Cooking oil is something that we use almost daily, and it can impact our health – both in positive as well as negative ways.
One type of oil may not provide all the fatty acids in the desired ratio. Fatty acids of primarily of 4 types and out of these 2 are beneficial while the other two need to be restricted. Particular oil may be rich in one fatty acid and lacking in another.
| FATTY ACID | HEALTH EFFECTS | SOURCES | |
| GOOD FATS | |||
| Poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) | Omega 6 | Lowers good cholesterol (HDL-C) | Sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil |
| Omega 3 | Increases HDL-C (good), improves memory, vision and immunity. | Fish oil, rice bran oil, mustard seed oil, sesame oil, walnuts, flaxseeds oil, etc | |
| Mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) | Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL-C) and risk of heart diseases | Canola, olive, groundnut oil, avocados | |
| BAD FATS | |||
| Saturated fatty acids (SFA) | Increases LDL- C (bad) and causes blockage in heart vessels | Butter, margarine, cream, bakery products, cheese, Clarified butter (Ghee), etc | |
| Trans fats (TFA) | Lowers HDL-C (good), Increases LDL- C (bad) and reduce cognitive functions. | Hydrogenated vegetable oils in packaged and fried foods such as samosas, cakes, puris, etc | |
There are two ways to make sure we get the best combination of fatty acids
-Use oil in rotation: Keep changing oils every month.
For example- if you have brought rice bran oil for a month, then next month you can purchase groundnut oil, if you purchase mustard seed oil for a month, next month use rice bran oil
Popular oils that can be used in rotation
- Rice bran oil- Ricela, Porna
- Mustard seed oil-Gemini, Tez, Nutrela, Nature Fresh, Fortune kachi ghani
- Til oil- RRO
- Groundnut oil- Gemini, Postman, Dhara, Guinea Lite, RRO Primio, Nutrela
– Use blends: Mixture of two or more oils. For ex. RBO with Soyabean, Safflower with RBO, Sunflower (20%) with RBO (80%), and so on!
The oil you choose can have an effect on your lipid profile & cholesterol levels. Not choosing the right kind of oil might even lead to cardiovascular diseases, which exposes to your risk of hypertension or even heart attacks.
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