In recent times, we are faced with endless choices about which cooking oil is healthiest to use for cooking, which is healthy for the body and which is not. The shelves of all the supermarkets are filled with options all advertising their health benefits and telling us why we should use them. But how much of this information is actually true? Every one of us practically uses Refined Oils or vegetable oils on a regular basis and we all believe it to be much better for our health instead of the pure oils such as Mustard Oil, Coconut oil, Sesame Oil, Olive Oil etc. But is that so? In this article, we break the myth regarding refined oils and why it is damaging your health in a hazardous way.
There is evidence which points in the direction that it isn’t animal fat which is causing our epidemic levels of heart disease, but vegetable oils. Research shows that butter consumption at the turn of the century was about 18 lbs. per person per year and the use of vegetable oils was non-existent. In that era, Cancer and heart disease were rare. Today butter consumption has reduced considerably low and is just above 4 lbs. per person per year while the use of vegetable oils and refined oils has increased higher. So has the increase of Cancer and other Heart diseases.
Now we come to the question, of what actually are Refined Oils? An oil that has been refined by using chemicals that are harmful to us may be known as refined oils. The meaning of this is that the oil has been treated with acid or purified with an alkali, or bleached. These oils can also be neutralized, filtered or deodorized. All of these so-called purification or treatment processes require chemicals like Hexane. In the process of making and refining these types of oils, it leads to the production of PUFas (rancid polyunsaturated fatty acids) which do not hold up well to high heats. When the process of extraction of oils from seed occur, it oxidizes itself and turns into trans fats. The smell which is produced is so heinous that a separate cleaning process has to take place using bleach to deodorize it. Some examples of refined oils are – Canola oil, Vegetable oil, Soybean oil, Sunflower oil, Corn oils, Margarine.
Trans fats are so bad for our health, that the FDA estimated approximately 95% of prepared cookies, 100% of crackers and 80% of frozen breakfast products contain trans fats. The problem lies not only with our own kitchens, but also when we dine out. We do not know what the restaurants might be using and even if we can avoid using such oils at our home, it is harder to avoid them in restaurants. Thus the best thing you can do is to ask before you eat. Or insist on food cooked with pure oils. You still might not get what you are asking for. But at least you could try. Avoid eating out too much in general.
Now we come to the question that if refined oils are truly so bad for our health then what are the oils that we should be using instead? Which oils are safe to use then? which cooking oil is healthiest? There has been extensive research on which oils are harmful to us and which are beneficial.
Here are some oils which you should incorporate into your daily lifestyle.
1. EVOO or Extra virgin olive oil:
Extra virgin olive oil contains a high amount of saturated fat (about 12%) but it is an unrefined oil. This means that the antioxidants in the original fruit are retained because the oil is extracted by machine extraction only. The longevity period of Olive oil is usually 3-12 months after it has been bottled. After that period of time, the fruity smell starts wearing off and also then it is best to buy a new bottle. You should always purchase them in smaller quantities so they are not sitting in your pantry for months. Do not store the oil over the stove and keep it in a cool dry place. Keep it sealed and out of light.
2. Mustard Oil:
Mustard oil is that wonder ingredient of the Indian kitchen which can never be replaced by any other thing. The pungency and the unique flavour of the mustard oil are what makes everyone appreciate it. Mustard oil is believed to have a lot of health benefits along with increasing the flavour of food. Some of these are – Good Source of MUFA, Encourages Heart Health, and Good for Skin, Relief from Cough and Cold, Promotes Hair Growth.
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3. Organic Butter:
These are the butter which is made from original animal milk and fats. You should never opt for margarine or similar kind of spreads. Butter is a good safe wholesome food choice. The best choice would be butter from raw milk grass-fed cows and the second choice, which is more accessible to most of us, is organic, which is from the milk of grass-fed cows with NO rBGH injected into them.
4. Coconut oil:
Coconut oil is the least fattening of all oils. It contains all the goodness extracted from the original fruit. Coconut oil is high in natural saturated fats. Saturated fats are responsible for not only increasing the healthy cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) in your body, but it can also help to convert the LDL, which is considered bad cholesterol into good cholesterols. By increasing the HDL in the body, it helps promote heart health and lower the risk of heart disease
The main thing to keep in mind is that we must avoid refined oils. They are processed and they are downright dangerous to your health. Pure oils are not only a healthier version of oil but the taste that is produced by pure oils are also extremely delicious and finger licking good. so the answer to “which cooking oil is healthiest” is all natural oils are good for not only health but skin and hair also.
Additional Information:
Almost 50 years ago, paint and varnishes were manufactured using the raw materials from soy, sunflower and linseed oils. When the chemists learned how to make paint from petroleum, which was cheaper, the oils were discarded. As a result, the seed oil industry had loads of crop that were hard to sell. They eventually were given to farmers and the farmers used them up to make their pigs fatter with less food! The crops that had gone from the paint industry ended up as food on a farm for animals which in turn ends up on your plate as well.
This video shows a report conducted by a reputed news channel, Why many doctors recommend you to stop using refined oil.
Natural oils are better than refined oils because refined oils are made by using harmful chemicals while natural oils are made of natural & pure ingredients. Hence, natural oils is the best oil to stay healthy & fit.
This is very good information I got from you team. I was always been confused what should I choose for my family. This is very helpful
Thank you very much for sharing very important information about Natural oils. natural oils is overall good for health and it is totally chemical free. We must have to select Natural oil for cooking like Saloni Oil.
Always prefer Natural oils which makes our health strong and skin glowing like Saloni Oils are perfect with all their commitments Of his valuable customers
Thank you team for opening eye of many including me. Rightly revealed in the blog about the harmful effect of refined oil. As many chemicals are used to refine the natural oil, the consumption of these harmful chemicals increase the chance to get heart & cancer diseases. So never get carried away with lucrative advertisements and emotional appeals made on various TV/Radio/NEwsPapers rather apply your mind and choose the best that keeps you & whole family healthy.
Thank you team for opening eye of many including me. Rightly revealed in the blog about the harmful effect of refined oil. As many chemicals are used to refine the natural oil, the consumption of those harmful chemicals increase the chance to get heart & cancer diseases. So never get carried away with lucrative advertisements and emotional appeals made on various TV/Radio/NEwsPapers rather apply your mind and choose the best that keeps you & whole family healthy. Saloni Oil happens to be the most natural mustard oil in the market.Hence one must take judicious choice after all its related to your and your family member health.
LET NOT UR LIFE BE RUINED BY REFINED OIL,
RE-DEFINE IT WITH NATURAL OIL. This is the value of the natural oils that I understood from Saloni natural mustard oil.
Natural oil revives and rejuvenates our body system.
Really Natural Oils are indeed the best
Many facts were unknown..it’s definitely going to make me more PERFECT home maker…
#BigNo to Refine oils..
And the last animal facts are horrifying..
Team Saloni as I read this article, came to know that there is various benefits which are necessary for human body and growth gain from different type of oils like mustard oil, olive oil, butter etc. Really you guys are open my eyes. Now I will use these oils in my food without any hesitation. Thanks.
NATURAL OILS ARE BETTER THAN REFINED OIL BECAUSE THEY ARE EXTRACTED FROM PURE AND NATURAL INGREDIENTS.. THEY ARE NOT ONLY HEALTHY BUT ALSO GOOD FOR SKIN AND HAIR…
Thank you for the information. The “unhealthy oils” are taking toll on our life.They use hazardous chemicals while making it refined.Natural oils contains antioxidants,supports healthy skin,hair,nails, contains an essential fatty acid for brain development.Mustard oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, it helps our hair grow and become healthier. The foods cook in mustard oil help to nourish our bodies.We mustard oil is perfect for Indian cuisine.It adds a flavour and colour to the food specially non-veg dishes and traditional ones become special when cooked in mustard oil.So no compromise with health.Now the time has come to switch to mustard oil for daily cooking.
Thanks for sharing an informative detailed article about refined oils and natural oil….. I feel that one should go back to roots and start using mustard oil or coconut oil for cooking as these are natural and are extremely good for health, body and our skin too; these days new kinds of refined oils have been launched but in earlier days i remember my mother used to cook every vegetable or even dal in mustard oil and it used to be so tasty…. Knowinf about these facts, I have changed our cooking oil to mustard oil so as to make my family healthy, and to make my family healthy I have made small changes in our lifestyles and food habits like have started using cooking methods like steaming, boiling which require less use of oil rather than frying as food cook is healthy n nutritious, having fruits rather than having fruit juices, having green tea 2 times a day instead of regular tea four times a day, use brown rice instead white rice, use brown bread in breakfast rather than having white bread, drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water, eat small meals at regular intervals, if we need to go to nearby market, we go by walking so no car for nearby places as it saves money, petrol and walking is good for health as it burns calories especially beneficial for kids who just sit in front of tv and watch tv and become couch potato and I always motivate my kids for playing outdoor games rather than sitting at home and playing video games; outdoor games like badminton, tennis etc not only boost their stamina but also maintain their health as just sitting and watching tv to playing video games just make them lazy; also I always try to make my kid fav by giving a little twist to it; like they love to eat pizza, burger, frankie rolls so I make them at home like I make Ragi pizza and top with sautes vegetables or sprouted pulses, make frankie roll with sooji chila and fill it with stir fried finely chopped vegggies which they hate but like it in rolls. we have switched to organic because organic food has more of the antioxidant compounds linked to better health than regular food, and has lower levels of toxic metals and pesticides. We are nothing with out our family so i have started motivating my family to go on morning walk daily and walk on green grass barefoot that increases our eye sight and it regulates the flow of blood in feet and thus controls our blood pressure too and thus maintain healthy lifestyle
My myth are following:-
1. Mene Suna hain ki Chemistry Ka student kabhi bhee Refined Oil Use nhi kartaa.
2. Refined Oil ek Dheema Jahar hain, Jo ek Deen Cancer jaisee bimari Ko bhee Janm deta hain.
3. Ayurved main Refined Oil Human body ke liye Bahut Harmful btaya hain.
Dear Saloni oils
Our health and our family’s health is our responsibility and thanks for sharing such valuable information and extremely shocking to find out even refined oils are not good for our health…. i feel the best oil is coconut oil that we occasionally use for cooking, and regularly massage hair of my daughter with coconut oil, when ever i get burnt while cooking applying coconut oil really helps; we usually drink water empty stomach as soon as we wake up which is very beneficial as it detoxifies body but also helps to reduce weight and and cleans our body and maintains metabolism and then just go for a morning walk and have green tea with out sugar which is the best anti-oxidant and it keeps our body healthy, fit and fine and ready to do daily chores. we used to glued to watch TV so much so that my friends started calling me couch potato but now we have started going out n playing outdoor games like badminton, table tennis that not only keeps me healthy but also i made so many new friends n i stay fit too and i love to play outside that keeps me refreshed and popular in our social circle; we had bad habit of having fried food like pakodas, papads, tikkis when ever we used to be hungry in evening but now i intake fruits, boiled kaale chaane, boiled chick peas to satisfy my hunger prangs during evening n stay fit n fine and i encourage my family to follow my healthy mantra to stay fit and fine and lead a healthy happy life
Wake up early, then go for walk girly
take fruits more, makes skin glow,
eat healthy, and to stay healthy,
sleep for 8 hours, which gives power,
say no to fight, which makes skin right
keep on smiling, which makes skin shining!!!
wow thank you vry much for sharing such an insightful information about refined oil and i will tell my mother about these fact and will tell her to change our cooking oil and we eat fruits, drink lots of water, have sprouts in morning and be happy
As many chemicals are used to refine the natural oil, the consumption of those harmful chemicals increase the chance to get heart & cancer diseases.Natural oils are better than refined oils because refined oils are made by using harmful chemicals while natural oils are made of natural & pure ingredients.