This is written by INDRA BALARATNAM.
WITH so much focus on eating healthy and obesity nowadays, fat has unfortunately gotten a bad reputation. The general perception is there’s no room for fat in your diet if you want to be thin.
It is this perception that I see as a huge obstacle to people wanting to even begin making dietary changes when told to do so by their doctor to manage their health condition. They assume the foods they’ll have to eat from will be hard, tasteless and downright excruciating to swallow.
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The fat we eat — which we get naturally from meat, nuts, seeds, cooking oil, butter, margarine and dairy — helps our intestines to absorb Vitamins A, D, E and K, and antioxidant compounds found naturally in our foods.
These vitamins and compounds are soluble in fat, which then become the vehicle to enhance their absorption.
Fat is also needed for the healthy function of hormones and brain cells. Foods with fat are tasty and more appetising. A fatty meal takes longer to empty from the stomach during digestion, compared to just a high-carbohydrate meal, making you feel full longer.
Cooking oil is one of the main contributors of fat in our daily diet as we use oil to cook and flavour our foods. Different dishes — depending on their cooking method — require varying amounts of oil.
For example, a piece of deep fried fish would have more fat in it than a piece of steamed fish simply because deep frying requires a lot of oil to get the fish crispy. With such a dizzying array of cooking oils available, I’m sure you sometimes get a little confused about what to use.
Cooking oil is pressed and extracted from seeds and fruits that naturally yield oil. Depending on culture and cuisine, different oils are preferred in their cooking as it also adds to the taste and aroma.
Every type of cooking oil naturally has varying percentages of saturated, polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids in them as part of the molecular structure of a triglyceride. Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats. In fact, you may have noticed these words when you read the label of your cooking oil.
It is very common for cooking oils to be referred to by the largest percentage of the type of fatty acid it contains. For example, people will say that olive oil is a mono-unsaturated oil because the percentage of mono-unsaturated fatty acid is the highest compared to the saturated and polyunsaturated kind.
But that does not mean that if you chose olive oil, it does not have a certain amount of saturated and polyunsaturated fat as part of its make up.
The different amounts of fatty acids in the cooking oil determine their heat tolerance and therefore suitability of cooking methods. An oil that has more saturated fat is more stable and therefore ideal for stir-fry and deep-fry. Saturated oils such as coconut and palm cooking oil also have a longer shelf life.
Sunflower and canola oils that are predominantly poly-unsaturated are not as stable as saturated and mono-unsaturated oils. They are prone to turning rancid after being exposed to heat, light and oxygen. So, these oils should be served cold as salad dressing.
Because of this delicate structure, they are recommended to be used raw for making dressings or for very quick, low heat cooking. Oils with a higher mono-unsaturated fats are more stable than poly-unsaturated oils but are still not as stable as the saturated type.
The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2010 recommends that fat make up less than 30 per cent of your daily calorie requirements. That works out to be 67g for an averagely active person who consumes 2,000 calories per day.
A tablespoon of any type of cooking oil has 135 calories and 15g of fat. Oil is rich in calories and fat. So whatever type of cooking oil you use, it can make your dish high in calories .
So if you want to watch your overall fat intake, it is about choosing your foods and cooking methods wisely. If most of your meals are deep-fried or laden with cream, your fat intake will definitely exceed what your body requires for healthy function.
Try different styles of cooking such as steaming, blanching, braising, having a mix of cooked or raw vegetables such as salads and ulam. You could also consider making soup and lightly pan-fry your meals.
Here's a nifty tip. If you are going to have a heavy breakfast, then account for it and eat sparingly for lunch. Strike that smart balance!
WITH so much focus on eating healthy and obesity nowadays, fat has unfortunately gotten a bad reputation. The general perception is there’s no room for fat in your diet if you want to be thin.
It is this perception that I see as a huge obstacle to people wanting to even begin making dietary changes when told to do so by their doctor to manage their health condition. They assume the foods they’ll have to eat from will be hard, tasteless and downright excruciating to swallow.
These vitamins and compounds are soluble in fat, which then become the vehicle to enhance their absorption.
Fat is also needed for the healthy function of hormones and brain cells. Foods with fat are tasty and more appetising. A fatty meal takes longer to empty from the stomach during digestion, compared to just a high-carbohydrate meal, making you feel full longer.
Cooking oil is one of the main contributors of fat in our daily diet as we use oil to cook and flavour our foods. Different dishes — depending on their cooking method — require varying amounts of oil.
For example, a piece of deep fried fish would have more fat in it than a piece of steamed fish simply because deep frying requires a lot of oil to get the fish crispy. With such a dizzying array of cooking oils available, I’m sure you sometimes get a little confused about what to use.
Cooking oil is pressed and extracted from seeds and fruits that naturally yield oil. Depending on culture and cuisine, different oils are preferred in their cooking as it also adds to the taste and aroma.
Every type of cooking oil naturally has varying percentages of saturated, polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids in them as part of the molecular structure of a triglyceride. Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats. In fact, you may have noticed these words when you read the label of your cooking oil.
It is very common for cooking oils to be referred to by the largest percentage of the type of fatty acid it contains. For example, people will say that olive oil is a mono-unsaturated oil because the percentage of mono-unsaturated fatty acid is the highest compared to the saturated and polyunsaturated kind.
But that does not mean that if you chose olive oil, it does not have a certain amount of saturated and polyunsaturated fat as part of its make up.
The different amounts of fatty acids in the cooking oil determine their heat tolerance and therefore suitability of cooking methods. An oil that has more saturated fat is more stable and therefore ideal for stir-fry and deep-fry. Saturated oils such as coconut and palm cooking oil also have a longer shelf life.
Sunflower and canola oils that are predominantly poly-unsaturated are not as stable as saturated and mono-unsaturated oils. They are prone to turning rancid after being exposed to heat, light and oxygen. So, these oils should be served cold as salad dressing.
Because of this delicate structure, they are recommended to be used raw for making dressings or for very quick, low heat cooking. Oils with a higher mono-unsaturated fats are more stable than poly-unsaturated oils but are still not as stable as the saturated type.
The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2010 recommends that fat make up less than 30 per cent of your daily calorie requirements. That works out to be 67g for an averagely active person who consumes 2,000 calories per day.
A tablespoon of any type of cooking oil has 135 calories and 15g of fat. Oil is rich in calories and fat. So whatever type of cooking oil you use, it can make your dish high in calories .
So if you want to watch your overall fat intake, it is about choosing your foods and cooking methods wisely. If most of your meals are deep-fried or laden with cream, your fat intake will definitely exceed what your body requires for healthy function.
Try different styles of cooking such as steaming, blanching, braising, having a mix of cooked or raw vegetables such as salads and ulam. You could also consider making soup and lightly pan-fry your meals.
Here's a nifty tip. If you are going to have a heavy breakfast, then account for it and eat sparingly for lunch. Strike that smart balance!