Choosing Edible Oils to Prevent Heart Disease

Cooking oil is widely used for cooking, regardless of what type. Each type of cooking oil has different levels of unsaturated fats (good fats) and saturated fats (bad fats). Check out the various choices of cooking oil that are good for heart health. A diet that contains lots of saturated fat is associated with increased cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. Therefore, living a healthy lifestyle including the choice of cooking oil is important, in order to maintain heart health.

Various Edible Oils that Are Good for Heart Health

Here are some choices for cooking oil that are good for heart health:

• Olive oil

Olive oil is a healthy oil for your heart. This is because the fat in olive oil is mostly in the form of unsaturated fat and does not contain cholesterol. This oil contains a number of antioxidants and a little vitamin E and K. Research shows that consumption of extra virgin olive oil can reduce the risk of heart disease by 39 percent. Olive oil can be used to process food by sautéing it in moderate temperatures. This method is to maintain the nutritional value and taste of olive oil. Not only used as cooking oil, olive oil can also be used to make salad dressing and spread bread.

• Canola oil

Canola oil is also a suitable vegetable oil to choose from. Canola oil has the characteristic of having no taste. In addition, the smoke point of canola oil is relatively high so it is good for baking, burning and sauteing. The smoke point is the temperature limit at which the oil will undergo changes in nutritional content. Canola oil also contains omega-3 and omega-6 which is very high compared to other vegetable oils.

• Avocado oil

Avocado oil is not common in the market. However, the quality is not inferior to olive oil and canola. The fat contained in avocado oil is also in the form of unsaturated fat, and cholesterol free, so it is good for the heart. This oil is safe to use in high temperatures without making it smoke.

• Nut oil

This type of cooking oil is processed from peanuts and a mixture of several types of beans, such as walnuts and almonds. Peanut oil contains vitamin E and various types of fat, but the content of good fats is higher than bad fats. Peanut oil has a high smoke point, which is up to 225 degrees Celsius, making it suitable for frying. The experts recommend this cooking oil because it is considered good for heart health.

• Sunflower seed oil (sunflower oil)

This one cooking oil is known to also contain nutrients that are good for health. Sunflower seed oil contains good fats, polyunsaturated fats, antioxidants such as flavonoids and phenolic acids, vitamin E, and minerals. The nutritional content of sunflower seed oil is believed to be good for maintaining heart health, but these benefits still need to be further investigated. This type of cooking oil is either consumed raw as a mixture of sauce or salad, or processed as an ingredient for sauteing and baking.

Oils sourced from animals, such as duck fat or lard, contain saturated fats and cholesterol. While other types of cooking oil, such as coconut oil, palm oil, and butter, also have saturated fat content. To reduce the risk of various diseases, especially heart disease, it is recommended to limit consumption of this type of oil. To reduce consumption of bad fats, one way is to choose healthy cooking oil. By knowing the origin of cooking oil and its benefits, you can be more vigilant in regulating fat intake and a good diet.