Advertisement of Dalda Active has prompted me to share this information with the members.
One has to take many preventive or corrective measures to maintain good health. And one of these measures is selecting right kind of food. There are very few like me who prefer boiled food but there is no reason to follow me if you health is in peak condition. By taking few preventive measures it is possible to maintain good health. Normally we do not bother much when we are young and slowly poisoning will take place due to wrong practices and in most of the cases due to ignorance.
My cholesterol level is around 250 and LDL cholesterol is also high and all these is mainly due to bad eating habits and stress in past. I do not have any problem right now but surly in High Risk category and so I have to take precautionary measures. It is advisable to take care if someone is in high risk category. If you are safe and hale and hearty than take care to remain safe.
In this review I shall try to highlight in brief different types of fats and its effects. Our cooking media and milk products are the supplier of fat.
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Products contains Mono-unsaturated Fat
Mono-unsaturated fats are found primarily in nuts and vegetable oils, such as olive and canola oil. These fats considered as’Good’ fats because studies have shown that these help to reduce blood cholesterol levels and protect against heart disease. Suggested good fats are all mono-unsaturated fats because of their benefits to health.
Mono-unsaturated fat is omega-3 fatty acids. This is present in Palmolein oil, Soya Oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish and other marine animals. In addition to being an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, fish contains many other valuable nutrients and is much leaner than most other animal protein sources.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels for improved cardiovascular health and decreased risk of heart disease.
We should take 2-3 fish containing meals a week as per the suggestion of American Heart Association.
Typical laboratory results –
Olive Oil - 10% polyunsaturated; 75% monounsaturated; 15% saturated
Peanut oil - 33% polyunsaturated; 48% monounsaturated; 19% saturated
Olive oil is the best of all but not easily available in this country and I do not have any idea of cost.
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Products contains Polyunsaturated Fat
Polyunsaturated fat contains an essential nutrient called oleic acid and comes from plants like sunflower and corns. Like mono-unsaturated fat, it also tends to reduce blood cholesterol levels and labeled as’good fat.’
Typical lab results -
Soya Oil – 62% polyunsaturated; 23% monounsaturated; 15% saturated
Sunflower oil - 72% polyunsaturated; 16% monounsaturated; 12% saturated
These type of fats lower bad cholesterol in blood stream but also lower the good cholesterol. So it’s a trade-off but still better than saturated one.
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Products contains Saturated Fat
Saturated fat is the worst kind and these are “Bad Fat”. Saturated fats increase LDL cholesterol and pose the highest risk for heart disease and cancer. Consumption of saturated fat should be as less as possible.
These fats are found in all foods that come from animal sources such as meat(specially read meat), eggs and milk products like butter, milk, cheese, and creams. Saturated fat is also found in oils such as coconut oil and palm oil.
Typical laboratory results -
Coconut oil – 92% saturated fat
So, keep away from Coconut Oil, Palm kernel Oil and minimize consumption of Ghee, Butter, and Cheese etc.
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Hydrogenated Products
Hydrogenated fats are normally oils that have been chemically altered by hydrogenation. Margarine and vegetable shortening are prime examples. These are labeled as “Bad Fat”. Hydrogenated fats tend to clog arteries, making them bad fats.
Dalda or any product similar to that is a Hydrogenated product. I do not believe the message they want to put across in their recent advertisement of Dalda Active. These contain bad fat.
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General Information
From the hardness of the fat in room temperature one can make out which fat is more saturated and the other one. Let us take the example of fats in Chicken, Pork, Mutton and Beef. Chicken fat is softer than pork fat, pork fat is softer than mutton fat and mutton fat is softer than beef fat. So, out of the three, chicken fat is the least saturated and beef fat is the most saturated.
Vegetable oil like Soya oil, fish oils are rich in polyunsaturates, whereas the harder fats, such as Dalda, animal fats, are more saturated. Please note that Coconut, and Palm oils are in saturated category.
Normally fat contents are printed on the label of the oil containers / pouches. Before selecting cooking media just look at the fat content. According to me in good edible oil saturated fat should be less than 20% and combination of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated should be around 80%(it is always better to have more monounsaturated fats and less polyunsaturated fats).
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Storage:- Most of the edible oils are to be used within 6 months.
^ Cooking oil with more polyunsaturates to be consumed at the earliest
^ Oil kept in sun and lighted are deteriorates in the container. Store unopened bottle in a dark and cool place.
^ To avoid oxidation always pour reasonable quantity in a small bottle for daily use and keep the rest in the original jar.
Do not forget to check manufacturing and expiry date