So, what kind of oil is good for salad, for frying? Let’s figure it out.
For a salad, unrefined and unrefined sunflower oil is useful, in which all the beneficial components available from nature are preserved. But cooking with such oil is strictly prohibited. During heat treatment, all useful substances leave it and it acquires negative properties in the form of carcinogens. Therefore, it is better to fry in refined sunflower oil. But besides sunflower oil, olive oil, corn oil, soybean oil, and flaxseed oil are very common.
Let us determine the usefulness of the oil by the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in it.
These acids have a very good effect on the cardiovascular system and are useful for the prevention of heart attack and atherosclerosis. Polyunsaturated acids lower the level of “bad cholesterol”, improve the condition of the skin and hair, and strengthen the immune system. According to the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, oils are distributed as follows:
1st place – linseed oil – 67,7% of polyunsaturated fatty acids;
2nd place – sunflower oil – 65,0%;
3rd place – soybean oil – 60,0%;
4th place – corn oil – 46,0%
5th place – olive oil – 13,02%.
An equally important indicator is the content of saturated fatty acids, which have a directly opposite effect on the cardiovascular system. Therefore, oil with a minimum content of saturated fatty acids is considered healthier.
1st place – linseed oil – 9,6% saturated fatty acids;
2nd place – sunflower oil – 12,5%;
3th place – corn oil – 14,5%
4rd place – soybean oil – 16,0%;
5th place – olive oil – 16,8%.
The rating has slightly changed, however, flaxseed and sunflower oils still occupy the leading places.
However, it makes sense to consider another rating – this is the rating of the content of vitamin E. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. It not only improves the structure of the skin and prevents the development of cataracts, but also slows down the aging process of cells and improves cell nutrition, strengthens the walls of blood vessels and prevents blood clots.
Rating for vitamin E content (the more, the better the effect of the oil):
1st place – sunflower oil – 44,0 mg per 100 grams;
2nd place – corn oil – 18,6 mg;
3rd place – soybean oil – 17,1 mg;
4th place – olive oil – 12,1 mg.
5th place – linseed oil – 2,1 mg;
So, the most useful oil is sunflower oil, which is in 2nd place in terms of the content of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids and in 1st place in terms of vitamin E.
Well, so that our rating is more complete, and the assessment of the oil is of a better quality, we will consider one more rating – which oil is best for frying? Earlier we have already found out that refined oil is suitable for frying, but it is worth paying attention to the so-called “acid number”. This number indicates the content of free fatty acids in the oil. When heated, they deteriorate and oxidize very quickly, making the oil harmful. Therefore, the lower this number, the more suitable the oil for frying:
1st place – sunflower oil – 0,4 (acid number);
1st place – corn oil – 0,4;
2nd place – soybean oil – 1;
3rd place – olive oil – 1,5;
4th place – linseed oil – 2.
Linseed oil is not intended for frying at all, but sunflower oil again took the lead. Therefore, the best oil is sunflower, but other oils also contain a lot of useful things and should be used the same way. For example, the benefits of flaxseed oil are simply unambiguous in that in addition to a large amount of vitamins (Retinol, tocopherol, B-group vitamins, vitamin K), it contains a full range of polyunsaturated fatty acids that are part of vitamin F (fatty acids of the Omega family 3 and Omega-6). These acids play an important role in biological processes in the human body.
Olive oil, although many people like it, it almost always remained in the last places, both in terms of the content of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids, and in the content of vitamin E. But you can fry on it, you just need to choose refined oil.
Refined olive oil is referred to as “rafined olive oil”,” Light olive oil “, as well as” pure olive oil “or” olive oil “. It is light, with less vivid taste and color.
Be sure to consume the oil in reasonable doses and stay young and healthy! Just do not overdo it, because 100 grams of oil contains almost 900 kcal.