Oil is one thing I have always been wondering that which one to choose. As oil leads to heart diseases and blood pressure problem, I spoke to many cardiologists and did some research by myself to have a general idea about it. Would like to share here.
All the food sources we think of fats including oil are made up of fatty acids.
These fatty acids have specific chemical shapes that affect both how the fat performs in cooking (or baking) and how the fat affects your health. These chemical shapes generally are classified as
- Saturated - A diet high in saturated fat has been linked with elevated cholesterol levels and increased risk for heart disease, so it’s best to limit use of them.( They’re solid at room temperature. )
- Polyunsaturated - When used in place of saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats can help to improve blood cholesterol levels, thereby reducing risk for heart disease. “Omega-6” and “omega-3” are other terms used to describe specific types of polyunsaturated oils. Although both omega-6 and omega-3 fats are essential for good health, omega-3s also have additional heart-health and anti-inflammatory benefits.( They’re always liquid—even if you put them in the fridge.)
- Monounsaturated - When substituted for saturated fats, monounsaturated fats can help to improve blood cholesterol levels, thereby reducing risk for heart disease.( They’re liquid at room temperature but become semi-solid (or cloudy) in the refrigerator)
All fats contain all three types but are classified by the type of fatty acid that makes up most of the fat.
Oil when heated gets converted into Oxidized oil – Damaging your health
Anytime you cook a food, you run the risk of creating heat-induced damage. The oils you choose to cook with must be stable enough to resist chemical changes when heated to high temperatures, or you run the risk of damaging your health. One of the ways vegetable oils can inflict damage is by converting your good cholesterol into bad cholesterol—by oxidizing it. As the oil is heated and mixed with oxygen, it goes rancid. Rancid oil is oxidized oil and should NOT be consumed—it leads directly to vascular disease.
Only one cooking oil that doesn’t react with the Heat – Coconut Oil
This is why I constantly recommend avoiding all vegetable cooking oils, such as canola-, corn-, or soy oil, and replacing them with organic coconut oil, which remains stable and does not oxidize at higher temperatures. – By Dr. Mercola .Though coconut has the highest amount of saturated fat among all the edible oil but it is not the cause for heart disease.
Olive Oil is portrayed to be healthiest but not in case of cooking. Olive oil is primarily a monounsaturated fat, which means it has one double bond in its fatty acidity structure. Although a monounsaturated fat is naturally more stable than a polyunsaturated fat, the overabundance of oleic acidity in olive oil creates an discrepancy that has been associated with increased risk for breast cancers and cardiovascular disease.
Important things need to know
Extra-virgin and virgin olive oils are processed by crushing olives into a mash, which is pressed to extract the oil (this is called the first press) without the use of heat (called cold pressing). Extra-virgin oils are of higher quality, as the olives used to make them are processed within 24 hours of picking—the longer olives go between picking and processing, the higher their free fatty acid content (extra-virgin olive oil can have up to 0.8 percent, virgin oils 2 percent). Extra-virgin oils also have more polyphenols than virgin oils.
Pure olive oil or simply olive oil are below extra-virgin and virgin standards and are heavily processed to remove off flavors and aromas. Though the oil still is a source of monounsaturated fat, its been stripped of healthful polyphenols.
“Light,” “lite” and “extra-light” are purely marketing terms used on highly refined oils that refer to mild flavor and/or color, not reduced calorie content.
You can have a look at various pure Organic oils from India at www.indianity.com .
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