While cooking, the most important thing is selection of an oil which is good for your heart. No matter what type of food you are cooking, you will surely need a bottle of cooking oil in the kitchen. Whether it is used to roast a plate of vegetables or to prepare a tasty dressing, vegetable oil is a staple of the kitchen. There are many varieties of oil as they can be extracted from different variety of grans, legumes, plant fruits, seeds etc.
What do we mean by healthy oils?
All the oils are not same. It is important to note that each oil may vary in the type and ratio of different fats in them. Heart healthy poly and mono-unsaturated fats are the essential properties of best oil. Foods that are rich in these heart-healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocado, olives and vegetable oils help to reduce cholesterol levels.
Palm oil and coconut oil are not good for heart as they are high in saturated fat which causes increase in LDL cholesterol. Olive oil is considered best as cooking oil.
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Oils that are rich in polyunsaturated fats are flaxseed, grapeseed, sesame, sunflower, wheatgerm and safflower.
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Oils that are rich in monounsaturated fats are almond, canola, rice bran, olive, and avocado.
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Oils that are source of saturated fat are coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel.
Best oils for heart:
Olive Oil:
Olive oil is considered to be one of the most widely used and healthiest edible oils. Culinary experts and nutritionists believe that olive oil is the best choice.
Avocado Oil:
Avocado oil is one of the oils with the highest monounsaturated fat content among other edible oils.
Flaxseed Oil:
Flaxseed oil is not suitable for cooking on a higher flame and therefore can be used in other ways. Their anti-inflammatory and low cholesterol properties are due to their good content of omega3 fatty acids.
Sunflower Oil:
One teaspoon of sunflower oil provides 28% of a person's daily required nutritional intake. As a result, it's highly nutritious and heart-healthy cooking oil. Sunflower oil, which is high in vitamin E, can be utilized in a variety of ways in the kitchen. It can be proved to be inflammatory due to its high omega 6 fatty acid content.
Sesame Oil:
It's also one of the most extensively used cooking oils on the market. It is well-known for its robust flavor. Despite its high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, this oil has little nutritional value.
Use oils wisely:
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Don’t use heated oil: Used oils are very dangerous for the heart. It becomes rancid and off-flavored.
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Don’t eat fried foods: Fried food is more dangerous as compared to other food items. But if there is no choice we can use refined olive oil and rice bran oils
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Keep oil in cool and dark places. We can use dark glass bottles or tin to store oil and keep it away from light.
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Use good quality oil for higher heat cooking.
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Don’t overheat oil at the time of cooking.
(Also read- 6 Early Signs of Heart Attack You Must Know)
