The perfect cooking oil for every need
Fats and oils are more than just ingredients—they are essential for energy, insulation, cell function and nutrient absorption. Yet, while we carefully select superfoods and balanced meals, how often do we stop to consider the oil we cook with?
Cooking oil is a kitchen staple, without which almost every recipe is incomplete. It plays a key role in shaping the taste, texture, and nutritional value of our meals.
Despite its daily use, choosing the right cooking oil is often overlooked, even though it can significantly impact our overall health. While required in small quantities, oils and fats provide the body with essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins, making them a vital part of our diet.
With an overwhelming number of options available in the market, how do we determine which cooking oil is truly the best for us?
Which one aligns with our health goals, cooking methods and lifestyle choices?
Let’s explore the role of cooking oils in Indian kitchens, break down their nutritional impact and discover how to make the healthiest choice for every meal!
Oils in the Indian Kitchen
India is a vast country and inhabitants have developed specific preference for certain oils depending upon the regional availability. Groundnut, mustard, sesame, safflower, are the major traditionally cultivated oilseeds. Soybean and sunflower have also assumed importance in recent years. Coconut is a popular choice amongst the plantation crops. Among the so called non-conventional oils, rice bran oil and cotton seed oil have also gained traction. People in the South and West prefer coconut and groundnut oil while those in the East and North use mustard/rapeseed oil. Inhabitants of northern plain are predominantly ghee consumers.
Understanding types of Fats in Oils
Saturated fatty acids
Saturated fats are a type of fatty acids that have all single bonds. They are typically solid at room temperature and are present in foods like butter, full fat dairy products, red meat, etc. Excess intake of saturated fat can raise one’s blood cholesterol and increase the risk of developing coronary artery disease.
Monounsaturated fatty acids
This refers to a healthy fatty acid, which helps in regulating the levels of LDL (Low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, HDL (High-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and triglycerides. Examples of foods high in monounsaturated fat include avocados, nuts, and vegetable oils like mustard oil, rice bran oil, olive oil, peanut and canola oils. Adequate consumption of monounsaturated fats is beneficial for regulating LDL cholesterol and lowering the risk of coronary heart disease.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
They have the greatest impact on LDL/HDL ratio. The two important essential fatty acids from PUFA group are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Examples of PUFA rich oils are vegetable oils like Safflower oil, Sunflower oil, Soybean oil, Corn oil, Flaxseed oil, etc. Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that the human body needs for metabolic functioning but cannot produce, and therefore has to be provided from food.
Omega – 3 fatty acids and Omega – 6 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are a class of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids with the double bond in the third carbon position from the methyl terminal. They have many potential benefits for your cardiovascular health. Foods high in omega-3-fatty acids include fatty fish like salmon, halibut, sardines, trout, herring, walnut, flaxseed oil, and canola oil. Omega-6 fatty acids are a class of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. In moderation, omega 6 play various important roles in the body. Examples of oils rich in omega-6 fatty acids include corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and cottonseed oil.
What is smoke point and why does it matter?
The smoke point, also referred to as the burning point, is the temperature at which an oil or fat begins to produce a continuous bluish smoke that becomes clearly visible. When oil hits its smoke point and begins burning, it destroys phytochemicals and beneficial nutrients in both the oil and the food, creates highly flammable conditions and releases free radicals that can be harmful to health if consumed, one should use the right cooking oils that have higher smoke point. An oil’s smoke point also depends on its source. Typically, multi-source cooking oil tend to be more heat stable and serve good for stir-frying and deep-frying. Nutrient-rich, organic oils like nut, seed and olive oils have lower smoke points and are better for dressing, garnishing or low-heat purposes.
Choosing the right kind of oil and impact on the nutritional value
No single oil has an ideal ratio of fatty acids. Hence, blend allows the flexibility to have best of two oils. As per ICMR (Indian council Of Medical Research), the total fat in the diet should provide between 20-30% of total calories. The visible fat intake in the diets can go up to 50g/person/day based on the level of physical activity and physiological status. According to ICMR, Dietary Guidelines for Indians, the intake of PUFA should be 8-10% of energy intake. The remaining 8-10% of fat calories can be derived from mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which also help in maintaining plasma cholesterol. An ideal quality fat for good health is the one which maintains a balance, so as to give a ratio of polyunsaturated/ saturated (PUFA/ SFA) of 0.8-1.0, and linoleic/ a-linolenic (n-6/ n-3) of 5-10 in the total diet.
Based on these recommendations, there are basically three parameters to adjudge any oil as a healthy oil – ratio of saturated/ monounsaturated/ polyunsaturated fatty acid, ratio of essential fatty acids (Omega6/Omega3) and presence of natural antioxidants.
Multisource cooking oils serve many benefits:
- Better fats for heart health: Several research studies have been conducted to determine the kind of fat that is associated with heart diseases. To promote improved heart health, the proportion of polyunsaturated (including omega6 and omega3 fatty acids), monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids is improved in multi-source cooking oils such as that of, rice bran oil, olive oil, and peanut and canola oils. Consuming higher amounts of saturated fat such as that from coconut oil and ghee raises LDL-cholesterol levels in the body. Trans fats from Vanaspati are harmful for health.
- Improved anti-inflammatory properties: Studies have demonstrated positive outcomes with mixtures like rice bran oil and safflower oil. Vegetable oil innately possess antioxidants specific to them, for example rice bran oil contains oryzanol and safflower oil contains tocopherol. Blending helps in achieving the benefit of both these antioxidants. Multi-source cooking oils can increase the overall efficacy of the finished product, especially when oils rich in anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fatty acids are blended with the oils which are rich in pro-inflammatory Omega-6 fatty acids to balance the ratio.
- Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels: The ratio of fatty acids in multi-source cooking oils help to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol levels, which regulates cholesterol levels and improves heart health.
- Improved nutrition: Combining two or more oils produces a balanced fatty acid ratio in addition to offering several health-promoting phytonutrients in one oil. Oryzanol, tocopherol, and tocotrienol, to name a few, have health benefits. It help in the prevention of chronic diseases such as heart disease and metabolic diseases like dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, and hypertension.
- Neutral taste enhances aroma of the food: Multisource cooking oil has little or no flavor. It’s desirable for some cooking applications, as they can provide a neutral base for frying and sautéing without imparting any additional flavor to the dish.
