5 Unhealthy Cooking Oils

My article in oneindia.com: http://www.boldsky.com/health/nutrition/2013/avoid-unhealthy-cooking-oils-033308.html

It is not practical in most times to avoid oil from your dishes. But, what we can do to stay healthy is avoiding unhealthy and dangerous cooking oils. Most cooking oils contain saturated fat which makes it unhealthy. Selecting the right cooking oil will be difficult when we are confused due to the impact of supernatural health benefit claims of different cooking oil advertisements. Usually, a healthy cooking oil will contain more mono- and polyunsaturated fat and it will make your food tasty as well as healthy.

 If you want to stay healthy, it is recommended to reduce the use of cooking oils in your diet schedule, especially those unhealthy ones. Do not keep a misconception that all cooking oils are dangerous. Adding a limited amount of healthy cooking oil to your diet will definitely give added benefits to your health. But avoiding unhealthy cooking oils is important as well. Here are some unhealthy cooking oils which should be kept away from your first choice. 

1.Corn oil: Corn oil is considered unhealthy oil for cooking because it is very high in calories.  1 tbsp contains approximately 120 calories. Corn oil contains polyunsaturated fat, but it contains saturated fat also in high amounts. Moreover, many corn oils are partially hydrogenated to prolong shelf life.

2.Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated cooking oils:  Avoid using oils labelled as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated because they contain high amounts of trans-fat. Trans-fat is always considered responsible for cardiac problems due to blockage of arteries.

3.Canola oil: Canola oil is also included in the list of unhealthy cooking oils which needs a second thought before using for cooking. Canola oil is harmful because it is highly refined. Canola oil undergoes many processes which involve high temperatures or chemicals like caustic refining, bleaching and degumming.

4.Soy oil: Soy oil should never be your first choice if you want to stick to a healthy cooking oil. The increased amount of omega 6 fat in soy will result in internal inflammations. Vegetable oils like soy oils should be avoided in your cooking since it is unhealthy.

5.Safflower oil: Safflower oil contains inflammatory type fats. Safflower oil should be avoided for deep frying as it is unhealthy. Increased consumption of safflower oil may result in unbalanced levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats in our body. Safflower oil is not considered eligible to have a place in a  healthy cooking style.

Avoid using unhealthy cooking oils to stay healthy. At the same time, limit the amount of cooking oil you use in your food to a minimum, even if it is one among the healthiest oils.



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