Tricks to choose & use your cooking oil the right way

There are different varieties of edible oils in the market these days and picking one for our home is a difficult choice. Most of us tend to base our choices on our established taste preferences.  Some of us base our decisions on the healthfulness of an oil and the type of recipes for which we are purchasing the cooking oil. For many Indian recipes, we prefer a cooking oil that does not have a strong flavor of its own. For example, we use olive oil for preparing continental recipes; because this oil adds a unique characteristic flavor to these recipes. In this article, we have discussed the nutritional composition of some commonly consumed edible oils, practices to purchase, store, and handle them in a mindful manner. We also have talked about some food quality certification marks that can help you pick a healthier edible oil.

Richa Pande

Reports say groundnut oil, rapeseed oil(canola), soy oil, cottonseed oil and commercially palm oil are commonly consumed in Indian households. These oils are preferred by many food industries due to the subsidies on palm oil. But do these oils have a healthier nutritional profile, let’s uncover it here:

Nutrition composition of edible oils

All edible oils contain Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MFAs), Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PFAs), and Saturated Fatty Acids (SFAs). The percentage of each varies from oil to oil. Our body requires all three types of fatty acids.  PFAs and MFAs are relatively healthier as compared to SFAs, and therefore we must limit their consumption. PFAs can be divided into linoleic (ω-6 fatty acids) and linolenic fatty acids (ω-3 fatty acids). ω-3 fatty acids are also known as essential fats i.e., the body cannot synthesize them metabolically and they must be taken from different dietary sources. Note that PFAs and MFAs (together known as good fats) must always be preferred over SFAs (bad fats).  Consumption of more SFAs is not good for your heart health.

Calories in edible oils

All edible fats are oils that are calorie-dense. Each gram of both fats and oils has 9 Kcals in it and 1 teaspoon (5ml) contains 45 Kcal. There is an exception to this. One gram of butter has 7 Kcal.  This is because of its moisture content.

Antioxidants in edible oils

Many edible vegetable oils contain natural antioxidants like vitamin E also known as tocopherol. Rice bran oil has Oryzanol and Sesame oil contain Sesamol and Sesaminol. These antioxidants have beneficial effects on our health including a reduction in oxidative damage due to aging.

Practice oil rotation for good health

Use cooking oils in rotation to draw health benefits from all different sources.

There are two ways to do this-

1. a) Buy two or more edible oils and use them to prepare different recipes in a month. For example, sunflower oil can be used to prepare one meal and groundnut oil or mustard oil can be used for another meal. OR
2. b) Use one edible vegetable oil this month to cook recipes at home and next month switch to another cooking oil. OR
3. c) Practice blending of oils- One can also blend edible oils at home to derive the health benefits mentioned above.

The followings are some recommended blends-

Ready-to-use blended oils

Blended edible oils are also sold in the market. Sometimes they can also be labelled as “vegetable oil and cooking sprays”.

Laws: The sale of blended edible vegetable oil and fat spreads in addition to FSSAI regulation is governed by AGMARK. You can pick an oil blend using the AGMARK Logo.

What is the smoke point of cooking oil?

Smoke point is also known as the burning point of the oil. It is the temperature at which you can see bluish smoking from an oil upon heating. If you are cooking a recipe that requires oil to be heated at a high temperature, prefer edible oils that stay stable at higher temperatures. Burnt oil not only ruins the taste of the food but degrade the nutrients in oil and lead to the development of chemicals in it that are harmful to health. Some experts recommend preferring refined oils or ghee to prepare Indian recipes that require deep frying.

EVVO (extra virgin olive oil) Debate

Some health experts argue that EVVO which is one of the healthiest edible oil has a low smoking point and must not be used for cooking recipes at high temperatures. Some advocacy groups argue that there isn’t scientific evidence that supports this notion and that EVVO is suitable for recipes at high temperatures. Their claims have been backed by a few pieces of research but experts claim that these were sponsored work.

Avoid reheating your edible oils

We have the habit of reheating oil for frying which is harmful as it can release more toxic components leading to many diseases. For example, reheating of oil increases trans fatty acids in an oil and its consumption has been found to have negative impacts on health.

Therefore, do not reuse or reheat cooking oil for more than 2-3 times. Use adequate amount of oil for cooking i.e., try to finish it in single-use.

Identifying a fortified edible oil

Many Indians struggle with micronutrient deficiency. As oil is a common household food ingredient, adding micronutrients in it can be an efficient public health strategy to counter micronutrient deficiency.

Edible oils are commonly fortified with vitamin A and Vitamin D. These fortified oils can meet up to 25-30 per cent of our daily recommended dietary allowance for these nutrients. Oil packs fortified with vitamin A & D have a logo that can help us to identify a fortified edible oil. 

Tips to use your cooking oil the right way

1. Heat oil in amounts as per the food recipe you are preparing. Avoid heating extra oil and again reheating it for next use.
2. Store your oil in a cool, dry and dark place to avoid it from becoming rancid.
3. Buy oils in small batches and not in larger quantities.
4. Always keep oils in airtight containers.
5. Edible oils like olive oil, flaxseed oil, etc. can get rancid easily, and therefore they must be stored in a cool, dry and dark environment.
6. If Your oil smells bad or different, it means it could have become rancid. Do not consume it as it is not healthy anymore and can even have negative health impacts.

Checklist for ordering food online

Ordering food online is part and parcel of this stay-home period. The process is simple and fast. You can order delicious food of your choice anytime and get it delivered in few minutes. You can even repeat the exact order you placed last time. You just have to download food delivering applications such as Zomato, Swiggy, Faasos, etc. There is hardly any restaurant these days which is not providing services on these applications. All you need is a smart phone or a laptop and an account on these food delivery applications to enjoy your food from the selected restaurant. But hey, is there a better way in doing this altogether? Let’s check it here.

Richa Pande

This time, home food delivery is the preferred way to ease out the every-day-cooking pain. Covid-19 has changed almost everything across the entire delivery system. It has made us more conscious, and we should take necessary steps before ordering food as well as after the food is delivered. But many consumers are new to the experience of ordering food online. Here are some points to keep in mind, when ordering meals online-

1. Choosing a meal-

• Enter the location of the place you want the order to be delivered. Select the precise location, to avoid any hassles.
• Check the ratings of the restaurant. Ratings are helpful because customers rate their experiences – ratings give us a feedback on the customer service of the restaurant/service provider – which helps us in picking up a good restaurant.
• Look for a vegetarian restaurant if you are a vegetarian. You can opt for veg only option, if you are placing an order from a restaurant that offers both vegetarian as well as non- vegetarian meals.  
• Some restaurants also provide food items that targets people who are health conscious i.e. keto diet food items, food items with less calories, etc. If you are adhering to such lifestyle diets, you can order food from such restaurants.
• Some restaurants provide nutritive value with meals they serve. You can pick the meal of your choice based on these values.
• Using the food apps, you can filter the restaurants by-
• Location of the restaurant
• Delivery time
• Ratings
• Food habits (i.e. only vegetarian restaurants)
• What you are willing to eat (i.e. Chinese, Italian etc.)

2. When you have made your selection –

• You can provide instructions to the restaurants to keep the foods spicy as per your preference i.e. less spicy, medium spice and very spicy.
• You can also opt for no cutlery option to minimise the use of plastic items such as forks, spoons etc. as these are not environment friendly.
• For safety of the delivery boy as well as yourselves opt for cashless transactions as exchange of currency can result in the transmission of the covid-19 virus. Prefer no contact delivery for your own safety.
• Compare prices and offers

Fast food restaurants such as Dominos, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut etc. have their own food delivery apps. They also sell food through food delivery apps such as Zomato, Swiggy etc. Always check where you are getting a better price for food items you wish to eat. Also, compare it across the food apps, as you might get a better offer on a different food app.

• Food delivery applications offer discount on different debit and credit cards, payment wallets etc., always check for offers before placing the order.
• You can also gift an order and send it to the address of the person you wish to gift the meal. You can add a personalised note as well.
• FINAL CHECKS BEFORE YOU PLACE THE ORDER-You can save multiple delivery addresses on these app. Check the address before making the payment. Also check the amounts of food in your basket to prevent any hassles.

3. After the food has been delivered-

• Before eating your meals, check whether all items you have ordered have been delivered. If an item is missing from your order or/it doesn’t match your specifications, you can report this to a customer care executive. For example, if you had opted for a Jain meal, and the meal contains onion/garlic etc. Report it to the company and ask for refund/replacement. These food delivery applications are concerned about their reputation and in the event of customer dissatisfaction, they refund some amount in your app wallet or if you opt payment reversals, you can get the refund back into the payment wallets such as Paytm, Google Pay, Phonepe, Airtel Money etc. or into your bank account.
• Wash your hands after touching the food packets; if the food is in plastic boxes it is safer to sanitise the boxes. Transfer the food to your steel utensils after sanitising the boxes and throw away the plastic boxes.
• If the food is spilled or the packaging appears tampered, then immediately click pictures and communicate a return /rejection of the food item. Consuming a food item with tampered packaging is not safe.

At times, you can also choose the spice preference while ordering food online.

And you can also opt to pick restaurants that serve relatively healthier meals.

You can opt for this option to minimize the use of plastic.

You can opt for this option to minimize the use of plastic.

How to Reduce Food Carbon Footprint

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

Nutrition is a basic human need and a prerequisite to a healthy life. A proper diet is essential from the very early stages of life for proper growth, development and to remain active. RDA represents the nutrients in terms of diets that should be consumed by the population.

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the amount of essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals etc that has been established by Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR) as adequate to meet the average daily nutritional needs of most healthy persons according to age group and sex.

In India, the concept of RDA dates back to the 1944. The first attempt to define nutrient requirements was made by Nutrition Advisory Committee of the Indian Research Fund Association now known as Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 1944.  Since then it is revised every 10 years. Current RDA was set in year 2010.

FACTORS ON WHICH RDA DEPENDS:

Recommended Dietary Allowance for individuals would depend upon different factors. These include:

1. Age of the individual
2. Physical activity
3. Sex
4. Body composition
5. Vulnerable: pregnant and lactating mothers, infants and elderly people.

ON THE BASIS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED AS

1. Sedentary worker – with least physical activity like lawyer, teacher, doctor
2. Moderate worker – with moderate physical activity like carpenter, tailor, plumber
3. Heavy worker- with vigorous physical activity like coal miner, steel worker, army man

WHY IS RDA IMPORTANT?

1. Maintenance of a state of positive health and optimal performance in populations at large by maintaining ideal body weight.
2. Ensuring adequate nutritional status for pregnant women and lactating mothers.
3. Improvement of birth weights and promotion of growth of infants, children and adolescents to achieve their full genetic potential.
4. Achievement of adequacy in all nutrients and prevention of deficiency diseases.
5. Prevention of chronic diet-related disorders.
6. Maintenance of the health of the elderly and increasing the life expectancy

With epidemic increase of consumption of ready to eat food or packed snacks that suit the sedentary lifestyle, it is important to know how much energy and fat these little packets contain. Consumer VOICE decodes food labels of popular products and brands. We compare not only the energy and protein levels but the safer and dangerous limits of salt, sugar and fat as per the Traffic Light labeling System.  

Traffic Light Labeling System