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Before proceeding to individual edible oils we need to get bit theoretical. Oils are compounds of fatty acid and glycerol which are liquid at room temperature. 1 gm of oils will yield 9 Kcal of energy. But are all the oils same?
No way. The oils vary a lot as per type of fat (saturated, unsaturated – poly and mono as well as trans fat). Oils also contains few other organic compounds and vary in aroma, flavor and the most important, smoking point.
Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) may be omega 3 and omega 6 types. The omega 3 fatty acids (or alpha linolenic acid) are anti inflammatory and are good for heart and are antioxidants. The omega 6 fatty acids are pro inflammatory. But they are also needed, albeit in lower proportion than omega 3. Remember that mankind has evolved with omega 3 : omega 6 ratio of 1:1 which has now lately been even 1:10 to 1:16. More on it below.
Higher omega 3 fatty acids are protective against heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and many types of cancer. Fish oils as well as flaxseed, mustard, rapeseed, canola oil etc. are rich in omega 3 or alpha linolenic fatty acids. On the other hand, Sunflower, safflower, corn, groundnut oil etc. contain mainly omega 6 fatty acids, which are oleic acid of MUFA and linoleic acid of PUFA.
Let us discuss it in a few question answer format…
Please remember, smoke point of all oils are not the same. For example olive oil, an amazing oil with low saturated fat, has low smoke point. Thus frying any food item in olive oil can result in significant conversion to trans fat.
Hence low heat cooking, saute and dressing can be done with olive oil. But don’t use it for deep frying. On the other hand, extra virgin olive oil (made by hard pressing of fresh olives), is better. It degrades less quickly than normal olive oil. Canola oil, another extremely low saturated fat oil, has higher smoke point than olive oil and can be used.
If you can go for PUFA rich oils, then Sunflower, safflower, soya bean, groundnut oils etc are great choices. They can withstand high heat and can be ideally used for deep frying.
Yes, you should. American Dietetic Association has removed the bar on total fat intake level after 2015. But it still recommends below 10% saturated fat in a balanced diet for optimum health. The vegetable oils can be major source of saturated fat despite restriction of whole milk, paneer, dairy products, egg yolk, red meat etc.
Coconut oil, palm oil etc. are richer in saturated fat. Avoid these for long term heart health. They have other benefits. They are beyond scope of today’s discussion. Olive oil, almond oil, sunflower, safflower and canola oil are very good options as they have very low saturated fat. Canola oil has the lowest saturated fat amongst all oils (7%).
Our diet nowadays are more skewed towards omega 6 acid rich oils. In fact most of the vegetable oils are omega 6 rich and deficit in omega 3. Flaxseed oil is one of the rare omega 3 rich exceptions. Fish oils are even better for being better quality omega 3 source. Mustard oil and rapeseed oil also provide some omega 3 fatty faced, albeit far from optimum levels.
One thing must be remembered that omega-6s are pro-inflammatory, while omega-3s are anti-inflammatory. Although inflammation is required to protect from infections and injuries, it can also cause lots of damage. In fact chronic inflammation caused by pro-inflammatory factors like omega 3 fatty acids can result in many serious diseases. Notable among them are heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and some types of cancer.
Human race evolved in a way to have 1:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid ratio. But today’s oil rich food pattern have pushed us to a level of very high omega 6 ratio (almost 16 times high!). This is something very novel in the research now a days and we really need to increase omega 3 fatty acids for long term optimum health.
Believe it or not, Indian fried foods are loaded with trans fat. Think about the outdoor foods, at the road side eateries. The same oil is used to deep fry the food. The oil gets blacker and thicker with time. The molecular structure of the organic fatty acid structure, the specific unsaturated bonds and the carbon chains gets messed up. Those fats are atherogenic and prone to cause many cardiovascular diseases.
The trans fat content in those oils reach a deadly level. Those trans fat rich thick oil with those unhealthy simple carbs and that amazing roadside hygiene are deadly combos. Regular outdoor deep fried food can be enough to wreak havoc on Indian population with time. Wondering about increasing trend of obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome etc? There lies one of the root cause for them amongst Indians.
Forget low smoke point oils like olive oil. Even oils being more stable at higher temperature, can turn into trans fat on overheating and reusing.
MUFA or monounsaturated fatty acid (single unsaturated bond in carbon chain) oils are definitely healthy options. They can reduce risk of heart disease by improving the risk factors total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. At the same time, MUFA can maintain your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level which is good for heart health. It also helps in blood sugar lowering and controlling insulin levels. They are thus preferred option in diabetes and insulin resistance.
Olive oil and canola oil are MUFA rich. Other oils like almond oil, sesame oil, avocado oil or most nut based oils are MUFA rich. The Mediterranean diet, recommended by experts for long term heart health, is rich in MUFA. Read Mediterranean diet – the best diet plan
This is a good option to get the benefits of different oils. For example, rice bran oil / groundnut oil / sesame oil can be mixed with olive oil / canola oil / mustard oil. These combinations are used to reach optimum proportions of MUFA, omega fatty acids, restriction of saturated fats etc. But this is an expert advice and should be personalised as per health requirement. But this should be done under proper guidance of doctor and dietitian.
For example, an active person with calorie deficit can easily tolerate more saturated fat than an insulin resistant, sedentary and obese person. Even oils line coconut oil (having lots of saturated fat) can be beneficial for some. The MCT (medium chain triglycerides) are there with lots of benefits for some,as per recent research. Read 5 surprising benefits of coconut oil for your health.
Oil is essential for cooking, dressing, preparing food and is thus an integral part of life. It provides essential and non essential fatty acids. Those are required not only for optimal health, but to survive.
During choosing edible oils, give importance to the factors like saturated fatty acid, MUFA content, trans fat, omega 3 fatty acids etc. Judicious mixture of oils can be a good practice but it must be done under guidance of doctor as well as dietitian.
Stay fit, stay healthy.
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