How to Choose Healthy Cooking Oils?

27 September, 2022

5 min

177

One of the most common ingredients available in all pantries worldwide has to be cooking oil. We need cooking oils for just about everything; whether frying, sauteing, or even baking cannot be done without oil. Choosing the right cooking oil becomes important when it comes to health. Healthy cooking oils can help lower cholesterol and help with heart health. There are various cooking oils available in the market; however, how should we choose the one that’s right for us? Let’s take a look at some tips on choosing the best cooking oil for the heart:

Good balance of Monounsaturated Fats & Polyunsaturated Fats:

Oils with a good balance of MUFA & PUFA are the best cooking oils for the heart. Monounsaturated fats are unsaturated fatty acids; these fats have one double bond in their structure while polyunsaturated fats have more than one unsaturated carbon bond within the fat molecule. Cooking oils high in MUFA & PUFA are the best cooking oils for the heart as they reduce the risks of heart diseases and improve overall health by reducing the total and LDL cholesterol in the body. These heart-healthy oils are beneficial for our metabolism. Oils like sunflower, safflower, rice bran and soybean are all examples of heart-healthy cooking oils. Cooking oils derived from nuts and seeds are often high in MUFA & PUFA. However, an easy way to incorporate a good balance of MUFAs and PUFAs is a blended oil scientifically formulated for heart benefits.

Lower in Saturated Fats:

Oil is something we consume daily, it also comprises of saturated fatty acids. SFA is a crucial component in our body, however, an excess can have harmful effects. They have been suggested to increase LDL and total cholesterol. Hence, an oil lower in SFA is a healthy cooking oil that doesn’t end up increasing the LDL cholesterol levels in our body. Most oils are a combination of MUFAs, PUFAs, and saturated fatty acids. Choosing blended oils that are low in saturated fatty acids (SFA) and high in unsaturated fats can help in lowering cholesterol levels.Saffola Total is one such blended oil that is rich in MUFAs and PUFAs which makes it the perfect low-cholesterol oil good for the heart.

High Smoke Point:

What is a smoke point? Essentially, the point at which an oil starts releasing smoke is the smoking point. Every oil with which you cook should have a high smoking point because the moment an oil starts to overheat, it loses its minerals, antioxidants and various other nutrients, in turn losing its healthy properties. A higher smoking point means that the oil is less susceptible to heat-induced oxidation and can sustain its nutrients. As soon as oil breaks down due to heat, it releases free radicals, which cause inflammation, and prolonged inflammation can lead to chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases or cancer. Therefore, you must go for oils that have a high smoking point. It is essential for cooking oil to be a heart-healthy oil as it can otherwise cause problems in our bodies. Saffola Gold has a high smoke point making it a healthier choice.

Rich in Antioxidants

Antioxidants have benefits that include protecting the body against factors that contribute to cardiovascular diseases. Antioxidants can prevent the conversion of blood cholesterol molecules into substances that can harden into plaques in artery walls and block blood flow. These plaques can lead to various health diseases that are detrimental especially to heart health. So, a cooking oil rich in anti-oxidants is the best way to cleanse your body from the inside. Saffola Total can be your go-to oil as it contains an antioxidant system that can help fight free radicals which are known to cause oxidative damage leading to various diseases. Oils are an integral part of our lives, and we should also use them in adequate amounts as oils often contain healthy nutrients essential for our system. One of the best cooking oils for the heart are blended oils like Saffola Gold and Saffola Total; these oils are beneficial for our health and provide the nutrients of various oils in a single go!

Edible Oils

Pure Honey

Masala Oats

Plain oats

Crunchiez

Soya Chunks

Peanut Butter

Mayonnaise

Muesli

Oodles

Immuniveda