrand. Here are some of the things that have come out of this recent rebranding.

The Daily Meal: What separates 4th & Heart from the competition?
4th & Heart: 4th & Heart ghee is a fantastic new pantry addition which differs from both ethnic and other ghee. Why? Well, 4th & Heart produces culinary-inspired flavors, making cooking a breeze for just about anyone from the bachelor to the everyday chef. 4th & Heart is the only company [that] takes its ghee-making to another level by whipping two of its flavors together. This flavor, a salted white truffle ghee, takes three days to make and is 100 percent unique to 4th & Heart. Each jar of ghee comes from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows and is glyphosate-free and lab-tested to have less dairy than their competition at .9 PPM (parts per million) of dairy. That is unheard of in other ghee companies.

Why go to 4th & Heart for ghee?
The founder of 4th & Heart, Raquel Gunsagar, has been crafting small-batch ghee in her kitchen for over a decade. Over that time she's perfected how to create flavored ghee, something no other brand is doing. 4th & Heart uses real ingredients to flavor their ghee rather than incorporating "flavors" to save their margins. For the quality and time put into the ghee, it is a true value. The original ghee takes over 24 hours to make from beginning to end, and the other flavors can take from 36 to 48-hours. It's a labor of love.

When we asked 4th & Heart about the health benefits of ghee, the list we received in return was astounding.

Improved Digestion
Ghee is packed with butyric acid, a short medium chain fatty acid that speeds up digestion and heals the digestive tract.

Increased Metabolism
When consumed in proper quantities, ghee actually speeds up your metabolism and can help you burn fat and lose weight.

Lowers Cholesterol and Fights Inflammation
Rich in omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids, ghee lowers cholesterol, boosts heart health, and rids body of excess bile.

Can Strengthen Immunity and Flexibility
Butyric acid increases T cells (a subtype of white blood cells that play a central role in cell-mediated immunity) in the gut, boosting immunity. It also promotes flexibility by lubricating joints.

No Free Radicals
Unlike most oils, ghee has a very high smoke point (higher than coconut oil, in fact) and won't break down while cooking.

Gluten- and Dairy-Free
4th & Heart's ghee is gluten- and dairy-free while still being derived from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows.

Ghee is certainly the missing element from your pantry, and it's one that you'll soon learn you can't live without. 4th & Heart supports a charity called Yoga Gives Back. The Yoga Gives Back mission is to mobilize the global yoga community to empower women and children in India and to build sustainable livelihoods for them. Each year, through Yoga Gives Back, 4th and Heart will cover the cost of five years of school for two children.