COOKING OILS FACTS
Oil is the most common ingredient found on kitchen tops and in our diet. The supermarkets are flooded with different types of oils. Each offering something new, something different, something healthy. There is huge confusion when it comes to buying cooking oil. Each of them has something more to offer, each brand sporting all types of jargon on the package, refined/filtered N-3, N-3 / N-6 ratio, enriched with oryzanol/omega 3 fatty acid, rich in Polyunsaturated (PUFA) / Monounsaturated (MUFA) fatty acids.
It is the need of the hour to clarify the health benefits of different oils and debunk the idioms for everyone.
Oils and fats are related to certain terminologies like Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Saturated fatty acids, PUFA, MUFA and the latest addition to this list are Trans-fatty acids. What do these terms mean? How are they related to the oil we consume and how do they affect our health?
- Cholesterol is a fatty substance present in our blood and body cells. It is essential for the proper functioning of the body especially the brain. It is broadly divided into 2 types; i.e. LDL and HDL.
- LDL or the ‘bad cholesterol’ is responsible for allowing fatty substances or plaques to accumulate in the arteries causing narrowing of the arteries and developing coronary heart diseases which may lead to a heart attack.
- HDL or the ‘good cholesterol’ prevents the development and evolution of the dangerous plaques.
- Saturated fat is a part of the oil that makes it thicker (solid form) and when consumed can elevate blood cholesterol levels and LDL.
- PolyUnsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA), when consumed, lowers the levels of LDL but also of HDL cholesterol. Omega-3 (N-3) and Omega-6 (N-6) are part of the PUFA family and are essential fatty acids because humans cannot manufacture it in the body and must them get from food.
- MonoUnsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA) is considered the best type of fat as it lowers LDL cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol levels in the blood.
- Trans-fatty acid is an artificial fat produced as a side effect of hydrogenation of animal fat (margarine) or vegetable fat (Vanaspati ghee). From health point of view, it is the worst fat as it leads to coronary artery diseases.
COMPARISON OF FATS AVAILABLE IN DIFFERENT OILS:
TYPES OF OILS AND WHAT THEY MEAN:
Cold-pressed oils:
It is produced by the use of a hydraulic press, an ancient method that yields the best quality oil. The only 2 food ingredients that will yield enough oil without heating them first are sesame seeds and olives. These oils are the closest possible to the natural state, therefore have the most colour, odour and flavour and are most nutritious.
Refined oils:
Refined oil is purified oil obtained from oil cakes and are made by highly intensive mechanical and chemical processes to extract the oil from the seeds and vegetable products. This produces a bland oil having only mild flavour, free from impurities but more likely to turn rancid.
Unrefined Oils:
Unrefined oil is obtained by a process of pressing the seeds or other vegetable material. The extract is subjected to continuous pressure and temperature of 200-250oC and hence they are different from cold-pressed oils. Healthwise, unrefined oils are considered better and recommended due to the presence of a wide range of bioactive compounds (antioxidants), flavours and vitamin E content.
