The healthiest oil is available in supermarkets!

Vegetable oils are essential sources of many things that benefit our health, from good fats and antioxidants to significant sources of vitamins like E.

It is well known that animal-based oils or butter can be high in trans fats and unhealthy, especially when consumed in high amounts. Many experts recommend plant-based oils to reduce risks of diseases or health problems and have a much healthier life.

For this, we bring you a small list of what you should know when using oils for cooking, how to maximize their properties, and how to find the best oil for your daily meals in the supermarket.

What characteristics should a cooking oil have?

Soybean oil is a complement to our diet. It may help our meals to cook better, is nonstick, and enhance the flavor of your meals. Plus, by using it, you will receive fats that are good for your health because they come from natural seeds; these seeds may provide many benefits for our health.

According to Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), soybean and olive oil are the best oils to support our bodies' improved nutrient supply.

This can be best explained by the fact that oils from seeds or plants are much better than those from animals naturally, because they do not contain a high amount of saturated fat due to their vegetable origin.

Many oils are on the market to help us obtain beneficial results. Still, the important thing is the way we use it and the origin from which it comes.

How should cooking oil be used?

It is crucial to choose oil, considering its fatty acid content. Prefer those with higher amounts of Omega-3-6-9, besides being suitable for cooking temperatures.

Oil provides flavor to food and is an excellent heat transfer medium, which is why frying is the principal use we give to prepare our food. However, we have to avoid overheating or reusing it because there can be formed harmful substances that, when they are frequently eaten in high amounts, cause adverse effects on health.

When frying foods, it is better to preheat the pan, and once ready, add the oil to avoid it staying for a long time over direct fire.

Whenever you fry foods, use a new oil serving size. Avoid reusing it! Because heat contact and air for a long time (Deep fryers) can generate harmful substances for health. Prefer oils that do not cause smoke at cooking temperature, like soybean oil, because they are more resistant to high temperatures.

Why oils can be a better choice for our health

Currently, we can find oils of vegetable and animal origin in supermarkets, and a colossal variety of fats, of all kinds, colors, flavors, and sources.

However, choosing the best one is complicated; we will tell you some characteristics that an edible oil must have not to harm your health.

Oils with added fats

Oils with a large amount of high in saturated fats or hydrogenated oils are harmful to your health, in addition to the fact that their exposure to heat is much less than oil that does not contain these characteristics. Vegetable oils have healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, which is better for healthy cooking.

Pure oils

Each seed or vegetable has different characteristics, from color to further manipulation, influencing the moment of being manipulated.

If oil has different types of seeds or components, its characteristics will be other, which makes handling it increasingly complicated. Pure oils or extra virgin olive oil originating from a single basis are the best for our health.

Temperature

The temperature at which the oil gets burned, since each oil has a maximum that it supports. Oils of vegetable origin have a higher smoke point than oils of animal origin.

Generally, the maximum that people can heat the oil before it burns is 180 °C. Some oils, like olive, tend to resist a little less.

Proportions

No oil does not contain fat. However, there are good fats and bad fats. Our body requires fat to obtain many of the vitamins necessary for our health, such as vitamin E or as many antioxidants that slow down aging.

A teaspoon can help us to obtain all the benefits our body requires. So when we cook it, we can gain the same benefits we look for in cooking oils.

Eating oils in our daily diet is vital for our health, but we know, no excess is good, so we must pay attention to what kind of oils are the best for our healthy cooking.

The most important thing is to always look for the complements and different things that are added to the products, especially the cooking oils, which will help you to make the right choice due to their properties and combination.