Cholesterol Lowering Oils – The Best And Worst – Blog

Cholesterol is a type of waxy substance (blood fat) which helps make vitamin D, cell membranes, bile, and steroid hormones. Your liver makes all the cholesterol to meet the needs of your body.

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But you can also get cholesterol from eating animal-based foods, which are the dietary sources of cholesterol. However, foods high in saturated and trans fats trigger the liver to produce more cholesterol.

It’s also important to consider the saturated fats in oils since they can cause cholesterol build-up. For example, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil contain saturated fat that can increase so-called “bad” cholesterol.

Not all oils are created equal, and choosing an oil rich in unsaturated or unrefined fats is essential for cholesterol management. Whether you’re sauteing up some veggies or frying an egg, you want an oil that is not overly processed or refined. 

How to Choose the Healthiest Oil for Cholesterol?

From nutrient composition to flavour, wide varieties of cooking oils are available in the market. However, it can be overwhelming when selecting the right oil for cholesterol.

Oils are a combination of multiple fatty acids, and they come from animal products, nuts, fruits, seeds, or grains. A heart-healthy oil that lowers your risks for high cholesterol and heart disease is rich in healthier, unsaturated fats.

Unhealthy cooking oil is high in saturated and trans fats. Nutritionists recommend choosing oils with less than four grams of saturated fat per tablespoon, with no trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils.

Here are a few factors to consider while choosing an oil:

The Smoke Point

The smoke point or “burning point” is the temperature at which oil is no longer stable. As a result, the oil stops glistening and starts to break down, lose its nutritional value, become unpalatable, and produce harmful compounds or free radicals. 

A study shows that free radicals cause disturbance in cholesterol metabolism. So, you shouldn’t cook the oil at a temperature above its smoke point. Instead, use oils with a high smoke point to avoid overheating and toxic chemical production.

The healthiest and safest oil for cholesterol should stand up to high heat. Therefore, choosing the right oil suitable for the different cooking methods is essential.

Refined and Unrefined 

Refined oils undergo a high-heat extraction process, resulting in a loss of natural nutrients, flavour or aroma.

Conversely, unrefined or cold-pressed oils get extracted with no heat or minimal heat without compromising natural nutrient content, taste, and aroma. Therefore, unrefined cooking oils are more nutrient-dense options.  

Fat Composition

Each cooking oil comes with its fat profile. Health experts recommend using oils with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat to benefit your overall health.

Daily consumption of oils rich in saturated and trans fats raises your risk for chronic illnesses, including high cholesterol. 

Which Oil is Good for Cholesterol?

Olive Oil 

Extra-virgin olive oil, the least processed form of olive oil, is one of the healthiest options since it has zero cholesterol. One tablespoon of olive oil has 2 g of saturated fat, 10 g of monounsaturated fat, including oleic acid, and around 1 g of polyunsaturated fat. 

A study shows that the powerful antioxidants in olive oil increased HDL and decreased total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides more than other plant oils.

Choose cold-pressed olive oil since its pressing process never exceeds a specific temperature, which ensures maximum quality. Regular olive oil is also healthy and contains monounsaturated fats but has low anti-inflammatory properties. However, extra virgin olive oil does not have a high smoke point. So, it’s best for a low-slow cook, sautéing over medium heat, and dressing on a salad or a topper for pasta. 

Avocado Oil 

Avocado oil, derived from the flesh of pressed avocados, is good even at high temperatures. Unrefined avocado oil has a smoke point of 375 degrees, while refined shows a high smoke point of 520 degrees. Avocado oil carries the high monounsaturated fats of all oils, with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and heart health benefits.  

Avocado oil also contains beneficial antioxidants like lutein, which your body does not produce on its own. So adding avocado oil is a great way to get some lutein, which supports the health of your eyes. Unfortunately, though avocado oil is healthy, it can be pretty expensive. 

Soybean Oil

Soybean oil, the leading edible oil consumed in the United States, is an excellent non-fish source of omega-3 fatty acids. A study shows that soybean oil (1 and 1/2 tablespoons daily) lowers circulating cholesterol levels. In addition, the phytosterols in soybean oil reduce LDL cholesterol.

Peanut Oil 

Peanut oil is a high-heat cooking oil made from the seeds of a peanut plant. Unrefined or cold-pressed peanut oil preserves most nutrients and is a budget-friendly option.

Peanut oil’s relatively high smoke point is ideal for grilling, roasting vegetables and searing meats. While you can use peanut oil for deep-fat fry, this cooking method is unsuitable for cholesterol and negates the oil’s health benefits.  

Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is cholesterol free but has a lower smoke point than the others. In addition, it has a healthy mix of fats, with each tablespoon containing over 5 gm of monounsaturated fat and 2 gm of saturated fat.

You can use sesame oil to saute vegetables or as a salad dressing ingredient, but its more intense and nutty flavour might interfere with general-purpose cooking.

Chia Seed Oil

Chia oil is a golden-coloured oil packed with alpha-linolenic acid, which helps make heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It has a very high smoke point and a neutral flavour, which is suitable for light sautéing, pasta, and salads.

While the chia seed is high in fibre, the oil lacks fibre due to the extraction process. Therefore, don’t rely on chia seed oil to meet your fibre needs. 

The HealthifyMe Note

Some oils are unhealthy or lead to cholesterol buildup in the body because they contain high saturated and trans fats. A healthy oil should have less than four grams of saturated fat per tablespoon, such as olive oil. Moreover, never cook oils above their smoke point. 

Cooking Oils to Avoid or Use in Moderation

Coconut Oil 

Coconut oil is popular in the keto diet and Paleo diets, but it is composed of 90% saturated fat. Therefore, coconut oil is controversial regarding cholesterol and blood pressure.

Since it has higher fat solids, it is best to use coconut oil in moderation. However, virgin coconut oil, extracted at low temperatures, may benefit from regulating cholesterol levels.

Palm Oil 

Palm oil is a tropical oil high in palmitic acid, a type of saturated fat that increases the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. It has about 7 gm of saturated fat in one tablespoon. Therefore, you must limit or avoid palm oil in a heart-healthy diet. 

Lard

Lard is an animal product that comes from pork fat. It is high in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol, with each tablespoon having 12 mg of cholesterol, 115 calories, and 5 gm saturated fats.

In addition, the small amounts of naturally occurring trans-fats in lard cause a cholesterol imbalance by raising LDL cholesterol.

Partially Hydrogenated Oils

Partially hydrogenated oils are the primary source of unhealthy trans fats. Trans fat, also called trans-unsaturated fatty acids, can raise the ‘bad’ cholesterol levels and lower the ‘good’ cholesterol.

These should be avoided, esp when trying to control cholesterol levels. These artificial trans fats shouldn’t be your go-to, especially when trying to lower cholesterol. Therefore, always check for the “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” on the ingredient list. 

Manage Your Cholesterol With HealthifyMe 

You can receive stats and figures on your health from a doctor or import cholesterol readings from various sources, but you may not always have the right tools to understand or take necessary action on the results.

The launch of HealthifyPRO brings you closer to understanding your health and how you can better manage it. The app provides a simple view of your cholesterol, glucose levels, and other metabolic parameters over time, alongside personalised explanations of your lipid profile. High cholesterol, like high blood pressure, has no symptoms.

So, HealthifyMe provides easily accessible insights to help you understand how your dietary behaviours impact your heart health and empower you to take action to improve the results. 

HealthifyMe Coaches will use your body metrics, such as BMI, BMR, muscle mass, and body fat%, to build a personalised plan to achieve your fitness goals. Hence, you can manage cholesterol with a customised diet and workout plan per your lifestyle and preferences. The CGM also gives you real-time insights into your blood glucose levels, which coaches use to design your diet and fitness plan.

In addition to choosing heart-healthy oils when cooking, here are some other tips for managing your cholesterol:

• Aim for 150 minutes (30 minutes five days per week) of moderate-intensity exercise per week. 
• Choose whole grain varieties and eat 4-5 fruit and vegetables daily.
• Replace red meat with lean protein options like chicken, turkey, fish, eggs or beans.
• Choose healthier cooking methods, such as baking, boiling, poaching or grilling food, rather than frying.
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation.

Conclusion

You’ve probably noticed a plethora of cooking oils on grocery store shelves. However, all cooking oils are not equally created, and the oil you choose can either be good for your cholesterol or do the opposite. Whatever your diet, the oil you use must comprise monounsaturated fats or omega-3 fatty acids.

A healthy cooking oil is an oil devoid of saturated and trans fat. But an oil’s composition is only one part of its healthfulness. Oils also have a range of smoke points, and you need oils that tolerate high heat to prevent the release of harmful chemicals. 

There are many factors to assess and compare when trying to manage cholesterol. HealthifyMe assists you with accurate nutrition information. With the input of Pro Coaches, you can find the best oil and foods that would do the most good for your cholesterol levels and overall health. 

Choose Heart-Healthy Cooking Oils With Healthy Fats – Heart Health Center

By Jennifer J. Brown, PhD

Reviewed: March 18, 2016

Fact-Checked

Know Your Oil’s Source: Fruits, Nuts, Grains, or Animals

The oils we love to cook with come from fruits, nuts and grains, or from animal products, and they have important distinctions. “All oils are a combination of many fatty acids,” says Seth J. Baum, MD, cardiologist at Preventive Cardiology Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida. The various cooking oils have nearly the same number of calories per tablespoon, tbsp, from 102 to 124, but each oil has a different amount of healthy fat — known as “unsaturated” fat. Oils from animal products all contain the less healthy saturated fats as well as cholesterol. Certain vegetable cooking oils, the tropical oils like coconut, also have saturated fats. You can think of saturated fats as “full” fats because they have more hydrogen packed into them, and unsaturated fats as somewhat lighter.

A heart-healthy diet — one that lowers your risks for heart disease and stroke — is rich in healthier, unsaturated fats. In addition, “The longer one cooks, and the higher the temperature the more the cooked food absorbs that oil. So it’s important to choose wisely and cook properly,” says Dr. Baum. And different oils vary in their smoke point, the temperature where the fats begin to degrade and burn. Using data reported in the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, we compared fats in cooking oils to help you find the best ones for you and your loved ones.

Read on to get the fat facts about your favorite cooking oils.

Olive Oil: The Better Fat

Olive oil originates from the pressed fruit of olive trees. Each tbsp has 119 calories and about 14 grams, gm of fat. Olive oil also contains a small amount of vitamin E (2 mg/tbsp) and vitamin K (8 mcg/tbsp). The fat in olive oil is mostly unsaturated, which makes it a heart-healthy choice. Olive oil is one of the better fats for your heart, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Olive oil has 2 gm/tbsp of saturated fat, 10 gm of monounsaturated fat including oleic acid, and about 1 gm of polyunsaturated fat. Olive oil has zero cholesterol. It has a smoke point of 375 deg F for extra virgin, to 468 deg for extra light varieties.

Butter and Cream Cheese: High in Cholesterol

The dairy products butter and cream cheese are derived from cows’ milk. Each tbsp of salted butter contains 102 calories, about 12 gm of fat, and in addition, 32 mg of sodium. Butter also has fat soluble vitamins — 355 international units, IU, of vitamin A and 9 IU of vitamin D per tbsp. The fat in butter is mostly saturated fat, and butter is also high in cholesterol, which should be limited in a heart-healthy diet. In each tbsp of butter, about 7 gm are saturated fats, and 3 gm are monounsaturated, with only less than half a gm polyunsaturated fats. Each tbsp of butter also contains 31 mg of cholesterol. It has a low smoke point of 250 to 300 deg F.

Cream cheese has 51 calories per tbsp and is high in fat content, at 5 gm. It also contains trace amount of many vitamins, 195 IU of vitamin A, and 4 IU of vitamin D in a tbsp. Cream cheese is mostly saturated fat, which should be limited in a heart-healthy diet. One tbsp of cream cheese has about 3 gm of saturated fat, 1 gm of monounsaturated fat and just less than one and a half gm of polyunsaturated fat, along with 16 mg of cholesterol.

Corn Oil: A Heart-Healthy Fat Mix

Corn oil comes from the germ (center) of the corn grain, and contains 122 calories per tbsp with about 14 gm of fat. A trace amount of vitamin E is found in corn oil (2 mg/tbsp), as well as a third of a mcg/tbsp of vitamin K. Corn oil is mostly unsaturated fat and so it is a good choice for a heart-healthy diet. It has about 2 gm of saturated fat, about 4 gm of monounsaturated fat and over 7 gm of polyunsaturated fat. Corn oil contains no cholesterol. Refined corn oil has a smoke point of 450 deg F.

When selecting a vegetable oil, beware that a label listing “partially-hydrogenated oils” includes trans-fats, which are not part of a heart-healthy diet. Trans-fats are commercially altered to become more highly saturated oils, which affect the body’s balance of cholesterol by raising “bad” cholesterol levels in the blood. Check the Nutrition Facts panel to avoid partially hydrogenated oils in your cooking.

Avocado Oil: Good Even at High Temperatures

Avocado oil comes from the fruit of the avocado tree. This oil contains 124 calories per tbsp and 14 gm of fat. The fat in avocado oil is mostly unsaturated, making it a heart-healthy choice. One tbsp of avocado oil has about 2 gm of saturated fat, 10 gm of monounsaturated fat and 2 gm of polyunsaturated fat. Avocado oil is cholesterol-free. Unlike olive oil, avocado oil can safely be used at high temperatures without burning, as the refined oil has a high smoke point of 520 deg F.

Limit the Lard

Lard is an animal product produced from pork fat. Each tbsp of lard contains 115 calories and 13 gm of fat. Lard is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which should be limited in a heart-healthy diet. In each tbsp of lard, 5 gm are saturated fats, approximately 6 gm are monounsaturated and about 1 and a half gm are polyunsaturated fats. Each tbsp of lard also contains 12 mg of cholesterol. Lard has a low smoke point of 370 deg F.

The fat found in animal products also contains small amounts of naturally occurring trans-fats, which have a negative effect on the balance of cholesterol in our bodies, raising levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood — also known as “bad” cholesterol.

Coconut Oil: Raises Blood Cholesterol

Coconut oil is produced from the fruit of the coconut tree. Each tbsp of this tropical oil has 117 calories and about 14 gm of fat. Coconut oil has trace amounts of vitamins E and K. Coconut oil is mainly saturated fat, which should be limited in a heart-healthy diet. Approximately 12 gm per tbsp of coconut oil are saturated fat, with only 1 gm monounsaturated fat and less than half a gm polyunsaturated fat. Coconut oil has zero cholesterol.

An important caveat is that coconut oil in the diet can dramatically raise cholesterol in the blood, according to Dr. James Underberg, Director of the Bellevue Hospital Lipid Clinic and Professor at NYU Medical School in New York City. In addition, “Controversy regarding coconut oil — some claim it’s healthful — does not negate the fact that it raises LDL,” according to Dr. Baum. If unrefined, it has a smoke point of 350 deg F while refined coconut oil with stabilizers has a smoke point of 450 deg F.

Peanut and Soybean Oils: Heart-Healthy Choices

The oil extracted from peanuts has 119 calories and about 14 gm of fat in one tbsp. Peanut oil also has a small amount of vitamins; 2 mg/tbsp of vitamin E and a trace of vitamin K. This oil is made up of mostly heart-healthy, unsaturated fat. In peanut oil there is 1 gm of saturated fat, 6 gm of monounsaturated fat and just over 4 gm of polyunsaturated fats per tbsp. Peanut oil is cholesterol free. Refined peanut oil has a smoke point of 450 deg F.

Soybean oil has a similar make-up. It contains 1 mg/tbsp of vitamin E and 25 mcg/tbsp of vitamin K. Soybean oil has 2 gm of saturated fat, 3 gm of monounsaturated fat and about 8 gm of polyunsaturated fat/tbsp. It is cholesterol-free, and refined soybean oil has a smoke point of 460 deg F.

Beware of “partially hydrogenated” in the label, which means it includes trans-fats — not part of a heart-healthy diet. Trans-fats affect the body’s balance of cholesterol and raise “bad” cholesterol levels in the blood. Check the oil’s Nutrition Facts panel to be sure.

Limit the Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is oil extracted from cocoa beans. It has 120 calories per tbsp and about 14 gm of fat. This oil has trace amounts of vitamins, less than a quarter of a mg/tbsp of vitamin E and just over 3 mcg/tbsp of vitamin K. Cocoa butter is mostly saturated fat, which should be limited in a heart-healthy diet. A diet high in saturated fats, like cholesterol, is linked to buildup of cholesterol in the body which can lead to heart disease and stroke. Cocoa butter contains 8 gm of saturated fat, 4 and a half gm of monounsaturated fat and less than half a gm of polyunsaturated fats. Cocoa butter has zero cholesterol. It’s smoke point is about 280 deg F.

Sesame Oil: A Healthy Mix of Fats

Sesame oil is pressed from the seeds of a flowering plant. One tbsp of sesame oil contains 120 calories and about 14 gm of fat. Sesame oil also has a trace amount of vitamin E and about 2 mcg of vitamin K in one tbsp. This oil is mostly unsaturated fat which makes it a heart-healthy choice. It has 2 gm of saturated fat, just over 5 gm of monounsaturated fat and about 6 gm of polyunsaturated fat in each tbsp. Sesame oil is cholesterol free. The unrefined oil has a smoke point of 350 deg F, while the semi-refined oil has a high smoke point of 450 deg.

Canola Oil: Heart-Healthy Fats

Canola oil is produced from the seed of the rapeseed plant or from field mustard. This oil has 124 calories per tbsp and 14 gm of fat. There are about 2 and a half mg of vitamin E and 10 mcg of vitamin K in one tbsp. Canola oil is mainly heart-healthy unsaturated fat. It has 1 gm of saturated fat, about 9 gm of monounsaturated fat and 4 gm of polyunsaturated fat per tbsp. Canola oil has zero cholesterol. High oleic canola oil has a high smoke point of 475 deg F, while refined canola oil’s smoke point is 400.

In blended vegetable oils, look out for “partially-hydrogenated” listed in the Nutrition Facts part of the label. This means the oil contains trans-fats — which are not part of a heart-healthy diet. Trans-fats in the diet raise “bad” cholesterol levels in the blood.

Limit the Palm Oil

Palm oil comes from the pulp of oil palm fruit. This tropical oil has 120 calories per tbsp and about 14 gm of fat. It also contains vitamin E, 2 mg/tbsp and vitamin K, 8 mcg/tbsp. Palm oil is largely saturated fat, which should be limited in a heart-healthy diet. A diet high in saturated fats, like a diet high in cholesterol, can lead to buildup of cholesterol in the body — increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Palm oil has about 7 gm saturated fat, 5 gm monounsaturated fat and just over 1 gm polyunsaturated fat in one tbsp. It’s a cholesterol-free oil. The smoke point of palm oil is 455 deg F.

Cholesterol-free oil and gluten-free water. Why is food labeling so absurd?

Product labeling is a kind of gray area of ​​advertising, where you can not just lie, but embellish the situation. Sometimes it comes to the point of absurdity, and “cholesterol-free” sunflower oil, “GMO-free” salt and “gluten-free” “kosher” water appear on the shelves.

Some product labels are really useful: they provide consumers with the information they need to make an informed choice in favor of a particular product. But there are other labels, those that exploit the shortcomings of mass education, take advantage of knowledge gaps in consumers, and thereby mislead people. For example, information about the country of origin of a product and the date of production are useful data, but labels like “gluten-free” on a bottle of drinking water are just manipulation, Brest Green Portal reports.

Economist Brandon McFadden of the University of Florida is convinced that such manipulations are harmful for several reasons. Firstly, they do not really tell the buyers anything about the actual properties of the product. Secondly, they can be used to raise prices unreasonably, which negatively affects the welfare of consumers.

Exploiting knowledge gaps
Until the late 1960s, US consumers knew very little about the nutritional value of the prepared and processed foods they bought.

The dramatic increase in the amount of prepared food sold has led to a system of voluntary and mandatory food labeling. And even though this process took place with its own characteristics in different countries, the trends in one way or another turned out to be the same all over the world. Over time, more and more information has emerged about the relationship between diet and health status, and the more new research appears in this area, the more food trends and, consequently, labeling trends emerge.

Scientists continue to understand “good” and “bad” cholesterol, but there was a period when cholesterol was declared almost the main enemy of mankind, and then in every store you could buy sunflower oil, on the bottle of which there was an inscription “no cholesterol”. The manufacturers were not lying: there really was no cholesterol. But not because the company used special technologies for refining raw materials, but because there can be no cholesterol in vegetable oil, by definition.

Product characteristics and information asymmetries

To better understand how food labels affect consumer behavior, it is worth turning to economics.

Economist Kevin Lacanster suggested that consumers become happier not because of the product they can buy, but because of the characteristics of this product.

For example, when buying a car, these characteristics are color, brand, size, price. It is they who influence what kind of car a person chooses. Some characteristics are visible and can be confirmed before purchase, but some technical details will only become clear after use.

Manufacturers, unlike buyers, have all the information right from the start. Economists call this information asymmetry.

Information asymmetry is a situation in which important information is available to some market participants, but not to other interested parties. This also happens when buying food. Some characteristics of products can only be known after purchase (in the process or as a result of consumption). You can buy an apple and see if there are any spots on it, but you can’t really know how it will taste. And information about how many calories it contains is not available to you even after you eat this apple. It is in order for consumers to be able to receive “hidden” information even before purchase that labels and various markings are needed.

Unfortunately, the problem of information asymmetry can never be completely eliminated. Consumers will never have as much information when buying as they might want.

Certain labeling has helped close this gap, and this is particularly important in situations where additional information enhances consumer welfare. For example, information that a product contains 160 calories, or 60% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, may be objectively relevant.

But some companies use food labeling to exploit a gap in consumer knowledge and play on people’s concerns about certain ingredients or processes. Manufacturing companies may do this not for the sake of caring for consumers, but only for a commercial purpose: to increase the price of a product or increase their own market share. One way to do this is to provide false transparency and openness through the use of so-called absence markings (for example, “does not contain …”).

The notion that a product does not contain something may actually distract the consumer’s attention from other important parameters. Daria Chumakova, an expert at the Center for Environmental Solutions, told Citydog about this in a recent interview: “The fact that a product does not contain preservatives does not make it healthier. This is partly a flirtation with consumer expectations, as preservative-free products are all the rage right now.”

Do not look for cholesterol in vegetable oil, it is not there anyway

Regardless of what is written on the label, oil can only be evaluated by the content of vitamins and nutrients in it

Depending on the method of processing, oils are divided into unrefined and refined. The latter are impersonal in taste, color and smell, just made for frying. On the label of refined oils, there is the word “frozen”, which means a way to remove wax from the oil. Vegetable oils are intended for both food and technical purposes. In any case, a mandatory requirement for products is compliance with GOST standards.

240 types of oil are produced in the world
The ancient Greeks could not imagine their life without olive oil. It, like wine, was stored in amphorae. And used in the same quantities. In other times, other peoples had their own passions. For example, in the days of Ancient Rome on the territory of modern Jordan, sesame oil (another name is sesame oil) was preferred. The serf actors of the theater of Count Sheremetyev were flavored with buckwheat porridge on weekends with cheap hemp.
Vegetable oils can be isolated from all known seeds and nuts. And they are different in taste and quantity. Oil crops include sunflower (average fat content in seeds is 24-38%), soybeans (20%), cotton (23%), sesame (53%), olives (50%), corn (5%), peanuts (49%). %). Natural sources of fat are more extensive, and the use of vegetable oil is richer than just as a food product.
In medicine, castor, sea buckthorn, cedar, etc. are used. Linseed oil is closely associated with the paint and varnish industry. The topic of a separate article is the healing properties of vegetable oils for daily cosmetic care. There is also the mysterious jojoba oil; there is an oil obtained from kelp algae; grape seed oil, peach apricot, camelina oil, etc. And the green book of beauty does not end on this list.
The taste of food, not oil (advertising quote)
Moroccan women get vegetable oil from the comfort of their homes. Escaping from the sun under a canopy, they peel the fruits of aragon all day long. Immediately grind with stone poles until smooth. The most difficult thing is to squeeze out the oil drop by drop from the resulting mass.
In modern industry, powerful presses are used instead of weak female hands. But only the chemical method proposed by D. I. Mendeleev makes it possible to extract 99% fat. In this case, the “mint” after the primary pressing is treated with low-boiling gasoline. Do not be afraid, then it is easily removed with water vapor.
For some people of the older generation, the memories of unrefined cottonseed oil with a specific taste and smell and foaming when frying remained persistent. Today, hostesses would not have endured this. Get used to the oil that has been refined (refined). As a result of this process, sediment is removed from the oil. Color, taste become less pronounced.
The next step in the transformation is deodorization. This is the removal of aromatic substances by steam under vacuum. Do you see how modern production has gone far from handicraft butter churns? But with such a multi-stage emasculation, the oil loses a significant part of fat-soluble vitamins, phospholipids, more specifically lecithins, practically disappear. Language does not turn to attribute such valuable products to waste. Lecithins have found a worthy application in the production of chocolate. Medical research has extended their use to dietary supplements. It is about the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Myth about cholesterol
For many, cholesterol is like a microbe that enters the body along with butter and does its destructive work there. Cholesterol is a solid white substance that occupies a leading place in the sterol metabolism of animals. The biochemist will especially emphasize the latter. The word itself comes from the Latin word “hol” – “bile”. Bile acids are built from cholesterol, which, having traveled from the liver to the small intestine, contribute to the absorption of food.
Cholesterol is constantly present in human blood: in the free state – about 50 mg /%, in the form of esters with fatty acids 110-150 mg /%.
Atherosclerotic changes in vessels are associated primarily with impaired cholesterol metabolism. But on the eternal fear of cardiovascular diseases, the brand of many vegetable oils is being promoted. We often see “no cholesterol” on the label.
What’s good about vegetable oils besides taste? These are essential fatty acids. The term means that these acids are not synthesized by the body itself, the deficiency is replenished only with food, more specifically with vegetable oil. The exclusion of essential acids from the diet of mice leads to a drop in the weight of the animals themselves and necrosis of the tips of the tail. No less impressive is the lack of them in humans: peeling of the skin, hair loss, slowing down the growth of children. It looks like beriberi, so the complex of linoleic, linolenic and arachidic acids is called vitamin F. This complex, by the way, is involved in cholesterol metabolism. Sunflower oil is especially rich in linoleic acid.
Vegetable oil is called a natural product with a natural content of vitamin E (this is often written on the Irkutsk products “Yanta”). Unlike proteins and carbohydrates, a person’s need for vitamins is much less, but their absence is clearly manifested in pathologies. For example, E-avitaminosis – in degenerative changes in the muscles, up to paralysis. Vitamin E has another name – tocopherol (tokos – “offspring”, phero – “carry”). At the beginning of the last century, it was found that rats that feed only milk for a long time develop infertility. An interesting situation was saved by the introduction of green salad and wheat into the diet. Vitamin E was first isolated from wheat germ oil. Wholemeal bread, herbs and, of course, vegetable oils have been and remain the main source for humans. One liter of sunflower oil contains 70-72 mg of vitamin E (example: oil “Stozhar”, CJSC “Prikolyatnyansky MEZ” – up to 92 mg/%).
Consumers, as a rule, have the simplest requirements for vegetable oil: if only it is cheaper and fresher… The problem of preservation would not be acute if the oil could be stored in the dark and in a vacuum. Light, air and water contribute to spoilage. Long before the appearance of an unpleasant taste and a specific amber, the oxidation process begins in the oil. This can be fixed only by chemical methods, in the laboratory. The state quality standard normalizes the main quality indicators: acid and peroxide number, non-fat impurities, mass fraction of moisture and volatile substances, etc.
Compliance with the norms of modern technology and storage, as well as laboratory control of raw materials and final products, can guarantee an oil shelf life of up to two years. (Example: Ideal – refined, deodorized, frozen, ZAO “Chumak”, Ukraine.)
Buyer’s advice
1. Pay attention to the date of manufacture, bottling and expiration date. For a longer shelf life, as a rule, we overpay, as well as for a generously promoted brand (general rule).
2. The letter D on the package means: the oil is suitable for the production of baby and diet food. Mark P – for delivery to the distribution network, to public catering establishments.
3. The inscription on the label “without cholesterol” is an advertising statement: it is not in any vegetable oil.