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This is not a joke, this is official research! Natural vegetable oil is a worldwide killer ...

Two well-known British medical experts recently published their articles in the Daily Mail on the dangers of using vegetable oils for cooking. This is a famous cardiologist and author of many scientific works and also - one of the leaders of the movement for healthy eating, Dr. Asim Malhotra and popular science journalist Michael Moseley, author of the acclaimed diet "5: 2".

We have translated the main provisions from their publication, so that you also learn the truth about the dangers of vegetable oil.

Asim Malhotra begins his article by saying that when he comes to his favorite Indian restaurant, he has to ask the waiter to make his curry using ghee rather than vegetable oil.

He's writing:

As a cardiologist with a keen interest in obesity and heart health, I would never put my health at risk by eating toxic compounds that form when vegetable oils are heated to high temperatures.

Unfortunately, curry lovers in both the UK and the Indian subcontinent do just that, ditching traditional ghee in favor of “healthy” vegetable oils.

The consequences of this trend are disastrous.:

• increase in obesity%
• heart diseases;
• type 2 diabetes;

Research shows that sunflower, corn and other vegetable oils when heated easily break down into toxic aldehydes, which, among other things, are associated with an increased risk of cancer.

A recent study found that

After 20 minutes of frying in vegetable oil, the level of aldehydes is 20 times !!! exceeds the maximum permissible according to the WHO recommendations.

The sight of a person trying to lead a healthy lifestyle while frying healthy foods in vegetable oil makes Asim Malhotra feel desperate at how much harm sometimes good intentions can do to us.

We've been taught for years that vegetable oils, incl. sunflower and corn, much better than butter and animal fats. But now the opinion of scientists is changing, tk. modern scientific research shows that dairy products actually protect us from heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately for the millions of people who gave up butter and full-fat milk because they thought they were harmful, this news came too late.

Extra virgin olive oil can actually be good for the heart and contains antioxidants that fight free radicals in the blood. But most vegetable oils won't help you, despite claims that they lower cholesterol.

He showed that lowering cholesterol on a diet rich in vegetable oil and margarine does not provide heart health benefits and, most worryingly, increases overall mortality.

Dr. Asim Malhotra always advises his patients to avoid all commercially produced vegetable oils, and recommends butter and ghee for cooking.

Michael Moseley describes a study looking at changes in the chemical composition of oil when heated. It is generally accepted that the main changes occur when the oil temperature reaches the so-called. smoke points. That is why most experts advise not to fry in extra virgin olive oil (smoke point 160-190 C °) and advise using, for example, refined sunflower oil (225 C °) or corn (230 C °).

Verification of this statement

The remains of the cooking oil were collected from the volunteers and analyzed in the laboratory. The samples were examined by Martin Grutveld, professor of bioanalytical chemistry and chemical pathology at De Montfort University in Leicester. Scientists also conducted a parallel experiment, heating various oils to frying temperatures. The study used sunflower and corn oil, cold-pressed rapeseed oil, olive oil (refined and cold-pressed), butter, goose fat and lard.

The results of the analysis turned out to be quite surprising and for many of those who followed the traditional recommendations, they will mean:

Everything we knew before turned out to be untrue.

Of all the vegetable oils, olive turned out to be the best option.

The healthier sunflower was much worse. Even lard (melted pork fat), demonized so much that the word itself became a curse, turned out to be preferable to sunflower oil and its close relative, corn oil.

To understand why, it is necessary to take a closer look at what happens to fats and oils when heated to high temperatures. They go through an oxidation process, reacting with oxygen and forming various substances such as aldehydes and lipid peroxides ( which can participate in free radical reactions). The same processes occur at room temperature, but much more slowly. When fat goes rancid, it also oxidizes, and the same by-products are the result. The problem is the forming aldehydes. Eating them, or inhaling them, leads to an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and dementia.

Martin Grutveld says:

We have found that oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as sunflower and corn oils, generate particularly high levels of aldehydes.

Scientists even managed to find two new, previously unknown aldehydes in oil samples. It turned out that cooking with these oils forms even more harmful substances than was commonly believed. But monounsaturated fatty acid-rich olive and cold-pressed rapeseed oils produced significantly fewer aldehydes, as did saturated fats like butter and goose fat. They turned out to be much more stable when heated.

Professor Grutveld explains:

Much lower levels of toxic substances have been generated by these oils, and these substances are not as harmful to the human body.

But even if you use vegetable oils cold, their improper storage can cause the appearance of all the same harmful substances - sunlight can cause the same reactions as heating, only much slower.

Chemistry Professor Martin Grutveld's advice on choosing a vegetable oil for cooking:

• Fry less, especially at high temperatures, above the smoke point. Use the minimum amount of oil required.
• To reduce the formation of aldehydes, choose oils rich in monounsaturated or saturated oils (over 60%) and poor in polyunsaturated oils (less than 20%).
• The ideal compromise is olive oil: 76% monounsaturated, 14% saturated and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• If you buy olive oil for cooking, then there is no point in overpaying for the first spin - it will not provide additional health benefits.
• Considering the high content of saturated fat, Coconut oil also recommended.
• Always keep oils in a cupboard or other dark place and do not reuse them as harmful substances can accumulate.

P.S. Formation of toxic aldehydes when heating vegetable oils confirmed and earlier studies.

One of the chapters in Nina Teicholz's book "The Big Fat Secret" is devoted to the problems associated with cooking in vegetable oil. According to Teicholz, their use in cafes and fast food restaurants has grown tremendously in recent years as the fight against trans fats began. But using non-hydrogenated vegetable oils for deep-frying can lead to even more health problems than frying more stable deep-frying mixtures containing trans fats. Interestingly, before the fight against saturated fat began, McDonald's restaurants used overheated beef fat, the so-called. tallow.

Before Russian science and the media news about the health risks associated with heating vegetable oils does not seem to have reached yet. At least, the director of the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Academician Victor Tutelian and Channel One recommend using sunflower oil for frying, this is due to the commercial interests of the food industry.

In the structure of consumption of vegetable oils by Russians, sunflower oil dominates and occupies 69.1% of the market, and in the structure of production its share is even higher - 82.9%.

Benefit

Unrefined sunflower oil has many beneficial properties that distinguish this product favorably against the background of food of animal origin. Due to its composition, the product has a whole range of useful features:

• active participation in metabolism;
• improving memory;
• normalization of the sex and endocrine glands;
• prevention of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and respiratory tract;
• prevention of the development of atherosclerosis;
• lowering blood cholesterol levels;
• increasing the protective functions of the body, strengthening the immune system.

Also, unrefined sunflower oil is often used for toothache, has a rejuvenating effect and promotes effective treatment thrombophlebitis.

The presence of valuable polyunsaturated fatty acids helps to rank this product as one of the must-haves on dining table, because fatty acids are needed by a person no less than vitamins or minerals.

Thanks to the regular use of sunflower oil, you can remove excess cholesterol from the body, cleanse the blood vessels, prevent heart and vascular diseases, and normalize blood circulation in the brain.

Unrefined sunflower oil reduces the risk of developing skin diseases, is an effective prevention of rickets in children.

Given the calorie content of this product, it can hardly be called dietary. But thanks to the valuable chemical composition and high taste characteristics, unrefined sunflower oil is a popular nutritious product and an effective remedy for rejuvenating and cleansing the body.

Also, this product is useful for nails: it strengthens the nail plate, prevents delamination. And masks with the addition of this oil will give the hair softness, easy combing. It is also useful to lubricate the roots with a small amount of oil from time to time: this way you can provide the strands with strength and stimulate their growth.

Harm

Sunflower oil can be beneficial if not overused. The daily dose should not exceed 2-3 tbsp. spoons. The calorie content of the oil is quite high, which should be taken into account when using it in weight loss diets.

And repeated frying of products in the same oil provokes the appearance of carcinogenic substances that cause the development of oncology.

If refined oils are more suitable for frying, then unrefined oils are best used raw (add to salads, for example).

Unrefined sunflower oil contains 9.86 grams of saturated fatty acids and does not contain sugar or carbohydrates. This product contains no harmful components and food additives, GMO. It is not surprising that this oil is such a popular nutritional product.

Calorie content

Unrefined sunflower oil contains 884 kcal per 100 grams, which is 40% of the daily calories. At the same time, fats in the composition of this product are 99.9%, and there are no proteins and carbohydrates (0%).

Contraindications

This product has a diuretic effect: in the presence of diseases of the biliary tract and gallbladder, its consumption should be minimized. You also need to reduce the intake of unrefined vegetable oil in case of heart and vascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and high level cholesterol in the blood.

The substances that are part of unrefined sunflower oil are useful for women at all stages of pregnancy and during breastfeeding. Therefore, this product has no contraindications for taking during the gestation and feeding of the baby. For babies, it is better to postpone the use of unrefined oil: the body is not yet ready for such new products. Therefore, it should be well sterilized and only then given to the baby (for example, with constipation). It is also best to refrain from topical application of this oil for newborns.

The nutritional value

The main value of unrefined sunflower seed oil is the presence of a large amount of fatty acids, which the body needs to strengthen cells, activate recovery processes, and improve health.

Vitamins and minerals

Unrefined sunflower oil is a source of valuable fatty acids, but not rich in minerals. This product contains iodine, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc. But they are contained in a minimal amount (less than 1% of the daily value).

Thanks to unrefined sunflower oil, you can improve your health, improve the functioning of internal organs, rejuvenate your skin and strengthen your hair. Like medicinal products, this oil has a positive effect on the entire body.

Unrefined and refined sunflower oil: benefits and harms

The controversy around the issue and the benefits of sunflower oil does not stop. Some are in a hurry to assure that refined oil is very harmful to health. Others are reluctant to buy unrefined because it often has a bitter taste and foams in the pan. There are opinions that just refined oil is able to withstand high temperatures, and natural (not refined), on the contrary, is suitable only for dressing salads. Where to find the truth, and which sunflower oil to choose. The benefits and harms of this product will be discussed in our today's article so that you can make your choice.

The benefits of sunflower oil

To begin with, it is one of the most popular foods used in cooking. Not a single kitchen is complete without its use; every housewife always keeps sunflower oil in a darkened cabinet. Its benefits and harms depend on the method of use, because the product itself is very valuable. It contains vitamins A, D, E, as well as many biologically active substances. Eating this product helps to improve vision, strengthen bones, hair, nails and skin. Sunflower oil has a beneficial effect on the endocrine and genitourinary system. The oil is capable of preserving many vitamins. For example, carotene in carrots only dissolves when consumed with oil.

Oil is also widely used in cosmetology. Almost all oils that are in pharmacies (burdock, St. John's wort, nettle and many others) are prepared on its basis. As you can see, sunflower oil is a very valuable product. Its benefits and harms, however, go hand in hand.

Sunflower oil harm

This is obvious, but one cannot but mention it. The product is very high in calories, and a large amount of fat in the composition can cause a set excess weight... Oil should be eaten in moderation. This is especially true for those who are obese. That is, in fact, all the harm that a person can get from this product is that it is high in calories. Therefore, you cannot use it in too large quantities. At the same time, dressing salads, you will not harm your body. However, anything fried in oil should be kept to a minimum.

Contraindications

Despite the fact that this is a product, and not a medicine, sunflower oil has its own contraindications. The benefits and harms of it have already been described, now let's see for whom this product is completely banned. These are primarily people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. If you have diseases of the biliary tract and gallbladder, then you should minimize the intake of oil. In addition, in minimal amounts, sunflower oil should be taken when diabetes mellitus and high cholesterol levels.

The benefits of refined oil

You will always recognize this product by its inherent characteristics - it is light color, lack of smell and smoke when frying. Therefore, more often than not, if you plan to cook pies or tortillas, then take just refined sunflower oil. The benefits and harms of this product are determined by the technologies by which it was purified. The composition of the product remains the same; the cleaning procedure does not change it. It is carried out in two ways. The first - physical, involves the use of adsorbents. The second is chemical, in this case the oil is passed through alkalis. The second method is more common, since it is easier to control the quality of the final product.

First of all, we can appreciate the advantage of refined oil when frying. It does not taste, smoke or foam. Nevertheless, you should not strongly discard the pan. The smoke point, when the oil starts to burn, forming carcinogens, is higher in the refined oil, but it still exists.

The harm of refined oil

In some cases, if you want to get an odorless product, you should use frozen sunflower oil. The benefits and harms of this product are little known, however, it can be assumed that you get a purified, odorless product without using any alkalis and absorbent substances. Manufacturers of course claim that the oil is washed well after cleaning and no harmful impurities are retained in it. Believe it or not, the home cleaning process is much safer. For example, do not use factory-refined sunflower oil on an empty stomach. The benefits and harms of such a product depend on how it is purified. No matter how safe industrial alkalis are, their impurities are unlikely to add to your health.

Benefits of unrefined oil

Now let's take a look at unrefined sunflower oil. For a long time, its benefits and harms were not considered at all, it was written down in cheap products for the poorest, and everyone else used purified food. However, this is fundamentally wrong. Cold-pressed oil is the very best you can think of for your health. It retains the maximum nutrients, which are in sunflower seeds. It is it that is very useful for dressing vegetable salads, you can drink it on an empty stomach in the morning, as well as arrange for rinsing your mouth with sunflower oil. The benefits and harms of this ritual have been studied since antiquity. This is how they treat sore throat, sore throat, relieve headache and toothache. To do this, a little oil is taken into the mouth and rinsed for 20 minutes, after which it is supposed to spit out the oil.

This lean food product has been used since ancient times as a substitute for animal fats during fasting, or during illness. Dough was made in vegetable oil, lean pies were baked, and it was added to cereals.

Harm of unrefined oil

When frying, unrefined oil does more harm than good. When heating starts, excess moisture in the oil rises, and this immediately leads to the appearance of foam. It is very difficult to control the frying process when the products are covered with a thick layer of foam. Natural oil starts to smoke already at 100 degrees, considering that average temperature frying pies - 230 degrees, it is clear that the formation of carcinogens is inevitable.

This means that if you decide to fry the meat in fragrant oil, you will hopelessly spoil the product as a result, and the whole room will have to be ventilated for a very long time. The smell after frying in unrefined oil is very persistent. Nutritionists unanimously argue that, despite the high calorie content, vegetable oil should be present in the diet regularly. At the same time, it is better to take peeled for frying, and unrefined for making sauces and dressing salads. Therefore, you should always have two bottles of oil in your kitchen.

Let's summarize

Today we covered an important topic, since each of us constantly buys sunflower oil. The benefits and harms (we discussed in detail how to take refined and natural oil earlier) of this product very much depend on how you use it. First of all, you need to observe the dosage, every day it is permissible to use only 2 tablespoons, due to its high calorie content. In addition, in order not to get harmful carcinogens with food, you need to remember that you can only fry in refined oil. But for salads and sandwiches, you can use fragrant, unrefined seeds smelling of seeds.

Refined sunflower oil - benefits and harms

When it comes to useful properties oil, it means the presence of the same amount of nutrients in the oil as was contained in raw seeds. Raw sunflower seeds are enriched with nine minerals and ten vitamins. Mineral composition it is not possible to preserve the oil, but the vitamins after the first cold pressing remain in the same amount.

The composition of sunflower oil includes the following components:

• vegetable fats, which are absorbed by the body much easier than animal fats;
• fatty acids, which are necessary for the body to build cells correctly, for the healthy functioning of the circulatory and nervous system;
• vitamins D and A, which are responsible for the condition of the skin, bones, vision, healthy immune function;
• vitamin E, which protects the body from aging and cancer.

Choosing oil for frying, or for dressing salads, we are faced with a choice: which sunflower oil is better - refined or unrefined? Unrefined oil is considered to be more useful, because it retains all the valuable properties of sunflower seed. It is not recommended to use such oil for frying; moreover, it becomes harmful to the body. Refined sunflower oil contains in its composition much less useful substances, but at the same time it is suitable for thermal processing of products.

Update: October 2018

Sunflower oil is a popular daily dietary supplement that is used for cooking, is a versatile skin care product, and even helps treat certain conditions. Basically, people give preference to him - this is both budgetary and already familiar to many.

Few people think about the quality of the product, choosing solely by its external characteristics and label. Is the perfectly transparent oil in the original bottle so good and what is hidden behind "100% naturalness", we will tell in this article.

Chemical composition and nutritional value of sunflower oil

Natural, raw product has the following composition (average values):

Also in the composition there are small amounts of vitamins D, K, carotenes, vegetable carbohydrates, proteins, mucus, waxes, tannins, inulin.

The composition of sunflower oil varies depending on the terrain and growing conditions of the sunflower, and not always for the better. Plants can be treated with insecticides and pesticides, which also get into the seeds. The composition of the oil, including the residual content of chemically aggressive substances, is regulated by GOST.

Useful properties of the product

The beneficial properties of sunflower oil are well known today. This is a product with a high degree of digestibility, up to 95-98%. The positive effect on the body is due to the composition:

• phospholipids improve the functioning of cells of the nervous tissue and the brain, protect against the development of atherosclerosis, participate in the construction of cell membranes;
• tocopherol (vit. E) is a powerful antioxidant, normalizes metabolism, contributes to the preservation of youth, has an antitumor effect and enhances immunity. In terms of tocopherol content, sunflower oil is richer;
• vitamin D responsible for the good condition of bones and skin;
• vitamin K participates in the normalization of blood viscosity, prevents internal bleeding;
• unsaturated fatty acids (Omega-6 and Omega-9) are directly involved in correct work liver, blood vessels, nervous system, normalize the lipoprotein spectrum of the blood and prevent the development of atherosclerosis. They increase immunity, have anticarcinogenic and antioxidant effects. Participate in the normalization of hormonal levels.
• beta carotene has a positive effect on growth processes, the state of immunity and improves vision.

Summing up, it should be said that if the consumption rate is observed, a real, high-quality product helps to fight atherosclerosis and its complications (heart attack, stroke), improves the function of the central nervous system and increases concentration, slows down the processes of premature aging, improves the condition of hair and skin, and has a beneficial effect on work. endocrine and genitourinary systems, has an antiarrhythmic and cardioprotective effect, has a positive effect on the state of the gastrointestinal mucosa and is used for constipation (1 tablespoon oil on an empty stomach).

Types of sunflower oil

This product is obtained from sunflower seeds using various technologies. Each of them is based on a similar process:

• mechanical cleaning of sunflower oil seeds from husks;
• processing of kernels in woodwheels: crushing into pulp;
• squeezing sunflower oil: passing the gruel through the press and obtaining the first press product;
• processing of the remaining mass, which may contain up to 30% of the product, in the extraction department.

Further, the oil is processed (purified and refined): centrifugation, settling, hydration, filtration, bleaching, deodorization and freezing. And each of these processes has an impact on the quality of the final product. The production of sunflower oil is regulated by law: there is GOST 1129-2013, which clearly defines the normative amount of chemicals, organoleptic indicators, physical and chemical properties and others, according to which the quality of the product is standardized.

There are 5 types of oil. They are indicated on the label. Studying the product in the store, it is already possible to draw a conclusion about its quality, composition and effect on the body.

Raw unrefined

It is a first-press product that only undergoes filtration. It is considered the most useful: a minimum of production stages allows you to preserve a maximum of useful substances.

• pros: has a pleasant natural taste, intense yellow... In unrefined oil, you can count on the presence of phospholipids, vitamins, carotene, fatty acids.
• Minuses: however, it quickly becomes bitter and tarnished, therefore it has a short shelf life.

There are 3 types: premium, first and second grade. Crude oil is obtained in three ways - hot and cold pressing and extraction:

• Cold pressed allows you to get the highest quality, but expensive product (up to 20-30% oil remains in the cake).
• Hot pressing involves the use of high temperature: the process is accelerated, and more oil comes out.
• Extraction. During the extraction, the plant material with "under-pressed" oil (cake) is mixed with a solvent, and the oil completely transforms into an organic solvent, which is gasoline or hexane. The mixture is then separated - a process called distillation, during which the oil is separated from the solvent. This is already a proven technology, and we hasten to reassure our readers - there are no gasoline residues in the oil! You can read more about the technology in the food production manuals.

All subsequent processes of purification and processing are nothing more than bringing the product to the required presentation and shelf life.

Hydrated

A product that, in addition to mechanical purification, undergoes a hydration process: it is passed through oil heated to 60 ° C hot water in the form of a fine dispersion (70 ° C). During this process, protein and mucous fractions precipitate. After processing, the oil has a less pronounced smell and taste, becomes lighter, without turbidity and sediment.

They also distinguish between the highest, first and second grades of the product, similar to unrefined.

Neutralized and refined

The product undergoes complete purification from impurities, as well as free fatty acids, phospholipids using alkalis and acids. The oil acquires optimal external consumer properties, but loses its typical aroma and taste, as well as useful components. It is used for frying, stewing and deep-frying, as well as for the production of cooking fats and margarines.

Refined deodorized

It is obtained by refining and subsequent exposure to water vapor under vacuum. During processing, the product is deprived of aromatic substances, which shorten the shelf life.

• Brand "D" indicates that the product is suitable for dietary and baby food,
• Brand "P"- for the rest of the population.

Refined deodorized frozen sunflower oil

Freezing oil leads to the removal of wax-like substances (which impart turbidity in cold conditions and spoil the presentation) and further increase the shelf life. In fact, this product has no taste, no smell, no nutrients in the composition, and is nothing more than a mixture of triglycerides.

How to choose the best sunflower oil

Most useful- crude oil of the first extraction, obtained by cold pressing from quality seeds sunflower grown in ecologically clean conditions and sold in glass containers. Has a short shelf life, if violated, it becomes cloudy and rancid. In addition, when oil goes rancid, carcinogens are formed in it, which are dangerous to health.

This product contains all useful substances and is ideal for dressing salads, side dishes. But frying on it is definitely not worth it: when boiling, it begins to foam, smoke and release carcinogenic substances that enter the food, and with it - into the human body. Yes, the received carcinogen does not necessarily cause cancer. But the regular intake of carcinogens (and not only with food) leads to their accumulation in the body, and sooner or later the sporadic effect may work!

A reasonable question arises: where to find it and how to choose a good unrefined oil?

Today, such products can be bought in small farms, shops healthy eating and from manufacturers who are engaged in obtaining an environmentally friendly product. Naturally, all manufacturers must have permits, strictly observe the technology and carry out production control: the study of the quality and composition of the oil in accredited laboratories at a specified frequency. The buyer has the right to demand documents for the oil: research protocols and a quality certificate.

How to choose homemade sunflower oil?

It is very difficult to talk about the quality of oils that are sold in bulk or in bottles in the markets. There are only guidelines on which to rely, but the main guarantee that the bottle is not counterfeit is the quality certificate.

So, a home product:

• has a pronounced, rich aroma and natural taste of seeds;
• has a rich yellow-golden color, but not dark;
• a drop of oil on the skin of the hand should spread slowly;
• when pouring a product from a container into another container, there should be practically no sound;
• a slight sediment at the bottom is allowed.

Should alert:

• unnatural dark color, taste and consistency of the product,
• the presence of suspended matter (turbidity),
• Strong smell,
• the shelf life of the draft oil is only 1 month - no one can guarantee that the seller is conscientious and says the real production date.

If you are lucky enough to find the one best manufacturer product "sick" in its business - do not buy a lot of oil, it is better to come to it on the market twice or three times a month for fresh. Store purchased oil only in the refrigerator and in glass containers.

How to choose a good refined oil in the store?

• You can't blindly trust ads ... Very often, manufacturers manipulate the minds of buyers and write attractive phrases on the labels:
  • "Cholesterol free". This is understandable - a plant product cannot contain cholesterol;
  • "Fortified". If we are talking about unrefined, then the statement may be true. But in a repeatedly refined product (refined) there cannot be vitamins, and most likely a synthetic vitamin (most often E) is added;
  • "Natural"... Natural means it is created from sunflower seeds, i.e. natural, not artificial. Both refined and unrefined oils are natural. There is still no nanotechnology to synthesize oil in an artificial way.

You can write anything on the label - but the consumer should pay attention not to the front part, but to the back, where the composition is indicated.

• Read the composition of the product carefully! On the front of the label it may be written "Sunflower", and in the composition - a mixture of vegetable oils, for example, the addition of rapeseed. This is a tricky, but legitimate trick of the manufacturer: in this case, the word "sunflower" is the name of the product, as well as "Golden Seed", "Kubanskoye", etc.
• Give preference to trusted, well-known manufacturers of sunflower oil that manufacture their products in accordance with GOST with the "P" or "D" marking.
• Choose a bottle that stands at the back of the shelf and in no case take the packaging from open display cases - the oil is oxidized in the light.
• Carefully read the release date and expiration date: if it comes to an end, you should not take such oil (and most often it is such products that are launched under a promotional product with a very tempting price).

Digressing a little from the topic, we note that adherents of healthy lifestyles and people who want to live a long time have long abandoned such a method of cooking as frying in oil, deep fat. There is a special kitchen dishes which allows you to cook with a delicious crust but no oil.

If life without food fried in the classical way is not possible, you need to buy oils that do not change their properties and properties of the product when boiling (high-quality refined deodorized and frozen).

Very important:

• pour the product into a cold frying pan and reheat slowly;
• do not cook at the highest temperatures;
• do not overcook food (the crisp and tastier the crust, the more dangerous the food is for health);
• during frying, turn meat products more often - this is how uniform heating occurs without the formation of local overcooked foci with carcinogenic substances;
• Allow excess oil to drain from the food and discard the rest after frying. The greatest harm to refined sunflower oil occurs if it is reused for frying products: with each subsequent heating, they accumulate dangerous carcinogens that can cause cancer.

Experiment

In one of the programs of the "Habitat" cycle, an experiment was carried out: a professional chef fried potatoes on different types oils: refined and unrefined sunflower, sesame, unrefined olive, ghee and butter. Samples of the finished product and residues of oils were checked in the laboratory of the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences for the content of one of the most powerful carcinogens - acrylamide.

Results:

• In all samples of the finished product, the acrylamide level was 900-1500 micrograms per kilogram, which is within the normal range.
• In two samples, the acrylamide level was found to be negligible:
  • 0.584 milligrams per kilogram in a product cooked with unrefined sunflower oil
  • 0.009 milligrams per kilogram in potatoes fried in refined sunflower oil.

Thus, it was concluded that the best oil for frying food is refined sunflower oil.

• Even natural vegetable oil should be taken in limited amounts.... This is a high-calorie product that, in large doses, can provoke the development or exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and lead to weight gain. With uncontrolled use of oil, especially on an empty stomach, gastrointestinal dysfunction (diarrhea) may develop.
• Consumption rate- about 2 tablespoons per day in pure form (including oil in dishes).
• In no case should you cleanse the body using this product.... This method is still positioned by charlatans as the best and safest, but in fact leads to irreversible changes in the function of the liver and gallbladder.
• Expiry dates cannot be ignored, but rather divided by two... Over time, oxides (peroxides and hydroperoxides) are formed in the product, disrupting metabolic processes. Any product after opening the container must be used within 1 month after opening.
• You should also observe temperature regime storage do not place the product on a window or in direct sunlight. Natural unrefined oil should only be stored in glass containers and refrigerated.
• Turbidity and sediment that formed in the raw product during the acceptable shelf life are not a sign of poor quality. Waxes and phosphatides precipitate, useful components... Just shake the bottle.

Sunflower oil harm

Sunflower oil inflicts the strongest blow on the body in the following cases:

1. Unrefined- if it is expired or used for frying and deep-frying;
2. Refined- if it is expired or used for frying and deep-frying INCORRECTLY - repeatedly and at maximum temperatures at which it starts to smoke!

The harm of expired oil

In expired oils (when rancid), aldehydes and ketones are formed.

• Ketones- toxic. They have an irritating effect, penetrate the skin, some of them have a carcinogenic and mutagenic effect.
• Aldehydes- are able to accumulate in the body, providing general toxic, irritant and neurotoxic effects, and some are also carcinogens.

• The most useful of all is raw and unrefined oil, but it will not be possible to buy it for future use, since shelf life is limited (4-6 months).
• The shelf life of homemade oil is 1 month, i.e. it should be eaten immediately after purchase.
• Refined oil can be store for 12-18 months after manufacture(and as practice shows, it is stored even more, without changing at all externally, and some people use it), but there will be no benefit from such oil, but harm is quite possible.

Why frying in vegetable oil is harmful

The smoke point of refined oil is 232 ° C, unrefined 107 ° C. It is easy to understand that the oil has reached the specified temperature range: it begins to smoke, emit a pungent odor, "cut" the eyes and irritate the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract.

When frying among a bouquet of "chemistry" are especially dangerous:

• Acrolein... Acrylic acid aldehyde, a poisonous substance that is highly irritating to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and eyes. Formed immediately when the oil reaches its fuming temperature.
• Acrylamide... Acrylic acid amide. Toxin that affects the liver, kidneys and nervous system... Formed in starchy foods when fried in oil at temperatures above 120 ° C. It is localized in the very "tasty and aromatic" crust.
• Fatty acid polymers, heterocyclic amines and free radicals... Formed in products of combustion and smoke. They have a general toxic effect.
• Carbon-containing polycyclic substances (benzpyrene, coronene). Strong chemical carcinogens of the first hazard class, which are formed in fumes and combustion products.

Application in cosmetology

The natural product is used for cosmetic purposes to moisturize dry skin. Differs in regenerating and softening properties and helps to restore the skin after a long stay in the cold. Smoothes fine wrinkles. It is used to cleanse the skin of the face - quickly dissolves and removes impurities.

To moisturize dry skin, compresses are made from heated oil. With such a problem as cracks on the feet, hands and lips, as well as irritation on the skin, a simple recipe helps: take 100 ml of oil and 1 bottle of pharmacy vitamin A, mix and lubricate problem areas of the skin two to three times a day.

For hair, it is used as a component of nourishing and moisturizing masks.

Contraindications and restrictions

A direct contraindication to the use of the product is individual intolerance - an allergy to oil or sunflower seeds.

In limited quantities and with caution, the oil should be used by people with:

• chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• dysfunction of the biliary tract or gallbladder, cholelithiasis. This category of persons should not take oil on an empty stomach and the recommended rate should be strictly observed. In patients with gallbladder stones, while taking oil, stones may move and the bile ducts become blocked;
• diabetes mellitus;
• obesity.

conclusions

Many media outlets write that olive oil is a panacea, which is positioned as the most valuable and healthy. What's in practice?

To get the basic nutrients necessary for the body, sunflower oil, familiar to Russians, is enough: unrefined, fresh, not rancid, properly stored (no more than 1 month in a refrigerator in a glass container) and without subjecting the product to heat treatment, i.e. for dressing salads and as a flavoring agent.

For frying, deep fat, you should use only good refined sunflower oil and drain it after cooking. For each new portion of food, add fresh oil.

And in order to get the most, you need to combine various oils (and not only olive) or alternate their use:

• the largest amount of vitamin E is provided by the sunflower product;
• essential omega-3 acids are contained in flaxseed and mustard oil;
• a complex of Omega-6 acids, biologically active substances, minerals and vitamins and are contained in any unrefined product obtained by the direct extraction method, including olive.

And yet - everything useful is useful if the measure is observed. You can not use more than 3 tablespoons. oil per day, even if you produce it yourself and are 100% sure of the quality!

There are three types of fats:

• saturated (a lot of them are found in animal and solid vegetable fat, great for cooking);
• Monounsaturated (high amounts are found in almond, avocado and olive oils);
• polyunsaturated (found in all vegetable fats).

Useful properties of vegetable fats:

• They contain essential polyunsaturated acids. Omega-3 and Omega-6. They are vital to our health. And the body cannot produce them on its own. The only way to get them is through food.
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids prevent blood clots, inflammation, and high blood pressure. They help the immune system work in full force, promote proper digestion.
• The product contains substances that improve tissue regeneration. Thanks to this property, the aging process of cells slows down.
• Natural oils (especially the first cold pressed) contain a lot of vitamin E. It is an antioxidant that helps the body fight free radicals. It is also called the “vitamin of beauty and youth”. Hence - the beneficial effect of vegetable liquid fats on the skin.
• Plant-based saturated fats contain less bad cholesterol. Liquid oils prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

Harm

There are a lot of vegetable fats. All of them can be combined into two large groups:

• solid;
• liquid (oils).

Each specific product can harm the body in its own way. Consider what is common to all vegetable fats.

The harm of vegetable fat:

• Frequent and large amounts of food in food can cause infertility in women. This is due to the imbalance of fatty acids: they began to eat more vegetable oil, less animal fats.
• After processing at high temperature polyunsaturated fats are oxidized. In this form, they lead to a thinning of the walls of the arteries and their subsequent rupture.
• Oxidized substances are not absorbed by the cells of the body and are not used by them as an energy resource. They float in the bloodstream, gradually settling on the walls of blood vessels. The result is obesity, heart disease, cancer.
• Altered polyunsaturated fats help in the production of free radicals. The risk of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, oncology increases.

Calorie content

All types of liquid vegetable fat contain 900 kcal. Let's calculate the energy value depending on the measure of weight:

The number of calories an adult needs on a daily basis depends on a number of factors:

• age;
• height and weight;

On average, an adult needs between 2,500 and 4,500 calories per day. The lower limit is for people engaged in mental work. The upper one is physical. Of course, few people will eat vegetable fat in its pure form. But for cooking, for dressing salads, it is often used. Therefore, the calorie content must be taken into account. Especially those categories that require dietary nutrition.

Contraindications

• The main food element of vegetable oils is fats. These are high-calorie foods. Therefore, people who are prone to obesity should not abuse vegetable fats.
• To reduce the cost, industrial corporations use chemical solvents when processing cotton, soybean, or rapeseed seeds. All of these chemicals are subsequently deposited in the liver and absorbed into the bloodstream. The situation is aggravated by repeated processing of plant materials. Therefore, you need to use oils produced by the cold-pressed method.

The nutritional value

The food industry produces several types of vegetable fats. Let's consider the most popular ones:

The data in the table is given as a percentage of the total fat content. One hundred grams of the product contains 90-100 grams of fat. There are no proteins and carbohydrates in vegetable oils.

Vitamins and minerals

All vegetable fats contain a lot of vitamin E. But maximum benefit it will bring if the product is not exposed to strong heat.

Several decades ago, in times of food shortages, the housewives did not have the question of which oil to choose for frying or salad - they had to take what was available in stores. Nowadays, counters are replete with a huge number of varieties of oils from various fruits and seeds, which can sometimes be quite difficult to navigate.

Which oil from the assortment on the market should you buy and which products should you watch out for? Are all types of oil equally beneficial? And what is the cost of a product? the website and program "Consumer Revolution" tried to find answers.

Myth # 1: Sunflower oil contains toxins

According to experts, on average, Muscovites eat about 250 tons of vegetable oil per year. This means that one person consumes about 15 liters of product per year. The most popular oil is predictably sunflower - it is chosen by about 60% of Muscovites. In second place is olive, which is preferred by 35% of Muscovites. And only a few residents of the capital introduce into their diet the so-called "exotic" oils: cedar, hemp, linseed, camelina, etc.

There are many biases associated with the production and consumption of oil. One of the most common says: sunflower contains little toxins.

Food industry experts argue that the presence or absence of toxins in sunflower oil rather depends on the conditions of production and storage than on the "natural predisposition" of the product to release hazardous substances, which, one way or another, are contained in a certain amount in all plant organisms. In case of improper storage of the product (for example, under the influence of direct sunlight or in the open air), secondary oxidation is possible, leading to the release of dangerous toxic substances - aldehydes and ketones.

Another danger that an unscrupulous manufacturer can expose to the buyer is the ingestion of benzopyrene, a carcinogen of the first hazard class, which can provoke the onset of cancer. The ingestion of this carcinogen into the body is possible when using a method of drying sunflower seeds that does not meet the technical safety standards, for example, on diesel fuel... In this case, fat-soluble products of fuel combustion can get into the oil itself and "poison" it.

Fortunately, for large-scale industries, these mistakes are a thing of the past. Modern enterprises, as a rule, have their own laboratories and all the equipment necessary for analyzing the composition of oils. The buyer takes risks only in the case of buying oil "hand-held" from an unverified supplier.

Myth # 2: The Best Sunflower Oil - Premium

Some buyers tend to avoid purchasing "budget" varieties of sunflower oils, since they believe that the price and category are directly related to the quality of the product: the more expensive it is, the healthier and safer. However, experts tend to disagree with this point of view.

The main difference between the oils of the "Premium", "Extra" and "First Grade" categories is the difference in the peroxide value, which reflects the degree of oxidation of the product - the lower it is, the higher the oil category. Experts note that it is extremely important to maintain the peroxide value within the normal range after the expiration date of the product, since this means not only compliance with the declared quality standards, but also compliance with storage standards. For an adult, the difference in the oxidation state is not so significant (2 mmol per kilogram for the "Premium" category oil, 4 mmol per kilogram for the "Premium" category and 1 mmol a kilogram for the "First grade"), while for baby food you should choose the oil with the lowest index - "Premium" category.

One more hallmark is the production technology. Oil of the "Premium" category (some manufacturers use the definition of "Extra virgin") cannot be produced by the extraction method, in which oil is extracted from the cake remaining after direct pressing with the help of reagents. But there is no need to worry about the safety of the oil obtained using this technology: after extraction, the product is purified from all impurities, so it is completely harmless to health.

Among sunflower oils of various categories, the price range is relatively small, so counterfeiting is rare.

Falsification can be considered the non-compliance of the product with the declared requirements revealed during the examination - in this case, the buyer will have to deal with an unjustifiably high cost, which, of course, is unpleasant, but does not yet indicate a threat to his health. According to industry experts, the most common method of falsification, which is resorted to in order to reduce the cost of production, is to mix more expensive types of oils with cheaper ones. However, among sunflower oils of various categories, the price range is relatively small, so falsifications are rare. Again, they are more likely to occur in small businesses than in large reputable companies.

Myth # 3: Refined oil contains no nutrients

As you know, the main task of refined oil is to be the basis for cooking. For this, the product is specially cleaned from all possible impurities and is odorless. The whole value of unrefined oil, on the contrary, lies in the content of impurities that are useful in raw form, but dangerous during heat treatment - they contribute to the release of carcinogens, which were already mentioned in the text earlier. At the same time, fatty acids and vitamins in unrefined oil are preserved to a greater extent. This does not mean that refined oil is devoid of useful substances - they can only be contained in it in a relatively smaller volume compared to unrefined oil. Thus, it can be argued that unrefined oil is more suitable for consumption "raw", while refined oil is better for frying.

However, you should not resort to extremes in choosing one or another type of oil: according to nutritionists, carcinogens are also released during frying in refined oil, but in significantly smaller quantities. To minimize harm to health, you should monitor, as far as possible, the heating temperature of the pan so that the oil does not start to burn, or bake food in the oven where the required temperature can be maintained. Also, do not re-fry oil that has already cooked food.

The use of oil with a high content of oleic acid, which is extremely resistant to heating, during frying can significantly reduce the release of oxidation products. Nutritionists believe that high oleic oil is optimal for frying and affordable in comparison with other types of refined oils.

Myth # 4: Olive oil is better than sunflower oil

In general, the difference in the nutrient content of these two oils is not that great.

Among the obvious advantages of unrefined olive oil over unrefined sunflower oil, one can note a higher content of vitamin E. It is also worth noting the closest to optimal ratio of unsaturated fatty acids omega-3 to omega-6 in olive oil (approximately 1/13 with an optimal value of 1/4 up to 1/10, while in sunflower oil - 1/200).

If we talk about refined oils, then here sunflower is in no way inferior to olive oil, and both are inferior to high oleic oil in terms of price / quality ratio.

Thus, the preference for one or another type of oil remains a matter of taste and financial possibilities (olive oil for Russia is an imported product and costs an order of magnitude more expensive than sunflower oil). However, nutritionists insist that an excess of sunflower oil in the diet can have a detrimental effect on the body precisely because of the imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Experts also recommend paying attention to the packaging of the product - if possible, pour the oil into an opaque glass container (in which olive oil is more common than sunflower oil) and not store it in cans after opening.

Myth # 5: "Exotic oils" are the healthiest

The truth of this statement is not in doubt by any of the experts. Indeed, the benefits of "exotic oils" lie in the aforementioned ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 unsaturated fatty acids. For this reason, nutritionists recommend combining them with more familiar types of oils - sunflower or olive (or both at the same time). But still, "exotic oils" have a number of disadvantages:

Specific taste. Mustard oil may seem too tart, linseed oil - bitter, camelina - sour (camelina - genus herbaceous plants from the cabbage family). The perception of taste is subjective and you may have to spend a certain amount of time to find your own among "exotic" oils;

Price. Not only the time of the buyer, who decides to try the "exotic" little, is at risk, but also the means. Price range: from 160 (camelina) to 4000 (hemp oil) rubles per liter. One of the main pricing factors in this case is the low prevalence and growing popularity of such oils;

Medical contraindications. Linseed oil may be the most useful product, but not suitable for a specific person, and instead of benefit, cause damage to the body. Therefore, before including any of the "exotic oils" in your diet, you should consult your doctor.

The use of "exotic oils" has a beneficial effect on the body, but its choice, perhaps, should be approached even more thoroughly than the choice of refined oil for frying or unrefined oil for dressing with various hot and cold dishes.