The imagery that “vegetable oil” might bring to your mind would be the jugs of oil that you would find at grocery stores used for deep frying food. But vegetable oil is much more than that with a slightly misleading name. It may not always be produced from vegetables. Different types of fruits, seeds, grains and nuts, could all go into the production of vegetable oil. Used primarily for cooking, the healthiest of vegetable oils are Canola, Corn, Olive, Peanut, Safflower, Soybean, Sunflower.
How Is Vegetable Oil Produced?
Vegetable Oil can be produced in a variety of ways, depending on the raw material that goes into it. Some oils, like olive oil, have a very simple process. You just need to crush the olives and filter and use the resulting oil. Oil made from plants, nuts and seeds, on the other hand, have a more complicated process. They’re crushed to produce the oil and would sometimes require a chemical to complete the extraction.
Benefits
- Improves heart health: The unique fatty acid profile of vegetable oils help make food delicious while being nutritive. The polyunsaturated fatty acids or essential fatty acids (omega 6 and omega 3) in oils like soybean oil and low erucic acid rapeseed oil also help keep the cholesterol levels low.
Enhances the flavour: Since edible cooking oils like peanut, olive and soybean enhance the flavour of food, they’re extensively used for cooking. When used as filtered oil, peanut oil or groundnut oil has an aroma that makes it a favourite for dressing and sauteeing in addition to cooking.
Naturally trans-fat free: Trans-fat, which is commonly found in animal products pose a greater risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke or death. Being produced from naturally occurring ingredients, vegetable oils are trans-fat free by nature.
Loaded with Vitamins: Vegetable oils are carriers of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. They’re especially beneficial for pregnant women who would have a high possibility of suffering from vitamin deficiencies.
Softens cracked feet: Vegetable oils are beneficial not only in your diet but can also be used on your skin for their moisturising effect. Cracked feet may have been a nightmare for most of us, and vegetable oil can do wonders to heal your heel.
Choosing the right kind of oil enhances not just the flavour of your meal but also your health. Vegetable oil, which was once a questionable cooking oil, is now considered a diet-friendly source of beneficial nutrients. However, it is important to keep in mind that excess of anything can be harmful to your health and everything should be consumed only in moderate quantities.