Diet for heart disease prevention with special reference to edible oils

     

1.        Food of plant in origin contains no cholesterol. Only animal food has cholesterol, therefore, all oils which are plant in origin will have zero cholesterol while animal fat like Desi Ghee (cow or buffalo) will have cholesterol.

2.        Any fat which is saturated will be solid at room temperature and the one which is unsaturated will be liquid at room temperature. All plant oils, therefore, will be unsaturated and Desi Ghee, Butter will be saturated. When an unsaturated liquid oil is hydrogenated, it becomes hydrogenated oil, solid at room temperature and therefore, will be saturated.

3.        Unsaturated oils can be poly-unsaturated or mono-unsaturated. Mono-unsaturated oils are heat stable and the oils can be reused after frying or boiling. Boiled Poly unsaturated oils on the other hand will oxidize on heating and may not be suitable for reuse.

4.        Omega 3 fatty acid in unsaturated oils is the key for cardiovascular prevention. The N3:N6 ratio is the one which classify various oils. More N3 means more Omega 3 fatty acid.

5.        When choosing unsaturated oils, a blend  of oils is better than single oil and, if one oil has to be used, then it is preferred to be mono-unsaturated.  A single oil is used should be mustered oil, groundnut oil or  olive oil. A recent study has shown Mediterranean diet which involves consumption of pure virgin olive oil in adequate amount can cause regression of heart diseases. Virgin olive oil has also been shown to dissolve gallbladder stones. There are blend of oils available which are a mix of poly and mono-unsaturated oils and if they have more N3:N6 ration, they can be consumed from healthy point of view.

6.        Trans fats are the biggest culprit (hydrogenated oils). Saturated fat increases LDL bad cholesterol while transfat increases LDL bad cholesterol and simultaneously reduces good HDL cholesterol. It is better to consume desi ghee than vanaspati ghee.

7.        Moderation and variety is the answer. One should not consume more than ½ kg of ghee, oil, butter in a month which means 3 tea spoon full in a day. I recommend a mix of unsaturated oils, saturated oils and butter in a day with a maximum 3 tea spoon full (15 ml).

8.        One should not re-fry or deep fry food articles. One should use non-stick pans for reducing the amount of oil in cooking. The smaller pieces of vegetables you cut while cooking the more will be available surface area and more will be oil consumption. One should boil the vegetables and cook them to reduce the amount of oil required for cooking.

9.        There are some medicines available which are Lipase inhibitors which are called cheating drugs and they do not allow fat to be observed if you take any excess in parties. As per naturopathy, consuming a glass of water with lemon after half an hour of eating food may help in washing of the fat lined on the intestinal lining.

10.     1% rise in bad cholesterol increases the chances of heart attack by 2% and 1% reduction in good HDL cholesterol reduces the chances of heart attack by 3%.