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Try Using These Cooking Oils for the Best Health Results
from:Many people have been led to believe that fat is bad for you, and that may be the case for some cooking oils. The purpose of this article is to get you up to speed on the good oils and what their health benefits are, because the truth is, your body needs it.
Good fats, what they are and how they affect our health:
Good oils are some of the natural plant based oils, such as olive oil from olives, sunflower oil from sunflowers, peanut or grapeseed oil. These are all natural oils found in nature that have a proven health benefit. They are expeller pressed, not heated so as to maintain the integrity of the oil and their anti-oxidant level.
Grape seed oil;
This oil has a mild nutty flavor and is fantastic for cooking because it does not burn as fast as regular oils and does not smoke. It would have to be almost 400 degrees before it will start to burn. Be careful though, when you heat oils it can cause them to lose some of their anti-oxidant properties.
Grape seed oil unheated is a very potent in terms of its anti-oxidant properties. Specifically, OPC which stands for "oligomeric proanthocyanidins". These are polyphenols, a compound very high in anti-oxidants, much more powerful an OPC than Vitamins A, C and E. These vitamins are utilized and or excreted soon after digestion. Grape seed oil on the other hand can stay in the body for as long as 3 days where the body can utilize its health benefits.
Grape seed oil keeps the arteries flexible and smooth and is good for your heart. It also lowers the bad cholesterol and raises the good cholesterol. This has been proven time and time again in clinical studies. This oil is also good for your skin, hair and eyes.
Olive oil;
Olive oil is a cold pressed (not heated or treated with chemicals) directly from the olive fruit. You will see different types of olive oil namely, extra virgin, virgin, pure and extra light. Extra virgin olive oil is the best because this is from the first pressing and retains the highest level of anti-oxidants. Virgin is the second pressing, pure the third pressing and extra light the last pressing. The more pressing it goes through the less level of anti-oxidants properties it has.
Olive oil is also good for your heart and like grape-seed oil, lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol because it is a monounsaturated fat. Olive oil is excellent for the stomach and digestion. It can protect the stomach from ulcers and gastritis. In Mediterranean countries like Greece, they eat large amounts of olive oil but have a lower incidence of heart disease and stroke.
No matter what oil you use there is a risk of the oil going rancid. Don't expose your oil to light as this will cause it to lose some of the anti-oxidant properties. Keep it closed tightly (so the air doesn't oxidize it) and keep in a cool dark place. Note: It's best not to buy it in a clear glass bottle. Another thing you can do to prevent oil from going rancid is open a vitamin E capsule and poor it in the oil.
The health risk of bad fat:
A bad fat is a saturated or trans fat. These fats are associated with disease. This is because they are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. When you see these words on a label, DON'T EAT IT OR GIVE IT TO YOUR FAMILY! Oils that are hydrogenated are put through an extensive process that uses, believe it or not, soap, clay, nickel, bleach and hydrogen gas to process it. These oils inhibit the body's ability to metabolize food and prohibit proper enzyme function. The saturated or trans fat that you eat today may not be fully metabolized for 6 weeks! Think of that for a minute. It means that for up to 6 weeks these oils are prohibiting metabolism and enzyme function for all that time. If you eat it every day, think of the future health risk.
References:
Willett WC: Diet and coronary heart disease. Monographs in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 1990
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition April 2002
Willie is a freelance writer and researcher whose own health problems prompted her to take responsibility for gaining as much information on health as possible and to share that knowledge with others. She is co-owner of http://www.cleanbodydetox.com a site that focuses on health and detox through ionic foot baths and foot massage.
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