How to choose the right cooking oil: Tips for healthy picks

Do you end up blindly selecting the first cooking oil that comes on your grocery app? It might be time to stop doing that. Fat is a vital part of a healthy diet, and when it comes to cooking oils, the options can be overwhelming. From vegetable oils to olive oil, refined oil and sunflower oil – choosing the right one for your family can be confusing, to say the least. However, the type of oil you use can significantly impact your well-being. Cooking oils contribute to your heart health, brain development and cholesterol levels. There are also healthy ways to use cooking oils in order to get maximum nutrition out of them, and minimize any side effects. Read on to know more about the various types of cooking oils, and the right way to use them.

What impact does cooking oil have on our health?

Just like protein and carbohydrate, fats are also essential macronutrients for providing energy and playing many other roles. “While your body can synthesize some of the fatty acids such as saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, some of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) must be obtained from the diet. That’s why choosing the right cooking oil is very important,” explains dietitian Garima Goyal.

Choosing a cooking oil based on your choice of quantity and type can significantly affect your health. Use of unhealthy oils, or excess consumption, can lead to heart disease and obesity. All your cooking oils contain a variety of fatty acids and the percentage of it matters. Here are some of the important fatty acids and their impact on health.

• Polyunsaturated fatty acids that include omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are important for your brain development, especially during the infant stage. These help to decrease inflammation in the body states this study, published in Agricultural and Biological Sciences.
• Monounsaturated fatty acids, when taken in moderation, help in reducing the risk of heart disease. They help to prevent cardiovascular disease risk and contribute to blood lipid profiles, states this study, published in Progress in Lipid Research.
• Saturated fatty acids when taken exceedingly in the diet can increase the risk of heart disease, and stroke and increase inflammation in the body.
• Cholesterol is required by the body for multiple important functions. It is an integral part of cell membrane, and ensures its fluidity. It is also required for the synthesis of hormones and vitamin D.

What are the different types of cooking oil?

Cooking oils can be classified based on their processing technique and their source. The following are the general categorizations you can see in the market based on processing.

1. Crude vegetable oils

Crude vegetable oils are obtained from plant sources such as sunflower, safflower, canola, rice bran, sesame, palm, or olive through mechanical expelling. They may contain undesirable contents like phospholipids, phytosterols, tocopherols, and other antioxidants. They are not yet refined and are simply extracted from the source.

2. Refined oils

Oils from the same source as crude oil undergoing a process to purify them are refined oils. The refined oils contain a standardized proportion of fatty acids and other phytochemicals. Also due to the application of heat, the nutrients may be lost. However, they may be added during fortification.

3. Cold-pressed oils

In this method, oils are produced without the use of any heat application. The nutrients are preserved and impart better nutritional value in the overall diet.

Some of the common oils in the market include:

1. Vegetable oils

A blend of various plant oils, commonly soybean, sunflower, or corn oil. It has a neutral flavour and is versatile for frying, baking, and sautéing.

2. Olive oil

Olive oil is generally suitable for low-heat cooking methods. It comes with a variety of health benefits such as containing antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, containing healthy fats and is good for the heart. Check out the other benefits of olive oil.

3. Coconut oil

Rich in saturated fats, therefore advisable to use in moderation. They contain medium-chain triglycerides which are suitable for easy digestion and absorption.

4. Rice bran oil

Known for its high smoke point, therefore can be used for deep frying cooking methods. Rice bran oil is made from the outer layer or the bran, of rice. It has a natural flavour. Check out the benefits of rice bran oil, and how it compares to sunflower oil.

5. Seed oils

Seed oils come from the seed of a plant. This can be sunflower, canola, as well as linseed, and sesame seeds. These are less nutrient-dense options than other regular oils. However, these also have a neutral flavour and a high smoke point.

What are the different ingredients in cooking oil?

There are no oils in a single proportion of one particular ingredient. “Cooking oils contain a variety of fatty acids in different proportions. This includes saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Other than this, phospholipids, phytosterols, tocopherols, and other antioxidants can also be found,” explains Goyal. Edible oils are also fortified with fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A and vitamin D.

How to choose the right cooking oil?

Make sure to keep the following points in mind:

• When choosing cooking oils, ensure they contain moderate amounts of saturated fat and good amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• Check the smoke points of your oil before choosing. Oils with lower smoke points will start to degrade at an early stage of cooking affecting their nutritional value.
• For household cooking, you can prefer a mix of cold-pressed oils and refined oils. Cold-pressed oils may have strong flavours, so ensure to use them in the right amounts to avoid off-flavour.
• Read the nutritional label of the cooking oil before buying it and ensure its quality. Among unsaturated fatty acids, check for oils that have a higher proportion of omega-3 fatty acids than omega-6 fatty acids.
• Check the expiry date for the cooking oils and use them before that.

What is the best type of cooking oil for heart?

A heart patient must choose the right kind of oil to ensure better health. Unsaturated fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fats are essential for good heart health. “Some of the oils that contain good amounts of unsaturated fatty acids include sesame oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and rice bran oil. Ensure to practice the use of 2 cooking oils regularly in the diet. This helps in meeting the adequate mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids,” says Goyal.

Besides this, olive oil is good for heart health, however it may not be suitable for all kinds of cooking. You can use it as salad dressing or for mild sauteing.
Oils that you could avoid or reduce usage include coconut oil, ghee, and palm oil. These are high in saturated fats, and when used excessively, they increase the bad cholesterol that is LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol in the body. Check out how seed oils help cholesterol.

What is the best cooking oil for kids?

Children require adequate fat to ensure proper growth and development. “Polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega 3 and omega 6 are important for brain development and vision. Therefore, it is advisable to use oils containing mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids that are regularly used in the household,” says Goyal. Use of reheated oils should be strictly avoided for kids as they contain trans-fat and could affect their overall nutrition. Coconut oil and ghee can be used in children’s diets as they contain saturated fats and Medium-chain triglycerides that are better absorbed and help in their growth and development.

How can cooking oil be used in a healthy way?

While you have many options of cooking oils to choose from, it is important to note how efficiently you use those.

• Firstly, ensure you store your oil in a cool, dark place in a proper container. Since most of the liquid vegetable oils are not hydrogenated they may get easily spoiled if not stored properly.
• Never use reheated oils. Reheated oils may develop compounds that can adversely affect your health.
• Always know about the smoke point of the oil you are using. The smoke point of oil is the temperature at which it starts to break down and produce visible smoke. When oil is heated beyond this point, it degrades, releasing harmful compounds and free radicals, which can affect both flavour and health.
• Beyond the kind and quality of oils, it is important that you also focus on the quantity of oils. For optimal use, you may have to tweak your cooking technique. Instead of choosing deep frying, prefer sauteing or shallow frying where the oil required is comparatively less.
• Be mindful about how much visible fat, that is cooking oil you are using. Ultimately, the recommendation for total calories from fat is 25-30 percent. Therefore, it is advisable to use cooking oil in moderation.

Can you reuse cooking oil?

Reusing cooking oil despite being a common household and commercial practice, it can negatively affect your health. “When you repeatedly heat your oil, it would lead to oxidation of the polyunsaturated fats and generation of transfats,” says Goyal. It is advisable to avoid using reheated oils at all costs and to prevent wastage use moderate amounts of oil. In some cases, you can filter the oil that has been used for frying and then maybe use it for curry or gravy preparations but not again for frying. Also, avoid storing and using such kinds of oils for a longer period.