This Is The Best Cooking Oil For Your Heart
Pooja Malhotra, a Delhi-based nutritionist, throws light on the various oils available for cooking and which one we should use
Fats and oils are an indispensable part of Indian cooking, irrespective of which region you belong to. And fats and oils are an essential food item as they not only provide us the essential fatty acids, but also perform a host of other crucial body functions.
Fats, in particular saturated fats and cholesterol were demonized when, back in the 1970s, the American Heart Association recommended that their intake be reduced. Our very own, loyal ‘desi ghee’ was made out to be a villain, and superstores were flooded with varieties of refined oils. When Mediterranean diets became popular, olive oil was crowned as the ‘healthiest oil’ on the block. Olive oil and avocado oil contain a large amount of mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), are healthy but they are a local food for people in the Mediterranean region, not for us Indians.
By the way, in 2015, the USFDA said that there is no link between cholesterol and heart disease. Also cholesterol is produced by the liver, more so under stressful conditions. So here I am throwing some insight on healthy fats, at the same time I will try to debunk some myths and fears: