Have you ever
noticed that some of the most common cooking oil we use in our kitchen solidifies
especially during the cold weather? We commonly say it in Filipino term “tulog
na mantika”. When doing a grocery
shopping, you will easily see them in the cooking oil rack section. Most of us
are unaware of the health hazards it might bring to us.
Cooking oils
are classified into two, the Good and Bad Fats.
The Bad Fats
- Saturated
Fats increase the overall blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol, known
as the bad cholesterol.
- Trans Fats
elevate the bad cholesterol, LDL and lower HDL, the good cholesterol.
The Good Fats
- Monounsaturated
fats lessens the entire cholesterol and LDL and increase the HDL cholesterol
- Polyunsaturated
fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids
belong to this set.
According to
studies and experts, the considerable oil to use for cooking is the one that is
composed mainly of mono-unsaturated fat. Most doctors consider oils with high
saturated fats the least healthy. Nevertheless,
many health practitioners nowadays believe that the naturally occurring
saturated fats in products like butter are better than the saturated fats in
products like margarine. Fat is an important element in one’s diet, our body
needs to absorb the required fat in order to metabolize in the body. The Fatty
acids found in oil help absorb fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E & K, as it
also shield the body against heat loss.
Some Pointers
to Remember about Cooking Oils
- Avoid heating
the oil further than their smoking point. For deep frying, use the oil with a
high smoke point such as canola oil, corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil or
refined palm oil. For stir-frying, use any oil low in saturated fat like canola
oil, corn oil, or flax seed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, safflower oil,
sunflower oil and walnut oil.
- For salad
dressing, opt for cold-pressed unrefined vegetable oils such as sesame,
sunflower or safflower
- Used oil
should be used for frying at least only twice as it becomes carcinogenic.
- Never blend
the fresh oil to the used oil.
- For better
health, select oils low in saturated fat.
Some of the
bad oils undergo refining processes to be free from the harmful fatty acids. It
is therefore advisable to read on the nutritional health facts of
the cooking oil's packaging before we buy them.
Here are
samples:
A
pure palm olein vegetable oil with no cholesterol and fortified with vitamins A
and E. It has tocotrienols and tocopherols that may lower bad cholesterol. The
perfect oil for everyday frying. This is also used for deep frying. Take notice of it's red cap color for easy find.
Nutrition
Facts
15g Serving Size
29 Serving per
bottle
135 Calories from
fat
23% Total Fat 15g
35% Saturated Fat
7g
2g Monounsaturated
Fat
6g Polyunsaturated
0% Cholesterol
0mg
0% Total
Carbohydrates 0g
0% Sugar 0g
0% Protein 0 g
35% Vitamin A
658IU
23% Vitamin E
3.45 IU
The blue capped is the Pure
coconut vegetable oil. A pure
coconut vegetable oil with vitamin A and has no cholesterol. Rich in MCTs
(Medium Chain Triglycerides) that promotes easy digestion and rapid metabolism.
It may be used as basting oil for roasting meats.
Nutrition
Facts
58 servings per 15g
/serving
135 Calories from
fat
15g Total Fat
14g Saturated Fat
0mg Cholesterol
0mg Sodium
0g Total
Carbohydrates
0g Sugars
0g Protein
658IU Vitamin A
Pure oil A
vegetable oil with no cholesterol and fortified with vitamin A. The vegetable
oil for budget conscious moms.
Nutrition
Facts
15g Serving Size
135 Calories from
fat
23% Total Fat 15g
35% Saturated Fat
7g
6g Monounsaturated
Fat
2g Polyunsaturated
0% Cholesterol
0mg
0% Total
Carbohydrates 0g
0% Sugar 0g
0% Protein 0 g
35% Vitamin A
658IU
Sources:
magnolia.com.ph
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_oil
www.healthcastle.com/cooking-oils.shtml
www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-healthiest-oil-to-use-for-cooking.htm
www.fatfreekitchen.com/cholesterol/cookingoil.html
