OIL’S WELL THAT BLENDS WELL

OIL’S WELL THAT BLENDS WELL

Fat and effect
An excess of fats in general — but especially large amounts of saturated and Trans fats (SFAs and TFAs) — could lead to obesity, which sometimes induces insulin resistance. This can make a person more vulnerable to diabetes (especially Type 2, or adult-onset). Research shows that obesity can also cause hypertension, which increases the risk of strokes in the heart and brain. Plus, Tran’s fatty acids are also known to increase the chances of blood clots within the blood vessels, which can be lethal if compounded with arterial blockages from cholesterol deposits.
The average Indian gets 50 percent of his total daily energy from fats; the American Heart Association guidelines, however, say that fat intake should be 30 percent or less per day. The typical Indian homemaker would inevitably point out that traditionally Indians have been using desi ghee, groundnut oil, sesame oil, mustard oil and vanaspati freely without having to worry about facing dire consequences,  
I t is all a fad, they say, this lambasting of desi ghee and butter. Indian health experts, however, have pointed out a significant difference between then and now: There has been a sea change in our lifestyles (the sedentary lives we lead.
Good to know
• Vegetable (vanaspati) ghee is commonly used for deep-frying; resulting in spontaneous hydrogenation and additional formation of harmful Tran’s fatty acids (TEA), Re using oils too increases the TFA content.
• It is better to use a small quantity of butter than margarine or vanaspati. Margarine is vegetable oil by-drogenated through intense heating in the presence of hydrogen and nickel (hence very high in TFAs).
• A common misconception is that one can consume fairly large quantities of safflower or sunflower oils since they are ‘lighter oils’. The fact remains that oil is oil, and is always heavy in calories. Any oil or fat yields 9 Calories per gram.
Blend your oils:  Ideally, your oil must have low SPA content and the right balance of PUFA and MUFA. Most of the cooking oils available in the market don’t have that ideal mix. So while choosing your oil, do not stick to a single brand; instead, go for a blend - mix two or more oils offering different benefits through their own preponderance of fats. Here are some good blends:
• Equal parts of sunflower, safflower or corn oil (PUFA-rich oils) with groundnut oil (MUFA-rich).
• A blend of rice bran oil with sunflower oil.
Researchers have found a combination of saturated and polyunsaturated oils best for your health. A ratio of 1:1:1 for saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats is considered ideal. In the one liter per month per adult consumption pattern, 350ml could be desi ghee, 350ml olive, groundnut or sesame oil, 350ml sunflower or safflower.