Month: November 2021

Have you been curious about what it is about cooking oils that turn them into healthy or unhealthy choices, especially when it comes to your heart health? The presence of certain substances in these edible oils determines their health benefits. One such substance is gamma-oryzanol oil. 

But what is gamma oryzanol oil? As a cooking oil component, this substance plays an essential role in infusing beneficial qualities in oils. So, what are the benefits of gamma oryzanol in edible oils? Before exploring the details, let us first know a bit about gamma-oryzanol oil.

What Is Gamma Oryzanol?

Here’s a brief explanation of what is oryzanol oil –

Gamma-oryzanol primarily occurs in the fat fraction of rice bran and rice bran oil. In rice bran cooking oil, gamma-oryzanol occurs at a level of 1 to 2%. It has several properties which play an important role in lowering cholesterol by decreasing its absorption to the blood, and it also improves insulin sensitivity. It is also known as a cholesterol lowering oil. It serves as a natural antioxidant and helps stimulate our immunity. Blended oils made with rice bran oil are even better as along with gamma-oryzanol, they also have a good balance of 3 fatty acids that are necessary for good nutrition.  

What Are the Benefits of Gamma Oryzanol in Your Cooking Oil?

The presence of gamma-oryzanol oil in your cooking oil can provide you with several health benefits. Here are some of the health benefits of gamma oryzanol for your body:  

1. Lowers Cholesterol Level in the Blood

It is a known fact that high cholesterol levels in the blood can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It can cause heart diseases, heart attacks, and even stroke. That is why it is important to keep your cholesterol level under control. An effective way to do this is to cook your food in oils which help to manage your cholesterol.

According to research carried out on gamma-oryzanol, this component can lower cholesterol levels in the blood. It helps to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which is known as bad cholesterol. Gamma-oryzanol also increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is known as good cholesterol. This cholesterol lowering oil reduces total serum cholesterol in your blood. It helps to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Cooking your food in blended oils that contain gamma-oryzanol oil can help in ensuring good heart health.

1. Remains Preserved at High Temperature

It is not enough for a component to be present in your cooking oil. Its beneficial properties must remain preserved at high temperatures to be suitable for all kinds of cooking, especially during frying and baking at elevated temperatures. This is even more important in Indian cooking where many dishes are cooked or fried at high temperatures. 

The high smoke point of rice bran oil makes it an ideal choice for cooking at high temperatures. The best part is that the beneficial oryzanol compound remains well-preserved when cooked. 

1. Serves as Natural Antioxidant in Food

Oxidation is a natural process that takes place in the human body. This process gets accelerated due to several reasons, such as alcohol, stress, sunlight, pollution, and cigarette smoking, to name some of the factors. But are you aware that when oxidation takes place in the human body, it produces free radicals? These free radicals are unstable chemicals that can cause damage to your cell membranes and other structures in your body. Such damage may include increased risk of heart disease, deterioration or vision loss, damage to brain nerve cells, inflammation of joints, and acceleration of the ageing process.  Antioxidants present in good oil for cooking help neutralize free radicals and reduce the damage caused by oxidation. 

A rich diet in antioxidants can help reduce the impact of potentially harmful free radicals. These free radicals have been shown to have a negative impact on our heart health. Gamma-oryzanol oil serves as a natural antioxidant in foods and beverages. That means when you use oryzanol oil, you can reap the benefits of antioxidants as well as other benefits.

Get Gamma Oryzanol Benefits with Saffola

When it comes to healthy oil good for the heart, you need to make your selection with care. If you want to derive the benefits of gamma oryzanol oil, Saffola Gold blended oil is the right cholesterol lowering oil for you. This blended oil can serve as the first step towards keeping your heart healthy. Saffola Gold not only has oryzanol oil but also an advanced anti-oxidant system that helps maintains healthy cholesterol levels. The antioxidants present in this cooking oil helps to strengthen your immunity. Since this oil has Losorb Technology, it results in lower absorption of oil by upto 33% when frying. In short, when you want the best of taste and health, Saffola Gold is a suitable choice for you.

The age-old proverb ‘health is wealth’ stands true even today – since your health is the most important thing in your life, you should always make it a priority as nothing can replace its absence. So, begin today by choosing a balanced diet with an active lifestyle and switch over to a healthy cooking oil for your health journey. 

Eating healthy is good for you and good for your heart. But when it comes to healthy eating, one of the most important parts that is often overlooked is the cooking oil. Picking a healthy cooking oil such as a blended cooking oil should be one of the first changes that you should make when you’re trying to switch to a healthier diet. You can make an informed decision to pick the right type of oil that can give the maximum number of benefits. To understand this, first, you need to know what type of cooking oils are good and bad for you.

 

What Makes a Cooking Oil Healthy

All oils are fats, but not all types of fats are the good. Saturated fats can have a negative impact on your health, especially when consumed in large quantities. National Institute of Nutrition’s dietary guidelines recommends reducing your consumption of saturated fats from sources such as ghee but still maintaining an intake of essential fatty acids that help your body with its regular functions including processing fat-soluble vitamins. Healthy oils are low in saturated fats and rich in unsaturated fats, the good kind of fats. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are found in different types of vegetable and seed oils. MUFAs and PUFAs come with their own benefits but ideally, you should get the right balance of both in your diet to stay heart healthy.

 

Benefits of Blended Cooking Oils

Among the various seed-based cooking oils available in India, most of them are either rich in monounsaturated fatty acids or polyunsaturated fatty acids so you can only get the benefits of one from single cooking oil. Blended oils, also known as Multi-source edible oils, combine two oils in the right ratio, so you get the benefit of two oils in one. They aren’t very different from single-seed oils when it comes to cooking – you won’t notice much of a difference in taste but it’s a much better choice, especially if you’re looking for the best cooking oil for health in India.

1. They are Scientifically Blended to be Rich in MUFAs and PUFAs

Blended oils combine two oils into one, so you have a rich source of MUFAs and PUFAs from a single healthy cooking oil. While these blended oils are a combination of different oils, the process isn’t as simple as mixing of oils in any proportion. There is a scientifically derived percentage of both types of oil, used to create the blend. Research suggests that long-term use of blended cooking oils that have the right fatty acid profile can help prevent heart diseases in Indians.

2. Blends Can Have A Higher Smoke Point Over Some Single-Source Oils

Many single-source oils have a low smoke point which means that they can’t be used at high temperatures for cooking purposes such as frying. A lower smoke point means that the oils heat up quickly and start to smoke, after which it would have to be removed from heat. Blended oils can have a higher smoke point compared to the oils that it is a combination of, making them perfect for all types of cooking.

3. They Are A Versatile Cooking Oil

Blended oils have a high smoke point making them suitable for cooking a variety of cuisines. They also have a neutral flavour so you don’t have to worry about the oil changing the taste of your dishes, their flavour is barely noticeable, which allows the other ingredients of your cooking to shine through.

4. They Can Reduce Your Overall Usage of Cooking Oil

While using a healthier cooking oil is always a good choice, cooking oil should still be used in moderation. For example, Saffola Gold blended oil comes with LOSORB™ technology because of which it is absorbed in lower quantities compared to other common cooking oils while frying. Making it a good option if you’re on the search for heart healthy oils in India.

5. They Provide Additional Health Benefits Over Single Source Oils

Blended cooking oils, apart from combining the benefits of both types of unsaturated fatty acids, can also come with other benefits. Different types of blends can be beneficial for different health needs. This gives you the flexibility to make the right choice based on the benefits that you want from your cooking oil without having to limit yourself to one type of oil.

Saffola Gold, for example, is a blended oil that is a combination of Rice bran and sunflower oil, which has been created to be beneficial for your heart health. The Saffola Gold oil ingredients have been picked and combined in a scientifically tested ratio of both the oils to have a good fatty acid profile that provides the benefits of both MUFAs and PUFAs. There are also other Saffola blended oils crafted for other health needs. If you are looking to manage cholesterol, you can opt for a blend of rice bran oil and safflower oil with Saffola Total. A blend of these two oils has also been shown to be better at keeping cholesterol levels in check compared to just rice bran or safflower oil on its own.

So, now that you know more about the benefits of blended oils, you know why they’re considered to be one of the best cooking oils for health. Make the right choice for your health and start cooking your healthy dishes with the right heart healthy oils that help make your meals even healthier.

References:

• https://www.nin.res.in/downloads/DietaryGuidelinesforNINwebsite.pdf
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4481659/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12558058/

Craving something delicious for snack time? Studies show that most people enjoy at least one snack a day. Snack can be a packaged snacks or homemade. Situations like the recent pandemic have further increased the occasions of snacking. It can be always tempting to grab some packaged snacks or order junk food for a quick bite. Unfortunately, many commonly eaten snacks are not the healthiest. Many snacks are fried in oil, and very few are baked or air fried. The amount and quality of fat or oil in a snack is a very important factor for the overall nutrition derived. The high fat and salt content in these processed foods can, not only lead to weight gain but also can make you overeat without providing adequate and balanced nutrition. This makes the choice of snack a key factor for your overall health. An easy way is to prepare easy and tasty homemade snack recipes that are good for your health, starting from your heart.

Your choice of snack can include heart-healthy ingredients like pulses, nuts, and vegetables, to name a few. These are readily available and can also be cooked with Saffola Oil for added benefits. Saffola Gold helps keeps your heart healthy by ensuring that you and your family can maintain a healthy cholesterol level. It consists of a good balance of MUFA and PUFA i.e., healthy fatty acids that provide good nutrition to the body. Plus, with the added benefit of oryzanol in this cooking oil, you will also be able to lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.

Saffola Gold oil with its high smoke point is ideal for all types of cooking from sauteing and frying to baking and grilling making it suitable to cook any dish. Interested to try out some healthy snack recipes for your regular cravings? Try these 5 recipes made healthier with heart-healthy ingredients and Saffola Gold.

Poornalu

Nutrient Metre: Prepared from readily available pulses (dal) like chana and urad dal, this poornalu recipe is quite popular among kids and adults alike. It boasts of a sweet and savoury flavour and is served hot with ghee. Dal helps reduce the risk of heart diseases by reducing bad cholesterol and blood pressure. It is a speciality in Telugu festivities throughout the year. 

You can prepare it from scratch with just a handful of ingredients, along with the healthiest cooking oil – Saffola Gold.

Ingredients:

For the poornam

• 1 cup Chana dal
• 7 cups Water
• 1 ½ cups Jaggery (grated)
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Coconut (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder

For the outer covering

• ¼ cup Urad Dal
• 1 ¼ cup Raw Rice
• 3 tablespoons Saffola Gold Oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Check out the post below to learn how to prepare this healthy recipe and keep your family’s heart health a priority. 

 

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Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVCLmLAI1MU/

Vegetable Chops

Nutrient Metre: Fried food that’s also heart healthy? Try these delicious vegetable chops. The filling for these vegetable chops is made up of beetroot that consist of nitrates, beneficial for lowering blood pressure. They also help in reducing the risk of heart attacks and failures. This dish also consists of carrots that have antioxidants and fibres that are good for the heart and peanuts that lower cholesterol levels and prevent the risk of heart diseases.

Ingredients:

For the vegetable chops

• 1 cup Beetroot (grated)
• 1 cup Carrot (grated)
• 2 cups Potatoes (boiled and mashed)
• 1 teaspoon Green Chillies (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
• 4 tablespoons Coriander Leaves (chopped)
• ½ teaspoon Panch Phoron (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Roasted Peanuts (crushed)
• 1 tablespoons Saffola Gold Oil
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt to taste

For the bhaja masala

• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
• 1 Bay Leaf
• ½ teaspoon Coriander Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Dry Red Chilli
• 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
• 3 Cloves
• 1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder

For the coating

• 1 teaspoon Cornflour
• 3 tablespoons Water
• 1 cup Breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons Saffola Gold Oil

Check out the entire recipe below.

 

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Samak Ki Tikki

Nutrient Metre: Prepared with the help of samak rice, these tikkis check the health factor for your snack time cravings. This type of rice is made of high-fibre barnyard millet, which studies have found to lower cholesterol levels, making it great for your heart.

Shallow fry these tikkis in Saffola Gold blended oil for great taste and nutrition for you and the entire family.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Samak Rice
• 1 cup Potato (boiled and mashed)
• 3 tablespoons Peanuts (coarsely powdered)
• 1 tablespoon Raisins (chopped)
• 1.5 teaspoon Ginger (grated)
• 3 tablespoons Coriander Leaves (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Pepper Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoon Mango Powder
• 4 tablespoons Saffola Gold Oil
• 1 ½ teaspoon Salt

Follow the steps in the post below to prepare this flavoursome dish.

 

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Paneer Mysore Bonda

Nutrient Metre: You can have it as a curry and even as a snack – paneer is one of the most loved heart-healthy ingredients in the Indian palette. It helps maintain a healthy level of cholesterol and also stabilises blood pressure. This paneer mysore bonda recipe will leave you craving for more. It’s wholesome, nutritious and of course, delicious when cooked in Saffola Gold.

Prepare it with the heart-healthy ingredients mentioned below.

Ingredients:

• 80 g Paneer (grated)
• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 3 tablespoons Saffola Gold Oil
• 4 Potatoes (boiled)
• 2 Green Chillies (chopped)
• 1 cup Gram Flour
• 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
• 2 teaspoons Cumin Powder
• 1 inch Ginger
• 3 tablespoons Coriander
• 2 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder
• ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
• 2 teaspoons Turmeric Powder
• Salt as per taste
• ½ cup Water

Check out the whole recipe through the post below.

 

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Sprouted Moong Cheela

Nutrient Metre: Add another dose of good health to your regular cheela recipe by preparing it with sprouted moong. This heart-healthy ingredient is made of a host of amino acids and antioxidants that reduce bad cholesterol or LDL levels in the body. This dish makes for a great breakfast or snack time meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Besan
• 2 Green Chillies (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons Curd
• 3 Tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 cup Sprouted Moong
• ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
• 4 tablespoons Saffola Gold cooking oil
• 1 Onion (finely chopped)
• ¾ cup water
• ½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 1 tablespoon Coriander
• Salt as per taste

Follow the preparation steps from the post below to make a recipe that is good for your heart health.

 

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Saffola Gold cooking oil is great for snacks that need to be grilled or deep-fried. Try these recipes and make your own variations with heart-healthy ingredients to enjoy nutritious and yummy food.

Reference Links:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25061763/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17989913/
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CU5Ge-RoEhM/
• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pbr.12243