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Nutritional facts & Fats in types of edible oils used for cooking
from: DinizWith so much variety and so many brands flooding the market today, buying the right cooking oil can prove a tough task. As you enter a department store, you behold an array of cooking oils sporting all types of jargon on the packaging -- saturated fats, unsaturated fats, refined, filtered, ricebran oil, vanaspati, etc. Confused already? Not to worry. Today, we will give you enough information to help you choose the right cooking oil.
First, let's find out the meanings of common words associated with oil.
Cholesterol: A soft substance found among the fats in the bloodstream and the body cells. Cholesterol is essential for the body's functioning, and there are two basic types; low-density lipoprotein or 'bad' cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein or 'good' cholesterol. Elevated levels of blood cholesterol are an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease.
Also, remember that oil does not contain cholesterol but helps to promote the formation of it in the body. Most cholesterol is not of a dietary nature ie it is formed within the body. It is only found in foods from animal sources such as eat, poultry, shellfish, eggs, dairy products, lard and butter.
Monosaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA): This refers to a healthy fatty acid, which lowers the levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides without lowering good cholesterol levels.
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA): This lowers the levels of good and bad cholesterol. This is not beneficial as low good cholesterol increases the risk of developing heart disease.
Saturated fats: When consumed in excess, it increases the levels of both the total as well as the bad cholesterol in the blood, thereby allowing fat to be deposited on the walls of the blood vessels. This promotes the formation of blood clots and heart disease.
Unsaturated fats: These are considered good for health as they do not increase the levels of bad cholesterol.
Refined oil: This type of oil has been purified with chemicals to remove any suspended particles, toxic substances, flavour components, colour and odour, thereby leaving behind a clear and bland oil.
Filtered oil: Obtained by the traditional cold pressing method, this is filtered once or twice to remove suspended particles.
Oil combinations
In order to derive maximum benefits from oil, it is beneficial to consume a mix of oils in order to maintain a balance between the three fatty acids.
As using a combination of two oils may not be a practical thing to do, today a number of blended oils are available in the market. For instance, blends of ricebran and sunflower oils (brand names include Sunrice, Sundrop Heart, etc) are the best buys and are suitable even for frying.
You could also have two or more different kinds of oils in your kitchen that you could use for different purposes. For example, you could use olive oil for salads, groundnut oil for frying and soyabean oil for other cooking purposes. This will let you take advantage of the health benefits offered by each oil.
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