Heart-damaging Fats -the production method of oil affects nutritional quality

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Heart-damaging Fats the production method of oil affects its

nutritional quality

JoAnn Guest

May 27, 2007 23:06 PDT

 

 

 

Heart-damaging fats -the production method of oil also affects its

nutritional quality.

 

.. Heart-damaging trans fats (hydrogenated oils, for example) are

created by adding hydrogen to the oil's fatty-acid chains to keep

the oxygen out. This helps them last an (artificially) long time and

extends the shelf life of processed food products such as donuts,

pizza, cookies and crackers.

 

So as a general rule, the healthier oils, the very ones you want to

be eating, spoil faster.

 

Olive oil is an exception. It has a built-in " buffer " against

rancidity in the form of natural antioxidants. Like

oil bodyguards, these antioxidants actually react with oxygen

interlopers before they can damage the fatty acids themselves.

 

Other oils, such as flax, lack this protection and need

refrigeration to keep from spoiling quickly. No clear-cut rule

exists on how long it

takes a particular bottle of oil to go bad. Depending on factors

such as the type of oil, storage methods, and how much it has been

processed, oil life spans can range from months to years.

 

The lesson: Although they don't last as long, oils like

virgin olive oil, sesame oil, and walnut oil are worth it

for your health. Just take a whiff before using them.

 

The production method of oil also affects its nutritional quality.

The purest, least damaging way to extract oil is to simply press the

nut, seed, or fruit until it oozes. That method, called " cold-

pressed, " only works with soft raw materials such as olives,

walnuts, and avocados.

 

All other oils (sunflower, canola,soybean,peanut,cottonseed, and

corn)

are

either expeller-pressed with heat— or are

chemically processed. With that, the solids are dissolved with toxic

solvents like hexane, and the oil is refined, heated, and

filtered " until you get an almost clear, colorless, tasteless

liquid, " Vossen says. " Most oils are processed this way. " The

chemical processing is cheaper but zaps the oils' nutritional

benefits.

 

So if an oil can't be cold-pressed and if the bottle doesn't

indicate

the

processing methods, most

likely the oil was chemically processed.

 

The lesson: Pressed is best. Look for key words on the label:

unrefined, expeller pressed, and crude. For domestic olive oil, look

for the seal of the California Olive Oil Council. It certifies the

extra-virgin goods.

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets