Going to your local supermarket has never been more difficult. As we moved on from confectionary stores to mini malls, choices erupted in terms of where to go and then once you enter these stores you face multitude of choices in terms of food products alone. But the real problem arises when the product you have chosen reflects a negative effect on your health. The most common example is cooking oils which, I know, most of you spend hours wondering if olive oil should be bought or mustard one. So here are a few guidelines for cutting down your problems.Types of cooking oils include:

ghee, olive oil, palm oil, soybean oil, canola oil, pumpkin seed oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, grape seed oil, sesame oil, argan oil, rice bran oil and other vegetable oils.

The advantages and disadvantages of some commonly used oils are discussed below−

The usage of the oil for cooking depends upon the level and type of fats present, cost, resistance to high temperatures and liberation of by-products.

• MONOSATURATED– These oils are healthy for heart and are chemically stable and are used for light cooking and in salads.
• POLYSATURATED– These are more susceptible to rancidity and are not recommended for cooking.
• SATURATED– These are chemically stable and are suited for cooking purposes.
• TRANS-FATS– These increase risk of heart diseases and trans fats are not safe to consume in any amount [1].

From the health and nutrition point of view FDA has recommended that it is better to get your calories from saturated fats (oils) than carbohydrates and even better to get it from saturated fat. But unsaturated fat are still used because of their numerous other benefits.

Another classification of oils occur on the basis of refined and unrefined oils.

• REFINED OILS are generally obtained after large amount of purification and are suitable for all kinds of cooking.
• UNREFINED OILS are used for salad dressing and light cooking purposes as they are not stable at high temperatures.

Therefore classification on the basis of usage is done as-

So next time you shop, select the oils that satiate your requirements and just make a healthy platter for you

References:

[1] Ascherio, Willett WC. Health effects of trans fatty acids. PMID: 9322581