Worst Cooking Oil For Your Health That You Must Know About!
Whenever you are looking for oils to choose from, you might often find yourself in a confused state due to the variety of oils present in the market.
Although oils are a necessary part of one’s diet as they provide with the daily fat requirement, there are some of these oils that might contain a lot of ‘bad fat’ which in no way might help your body.
Bad fat could be the reason behind almost all heart-related and other serious problems. Thus, before choosing any oil, you might want to keep in mind what type of oil could be harmful to your health by exploring.
I have also discussed what is the healthiest cooking oil that you could consume in your day to day life.
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10 Worst Cooking Oils Tht You Might Want To Avoid!
Corn Oil
The market is flooded with Vegetable oils and a number of times, you might often tend to consume them because they might be inexpensive as compared to other oils.
But this oil is what you might want to avoid as much as possible. Corn oil is highly processed. That means that it has little to no nutritional value.
It does not contain any sort of vitamins or minerals. Also, in order to increase the shelf life, these oils are hydrogenated, which means that hydrogen is introduced into the oil so that it lasts longer.
This results in the generation of trans fat which is bad for your cardiovascular health. This may result in a sudden increase in the low-density lipids (LDL) in the body.
When heated, corn oil is said to produce a harmful substance called Acrylamide. Acrylamide is a highly reactive
compound that is believed to be a potential carcinogen meaning that it may cause various types of cancer.Also, it is associated with many nerves, heart, and muscle-related disorders.
At the same time, according to this FDA document, corn oil generally contains higher levels of omega 6 fatty acids and lower levels of omega 3 fatty acids.
Which could lead to inflammation. Also, regular consumption may as well lead to inflammatory issues like arthritis and acne.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is extracted from the fruit of African Palm. It has been found that Palm oil is a very good source of Vitamin E but what makes it the villain is the fact that it is very high in saturated fats.
Out of the total fat content, saturated fats make up the most percentage, almost up to 40%. Saturated fats aren’t easily digested in the body.
Thus, they get deposited in blood vessels and other parts of the body and this leads to a number of heart-related diseases and weight gain.
In fact, the most common cause of heart attacks is the narrowing down of the blood vessels due to the deposition of fat in them.
Rice Bran Oil
This oil is generated from the Bran or outer brown-colored layer of a grain of rice plant called the rice husk. This oil is good to apply on the body and scalp as it has some medicinal purposes.
But this oil is not at all fit for consumption. To extract oil from the bran is a difficult process and requires a lot of work to put in. It is highly processed.
The oil is processed at a very high temperature that makes it unstable. When we use the same oil for general cooking or stir-frying, they are reheated and the unstable oil breaks down to release harmful free radicles in the body.
These free radicles cause a lot of problems that include neurogenic and other types of cancer and early aging. In some cases, it is also found to be allergic and may cause skin problems in some individuals.
Rice bran oil is rich in Omega-6 fatty acids. While this might sound like a good thing, we also need to keep in mind that the ratio of Omega-6 fatty acid to Omega-3 fatty acid needs to be maintained in the body.
Excess intake of one type of fatty acid can cause inflammation in the body. And in the case of rice bran oil, the ratio is 20:1 which already makes it harmful for us.
Here is further evidence of the same in this governmental article.
Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is extracted by either direct pressure or by use of chemical solvents and they are highly processed. Sunflower oil is not 100% made of unsaturated fats.
It contains a good amount of saturated and trans fats. Along with this, the polyunsaturated fats that form the major portion of the fats present in this oil are Omega-6 fatty acids and as mentioned above, the increase in the levels of this fatty acid is problematic enough for the body to avoid its consumption.
To extract oil from seeds, chemicals are often used that release toxin in the oil and make it harmful to consume. The extraction process is long and the oil that comes out is refined and is devoid of any good fat or nutrients.
Even though trans fat generation in food has been banned and strictly prohibited, there still exist some oils that are absolutely full of these bad fats.
Mustard Oil
Mustard oil is extracted from the mustard plant. It is widely used in Asia, mostly in India and Pakistan. This oil is considered to be unhealthy among the rest.
Diseases like high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart problems are attributed to its consumption. It is a refined oil and is highly processed.
Not only is it highly processed but is also adulterated. In research conducted, it was found that it is adulterated with a similar-looking yellow-flowered weed.
Also, it was found out that mustard oil is often blended with other oils such as palm and rice bran oil that are high in saturated fats. This made the oil even more unfit for consumption.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even claimed that it had a kind of toxin, erucic acid present in it that can cause heart diseases.
Because of this reason, it has been banned for consumption in countries like Canada, the USA, and all the countries of the European Union.
Grapeseed Oil
The major component in grapeseed oil is approximately 70% Omega 6 fatty acids. Though this oil might be constantly marked as healthy cooking oil by the brand, the information may be quite misleading.
The presence of a whopping amount of omega-6 PUFAs in the oil may lead to inflammation.
Inflammation, in turn, could be the root cause behind a plethora of heart diseases and health issues like cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Another aspect of grapeseed oil that deteriorates its healthy nature is because it is an industry-processed oil and hence is oxidized during the formation process.
The reason behind this may be because oils which have a high amount of Omega 6 polyunsaturated fats in them like grapeseed oil are quite sensitive to oxidation.
Moreover, when the oil oxidizes, it may create free radicals that could result in hormonal imbalance, thyroid issues, cancer, and even information.
Canola oil
Concocted from heated rapeseeds, canola oil is formed when the crude oil is refined, bleached, and deodorized.
However, since this oil is formulated under high heat, it could go rancid. Further, the oil is formed from rapeseed and contains omega-3 fatty acids.
It is fragile and prone to oxidation during heating. Due to this fact, oils that have a high content of omega-3 fatty acids, are never used for cooking or heating because they are prone to oxidation.
Vegetable Oil or Soybean Oil
Once you hear the name vegetable oil, you may think about how healthy it is because it is created from natural vegetables.
However, the actual fact is most of the time vegetable oils could actually be soybean oil only. Hence, when you see the label of vegetable oil, you may find soybean oil as one of the major ingredients.
On the other hand, soybean oil has a high content (approximately 54%) of Omega 6 fatty acids as well. Such a high amount of Omega 6 fatty acids could lead to health issues and inflammation.
Moreover, soy has a high amount of trypsin inhibitors and phytic acid in it. Due to the presence of both such elements, it might block the absorption of proteins, minerals, and vitamins in your body.
Flax oil
You may not use flax oil when it comes to high heat cooking. This is because this oil has a high content of heart-healthy unsaturated fatty acid known as alpha-linolenic acid.
However, since the oil has a low smoke point of about 207 degrees Celsius, you may not use it for cooking and only reserve it for cold uses like salads.
Coconut oil
Believe it or not, coconut oil also could really be harmful, if you are not using it carefully. When the coconut oil is solid at room temperatures, it may be composed of approximately 90% saturated fats.
However, this is not the same saturated fat that could be found in red meat that may block your arteries.
The fat found in coconut oil is medium-chain fatty acids that may be difficult to be converted it into stored fat by the body.
Moreover, coconut oil might even amplify the HDL cholesterol levels in your body sometimes. So if you want to use coconut oil in your cooking, then it may be recommended to use It in moderation.
Thus, looking at all these harmful effects of unhealthy oils, it becomes even more important to look for a healthy alternative.
Many oils are present that do not need to be highly processed since the oil can be easily extracted by pressing method only.
Also, these oils are not at all refined and are served just the way they are naturally and such types of oils are often termed as ‘extra virgin’ such as extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil.
These oils require no chemical processing and the fat present in them are natural and healthy fats that are required for a good heart and overall health.
Hence, choosing the right kind of oil makes a huge difference in our body and ultimately it leads to a good lifestyle and even better heart health.
Final Words On Worst Cooking Oils For Your Health
Finally speaking, it is important to understand that using cooking oil cannot be completely avoided. On the contrary, the usage of cooking oil could be really beneficial.
For this very reason, selecting a proper cooking oil could lead to a number of health benefits. An exemplary example would be coconut oil, which has some amazing health benefits.
Having said that, for the best of the choices, you should definitely look for a qualified dietitian who might be able to give you proper advice in regards to choosing the correct set of oils well.