A resident of Barnaul writes: “I often buy sweets for my grandson, while carefully reading the ingredients on the packaging. I noticed that almost all sweets contain vegetable fats, in particular palm oil. Why are they added there, I understand - they are cheap. Another question is how harmful they are, is it worth giving such sweets to a child? What other foods are vegetable fats added to? "
Olga Okolelova,
Associate Professor of the Department of General Hygiene and Fundamentals of Life, Altai State Medical University:
Fats are divided into animal and vegetable. The former are found in animal products: milk, meat, fish; the second - in plants: in fruits, in the trunk and other parts.
All fats are composed of fatty acids and glycerin, but vegetable and animal fats differ slightly in composition. Animals have a greater affinity with our body: entering the body, they are absorbed much easier than plants. But the fatty acids present in plant fatty acids are better in quality, mainly polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are not synthesized in our body. Their main role is the prevention of atherosclerosis, they also perform antioxidant functions - preventing aging, improving tissue regeneration. But in some cases, vegetable fats can be harmful.
Firstly, it is imperative to know exactly what and in what quantity vegetable fat is contained in the product of interest to us - this should be indicated on the label. It is no secret that, using vegetable fat, the manufacturer thus reduces the cost of manufacturing the product. This usually means that the oils of the lowest quality are taken precisely in terms of the PUFA content - basically it is just palm fat.
Secondly, you need to remember that the oil is initially liquid. A solid fat is obtained from the liquid for addition to the product. How is it? This process is called hydrogenation: oil is loaded into a container, and, under the influence of hydrogen, high temperature and pressure, they begin to process it. With this treatment, various chemical reactions occur, as a result of which the oil absolutely changes in structure; the resulting fats become saturated and are called trans fats. Simply put, vegetable fats are useful only in their natural form, and after processing they become harmful and even dangerous.
Such fats are often found in cookies, crackers, French fries (fried exclusively with trans fats because they are cheap) and other fast food, cheese curds, butter, processed cheese - products that children love so much. You need to understand that the body requires both animal and vegetable fats (70% and 30%, respectively), but children are more sensitive to any foreign substances than adults. They are more susceptible to environmental factors: polluted air, water and, of course, low-quality food. There is only one way out of this situation: carefully read the composition on the label, try to buy only natural products, and replace fast food and sweets with porridge and fruits.
Yana Chumakova
Why sunflower oil is harmful- or the most common fat on which most people (and not only) cook and dress salads.
Do you still cook and season salads with Sunflower Oil? Then this post is for you!
Well, but seriously, I dedicate this post separately to the most common product in the kitchen of most people (not mine). And there is a special reason for this. I already wrote about the dangers of vegetable oils, where I argued with a large number of people like olive and coconut oil are also vegetable oils.
So I decided to write a post separately about Sunflower oil and tell you why you cannot take everything vegetable for useful and why it is better to completely abandon its use.
Here is another bottle of Sunflower Oil in your kitchen, in which you cook your food. And you probably think that this is the most healthy oil! But you are deeply mistaken, because Sunflower oil is:
Unstable fat
Sunflower oil consists mostly of polyunsaturated fat, which, due to its chemical structure, is very unstable and readily subject to oxidative oxidation. What does it mean? The fact that even without heating, free radicals begin to form in sunflower oil, accelerating the aging of our body and causing the development of numerous chronic diseases. In addition, oxidized molecules of polyunsaturated fat have the ability to accumulate in cell membranes, triggering a chain of destructive oxidative reactions.
Contains high amounts of Omega-6
Not all omega fatty acids are created equal for us. Especially in large quantities. Balance is important to our body. A normal healthy k balance should ideally be 1: 1 or at worst 1: 4. And if you constantly consume sunflower oil every day, what kind of balance can we talk about? 1:24? Or even more? What does overuse of omega-6 shine for us? Well, at least chronic inflammation or the number 1 cause chronic diseases... Have you been told that Sunflower oil is better for your heart and blood vessels? No matter how it is! It is this oil that leads to the deposition of cholesterol (note oxidized) on the walls of our vessels, leading to their blockage, and there is already a heart attack and stroke.
Oil production method
Unfortunately, I could not find a video of obtaining Sunflower oil, but the process of obtaining its brother - Rapeseed or Canola oil (another toxic and so popular oil in America and Canada) has long been covered in a popular American program. You can read a detailed post describing the process of obtaining vegetable oils and watch a video there. I will say right away that this process is far from natural and sometimes causes vomiting, especially when I imagine that we are eating it. I advise you not to look while eating
So which oil is usable?
You need to cook food on fat that is stable, does not oxidize and does not form free radicals, that is, saturated. These are butter, ghee, coconut oil, and even animal fat such as lard. You can read in more detail. And if you are worried about your Cholesterol, I advise you to read, after it you may not be so much afraid to eat lard
I have not used Sunflower oil for about 2 years, and before that, unrefined sunflower oil was my favorite for dressing salads. For more than a year now, my parents and my sister have completely abandoned this not so useful oil as everyone thought.
And then she could not, because she did not regain consciousness. And after another 3 weeks she was gone. An autopsy revealed a heart attack due to very severe atherosclerosis. And no, I am not claiming that it was Sunflower oil that caused atherosclerosis in a week, but I am 100% sure that it was it that aggravated the situation and, you can say, killed my grandmother. By the way, it was this situation that let my parents down completely to refuse the use of Sunflower oil ...
Sunflower oil, although it is a vegetable product, is toxic to us. It is clear that it is much cheaper than the same healthy fats. But in the end you have to pay with your health. And it, as many already know us, is priceless!
Do you use Sunflower oil? Or switched to healthy fats?
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This is not a joke, this is official research! Natural vegetable oil is a worldwide killer ...
Two well-known British medical experts recently published their articles in the Daily Mail on the dangers of using vegetable oils for cooking. He is a renowned cardiologist and author of many scientific papers, as well as one of the leaders of the movement for healthy eating, Dr. Asim Malhotra; and popular science journalist Michael Moseley, author of the acclaimed "5: 2" diet.
We have translated the main provisions from their publication, so that you also learn the truth about the dangers of vegetable oil.
Asim Malhotra begins his article by saying that when he comes to his favorite Indian restaurant, he has to ask the waiter to make his curry using ghee rather than vegetable oil.
He's writing:
As a cardiologist with a keen interest in obesity and heart health, I would never put my health at risk by eating toxic compounds that form when vegetable oils are heated to high temperatures.
Unfortunately, curry lovers in both the UK and the Indian subcontinent do just that, ditching traditional ghee in favor of “healthy” vegetable oils.
The consequences of this trend are disastrous.:
- increase in obesity%
- heart diseases;
- type 2 diabetes;
Research shows that sunflower, corn and other vegetable oils when heated easily break down into toxic aldehydes, which, among other things, are associated with an increased risk of cancer.
A recent study found that
After 20 minutes of frying in vegetable oil, the level of aldehydes is 20 times !!! exceeds the maximum permissible according to the WHO recommendations.
The sight of a person trying to lead a healthy lifestyle while frying healthy foods in vegetable oil makes Asim Malhotra feel desperate at how much harm sometimes good intentions can do to us.
We've been taught for years that vegetable oils, incl. sunflower and corn, much better than butter and animal fats. But now the opinion of scientists is changing, tk. modern scientific research shows that dairy products actually protect us from heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately for the millions of people who gave up butter and full-fat milk because they thought they were harmful, this news came too late.
Extra virgin olive oil can actually be good for the heart and contains antioxidants that fight free radicals in the blood. But most vegetable oils won't help you, despite claims that they lower cholesterol.
He showed that lowering cholesterol on a diet rich in vegetable oil and margarine does not provide heart health benefits and, most worryingly, increases overall mortality.
Dr. Asim Malhotra always advises his patients to avoid all commercially produced vegetable oils, and recommends butter and ghee for cooking.
Michael Moseley describes research to study change chemical composition heated oil. It is generally accepted that the main changes occur when the oil temperature reaches the so-called. smoke points. That is why most experts advise not to fry in extra virgin olive oil (smoke point 160-190 C °) and advise using, for example, refined sunflower oil (225 C °) or corn (230 C °).
Verification of this statement
The remains of the cooking oil were collected from the volunteers and analyzed in the laboratory. The samples were examined by Martin Grutveld, professor of bioanalytical chemistry and chemical pathology at De Montfort University in Leicester. Scientists also conducted a parallel experiment, heating various oils to frying temperatures. The study used sunflower and corn oil, cold-pressed rapeseed oil, olive oil (refined and cold-pressed), butter, goose fat and lard.
The results of the analysis turned out to be quite surprising and for many of those who followed the traditional recommendations, they will mean:
Everything we knew before turned out to be untrue.
Of all the vegetable oils, olive turned out to be the best option.
The healthier sunflower was much worse. Even lard (melted pork fat), demonized so much that the word itself became a curse, turned out to be preferable to sunflower oil and its close relative, corn oil.
To understand why, it is necessary to take a closer look at what happens to fats and oils when heated to high temperatures. They go through an oxidation process, reacting with oxygen and forming various substances such as aldehydes and lipid peroxides ( which can participate in free radical reactions). The same processes occur at room temperature, but much more slowly. When fat goes rancid, it also oxidizes, and the same by-products are the result. The problem is the forming aldehydes. Eating them, or inhaling them, leads to an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and dementia.
Martin Grutveld says:
We have found that oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as sunflower and corn oils, generate particularly high levels of aldehydes.
Scientists even managed to find two new, previously unknown aldehydes in oil samples. It turned out that cooking with these oils forms even more harmful substances than was commonly believed. But monounsaturated fatty acid-rich olive and cold-pressed rapeseed oils produced significantly fewer aldehydes, as did saturated fats like butter and goose fat. They turned out to be much more stable when heated.
Professor Grutveld explains:
Much lower levels of toxic substances have been generated by these oils, and these substances are not as harmful to the human body.
But even if you use vegetable oils cold, their improper storage can cause the appearance of all the same harmful substances - sunlight can cause the same reactions as heating, only much slower.
Chemistry Professor Martin Grutveld's advice on choosing a vegetable oil for cooking:
- Fry less, especially at high temperatures, above the smoke point. Use the minimum amount of oil required.
- To reduce the formation of aldehydes, choose oils rich in monounsaturated or saturated oils (over 60%) and poor in polyunsaturated oils (less than 20%).
- The ideal compromise is olive oil: 76% monounsaturated, 14% saturated and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids.
- If you buy olive oil for cooking, then there is no point in overpaying for the first spin - it will not provide additional health benefits.
- Due to its high saturated fat content, coconut oil is also recommended.
- Always keep oils in a cupboard or other dark place and do not reuse them. harmful substances can accumulate.
P.S. Formation of toxic aldehydes when heating vegetable oils confirmed and earlier studies.
One of the chapters in Nina Teicholz's book "The Big Fat Secret" is devoted to the problems associated with cooking in vegetable oil. According to Teicholz, their use in cafes and fast food restaurants has grown tremendously in last years when the fight against trans fats began. But using non-hydrogenated vegetable oils for deep-frying can lead to even more health problems than frying more stable deep-frying mixtures containing trans fats. Interestingly, before the fight against saturated fat began, McDonald's restaurants used overheated beef fat, the so-called. tallow.
It seems that news of the health risks associated with heating vegetable oils has not yet reached Russian science and the media. At least, the director of the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Academician Victor Tutelian and Channel One recommend using sunflower oil for frying, this is due to the commercial interests of the food industry.
In the structure of consumption of vegetable oils by Russians, sunflower oil dominates and occupies 69.1% of the market, and in the structure of production its share is even higher - 82.9%.
Several decades ago, in times of food shortages, the housewives did not have the question of which oil to choose for frying or salad - they had to take what was available in stores. Nowadays, counters are replete with a huge number of varieties of oils from various fruits and seeds, which can sometimes be quite difficult to navigate.
Which oil from the assortment on the market should you buy and which products should you watch out for? Are all types of oil equally beneficial? And what is the cost of a product? M24.ru and the Consumer Revolution program tried to find answers.
Myth # 1: Sunflower oil contains toxins
According to experts, on average, Muscovites eat about 250 tons of vegetable oil per year. This means that one person consumes about 15 liters of product per year. The most popular oil is predictably sunflower - it is chosen by about 60% of Muscovites. In second place is olive, which is preferred by 35% of Muscovites. And only a few residents of the capital introduce into their diet the so-called "exotic" oils: cedar, hemp, linseed, camelina, etc.
There are many biases associated with the production and consumption of oil. One of the most common says: sunflower contains little toxins.
Food industry experts argue that the presence or absence of toxins in sunflower oil rather depends on the conditions of production and storage than on the “natural predisposition” of the product to release hazardous substances, which, one way or another, are contained in a certain amount in all plant organisms. In case of improper storage of the product (for example, under the influence of direct sunlight or in the open air), secondary oxidation is possible, leading to the release of dangerous toxic substances - aldehydes and ketones.
Another danger that an unscrupulous manufacturer can expose to the buyer is the ingestion of benzopyrene, a carcinogen of the first hazard class, which can provoke the onset of cancer. The ingestion of this carcinogen into the body is possible when using a method of drying sunflower seeds that does not meet technical safety standards, for example, using diesel fuel. In this case, fat-soluble products of fuel combustion can get into the oil itself and "poison" it.
Fortunately, for large-scale industries, such mistakes are a thing of the past. Modern enterprises, as a rule, have their own laboratories and all the equipment necessary for analyzing the composition of oils. The buyer takes risks only in the case of buying oil "hand-held" from an unverified supplier.
Myth # 2: The Best Sunflower Oil - Premium
Some buyers tend to avoid purchasing "budget" varieties of sunflower oils, since they believe that the price and category are directly related to the quality of the product: the more expensive it is, the healthier and safer. However, experts tend to disagree with this point of view.
The main difference between the oils of the "Premium", "Extra" and "First Grade" categories is the difference in the peroxide value, which reflects the degree of oxidation of the product - the lower it is, the higher the oil category. Experts note that it is extremely important to maintain the peroxide value within the normal range after the expiration date of the product, since this means not only compliance with the declared quality standards, but also compliance with storage standards. For an adult, the difference in the oxidation state is not so significant (2 mmol per kilogram for premium oil, 4 mmol per kilogram for “Premium” and 1 mmol a kilogram for “First grade”), while for baby food you should choose the oil with the lowest index - "Premium" category.
Another distinguishing feature is the production technology. Oil of the "Premium" category (some manufacturers use the definition of "Extra virgin") cannot be produced by the extraction method, in which oil is extracted from the cake remaining after direct pressing with the help of reagents. But there is no need to worry about the safety of the oil obtained using this technology: after extraction, the product is purified from all impurities, so it is completely harmless to health.
Among sunflower oils of various categories, the price range is relatively small, so counterfeiting is rare.
Falsification can be considered the discrepancy between the product and the declared requirements revealed during the examination - in this case, the buyer will have to deal with an unreasonably high cost, which, of course, is unpleasant, but does not yet indicate a threat to his health. According to industry experts, the most common method of falsification, which is resorted to in order to reduce the cost of production, is to mix more expensive types of oils with cheaper ones. However, among sunflower oils of various categories, the price range is relatively small, so falsifications are rare. Again, they are more likely to occur in small businesses than in large reputable companies.
Myth # 3: Refined oil contains no nutrients
As you know, the main task of refined oil is to be the basis for cooking. For this, the product is specially cleaned from all possible impurities and is odorless. The whole value of unrefined oil, on the contrary, lies in the content of impurities that are useful in raw form, but dangerous during heat treatment - they contribute to the release of carcinogens, which were already mentioned in the text earlier. At the same time, fatty acids and vitamins in unrefined oil are preserved to a greater extent. This does not mean that refined oil is devoid of useful substances - they can only be contained in it in a relatively smaller volume compared to unrefined oil. Thus, it can be argued that unrefined oil is more suitable for consumption "raw", while refined oil is better for frying.
However, you should not resort to extremes in choosing one or another type of oil: according to nutritionists, carcinogens are also released during frying in refined oil, but in significantly smaller quantities. To minimize harm to health, you should monitor, as far as possible, the heating temperature of the pan so that the oil does not start to burn, or bake food in the oven where the required temperature can be maintained. Also, do not re-fry oil that has already cooked food.
The use of oil with a high content of oleic acid, which is extremely resistant to heating, during frying can significantly reduce the release of oxidation products. Nutritionists believe that high oleic oil is optimal for frying and affordable in comparison with other types of refined oils.
Myth # 4: Olive oil is better than sunflower oil
In general, the difference in the nutrient content of these two oils is not that great.
Among the obvious advantages of unrefined olive oil over unrefined sunflower oil, one can note a higher content of vitamin E. It is also worth noting the closest to optimal ratio of unsaturated fatty acids omega-3 to omega-6 in olive oil (approximately 1/13 with an optimal value of 1/4 up to 1/10, while in sunflower oil - 1/200).
If we talk about refined oils, then here sunflower is in no way inferior to olive oil, and both are inferior to high oleic oil in terms of price / quality ratio.
Thus, the preference for one or another type of oil remains a matter of taste and financial possibilities (olive oil for Russia is an imported product and costs an order of magnitude more expensive than sunflower oil). However, nutritionists insist that an excess of sunflower oil in the diet can have a detrimental effect on the body precisely because of the imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Experts also recommend paying attention to the packaging of the product - if possible, pour the oil into an opaque glass container (in which olive oil is more common than sunflower oil) and not store it in cans after opening.
Myth # 5: "Exotic oils" are the healthiest
The truth of this statement is not in doubt by any of the experts. Indeed, the benefits of "exotic oils" lie in the aforementioned ratio of unsaturated fatty acids omega-3 to omega-6. For this reason, nutritionists recommend combining them with more familiar types of oils - sunflower or olive (or both at the same time). But still, “exotic oils” have a number of disadvantages:
Specific taste. Mustard oil may seem too tart, linseed oil - bitter, camelina - sour (camelina is a genus of herbaceous plants from the cabbage family). The perception of taste is subjective, and you may have to spend a certain amount of time to find your own among the "exotic" oils;
Price. Not only the buyer's time, who decides to try the "exotic" little, is at risk, but also the means. Price range: from 160 (camelina) to 4000 (hemp oil) rubles per liter. One of the main pricing factors in this case is the low prevalence and growing popularity of such oils;
Medical contraindications. Flaxseed oil can be the most useful product, but it is not suitable for a specific person, and instead of being beneficial, cause damage to the body. Therefore, before including any of the "exotic oils" in your diet, you should consult your doctor.
The use of "exotic oils" has a beneficial effect on the body, but its choice, perhaps, should be approached even more thoroughly than the choice of refined oil for frying or unrefined oil for dressing with various hot and cold dishes.
Source: www.m24.ru
There are three types of fats:
- saturated (a lot of them are found in animal and solid vegetable fat, great for cooking);
- Monounsaturated (high amounts are found in almond, avocado and olive oils);
- polyunsaturated (found in all vegetable fats).
Useful properties of vegetable fats:
- They contain essential polyunsaturated acids. Omega-3 and Omega-6. They are vital to our health. And the body cannot produce them on its own. The only way to get them is through food.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids prevent blood clots, inflammatory processes increasing blood pressure. They help the immune system to work in full force, promote proper digestion.
- The product contains substances that improve tissue regeneration. Thanks to this property, the aging process of cells slows down.
- Natural oils (especially the first cold pressed) contain a lot of vitamin E. It is an antioxidant that helps the body fight free radicals. It is also called the “vitamin of beauty and youth”. Hence - the beneficial effect of vegetable liquid fats on the skin.
- Plant-based saturated fats contain less bad cholesterol. Liquid oils prevent the development of atherosclerosis.
Harm
There are a lot of vegetable fats. All of them can be combined into two large groups:
- solid;
- liquid (oils).
Each specific product can harm the body in its own way. Consider what is common to all vegetable fats.
The harm of vegetable fat:
- Frequent and large amounts of food in food can cause infertility in women. This is due to the imbalance of fatty acids: they began to eat more vegetable oil, less animal fats.
- After processing at high temperatures, polyunsaturated fats are oxidized. In this form, they lead to a thinning of the walls of the arteries and their subsequent rupture.
- Oxidized substances are not absorbed by the cells of the body and are not used by them as an energy resource. They float in the bloodstream, gradually settling on the walls of blood vessels. The result is obesity, heart disease, cancer.
- Altered polyunsaturated fats help in the production of free radicals. The risk of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, oncology increases.
Calorie content
All types of liquid vegetable fat contain 900 kcal. Let's calculate the energy value depending on the measure of weight:
The number of calories an adult needs on a daily basis depends on a number of factors:
- age;
- height and weight;
On average, an adult needs between 2,500 and 4,500 calories per day. The lower limit is for people engaged in mental work. The upper one is physical. Of course, few people will eat vegetable fat in its pure form. But for cooking, for dressing salads, it is often used. Therefore, the calorie content must be taken into account. Especially those categories that require dietary nutrition.
Contraindications
- The main food element of vegetable oils is fats. These are high-calorie foods. Therefore, people who are prone to obesity should not abuse vegetable fats.
- To reduce the cost, industrial corporations use chemical solvents when processing cotton, soybean, or rapeseed seeds. All of these chemicals are subsequently deposited in the liver and absorbed into the bloodstream. The situation is aggravated by repeated processing of plant materials. Therefore, you need to use oils produced by the cold-pressed method.
The nutritional value
The food industry produces several types of vegetable fats. Let's consider the most popular ones:
| Fat type | Saturated fat | Monounsaturated fat | Polyunsaturated fatty acids | Oleinovaya | ||
| Total | linolenic | linoleic | ||||
| Rapeseed | 7.37 | 63.28 | 28.14 | 9-11 | 19-21 | - |
| Coconut | 91 | 6 | 3 | - | 2 | 6 |
| Corn | 13 | 28 | 55 | 1 | 58 | 28 |
| Cottonseed oil | 26 | 18 | 52 | 1 | 54 | 19 |
| Linseed | 6-9 | 10-22 | 68-89 | 56-71 | 12-18 | 10-22 |
| Olive | 14 | 72 | 14 | 2 | 9-20 | - |
| Palm | 49 | 37 | 9 | - | 10 | 40 |
| Peanut | 17 | 46 | 32 | - | 32 | 48 |
| Soybean | 16 | 23 | 58 | 7 | 50 | 24 |
| Sunflower | 10 | 45 | 40 | 0.2 | 39.8 | 45 |
The data in the table is given as a percentage of the total fat content. One hundred grams of the product contains 90-100 grams of fat. There are no proteins and carbohydrates in vegetable oils.
Vitamins and minerals
| Oil name | Vitamins and minerals, in mg (per 100 g of oil) and as a percentage of daily allowance for an adult | ||||
| Vitamin E | Vitamin K | Iron | Phosphorus | Zinc | |
| Rapeseed | 18.9 (126) | - | - | 2 (0.3) | - |
| Coconut | 0.09 (1) | 0.5 μg | 0.04 (0.3 | - | - |
| Corn | 18.6 (124) | - | - | 2 (0.3) | - |
| Linseed | 2.1 (14) | - | - | 2 (0.3) | - |
| Olive | 14 (80.7) | 62 μg (59) | 0.4 (2.2) | - | - |
| Palm | 33 (220) | - | - | 2 (0.3) | - |
| Peanut | 15.7 (105) | - | - | - | 0.01 (0.1) |
| Soybean | 17 (114) | - | 0.05 (0.3) | 2 (0.3) | 0.01 (0.1) |
| Sunflower | 44 (293) | - | - | 2 (0.3) | - |
All vegetable fats contain a lot of vitamin E. But it will bring maximum benefits if the product is not exposed to strong heating.