Which is the Best Cooking Oil in India for Your Health?

Are you tired of hearing things like zero-oil cooking or bothered by your doctor saying that oils are harmful to your health?

Well, they are rather good in moderate quantities. However, now they are chemically processed and often adulterated, making them harmful to your health. 

So, if you are choosing the best cooking oil in India that won't harm your health, is beneficial, and completely safe for your family as well, we have covered you all with it! 

Science Behind Cooking Oils

Cooking oils, also known as edible oils, have various fatty acids that play various roles in human metabolism.

The fatty acids of cooking oils can be categorised into: 

• Saturated Fatty Acids (Subgroups-a)

• Short Chain 

• Medium Chain 

• Long Chain 

• Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA)

• Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA)

• Linoleic Acid 

• Alpha-linolenic Acid 

• Trans Fatty Acid

Besides, a good quality cooking oil also has various antioxidants like Oryzanol, Carotenoids, Tocotrienols, Phytosterols, Tocopherols, and other micronutrients. 

Generally, saturated or trans fats decrease the bad cholesterol levels, thus reducing the risk of heart disease.

Yet, good cooking oil has PIFA and MUFA, which, if consumed in moderate quantities, act as a substitute for trans fats, benefiting your cardiac health. 

How Does Blending Oils Help?

Every good quality cooking oil gives the nutrition of the nuts/seeds from which they are extracted. But often a single oil isn't enough to fulfil the nutritional requirements that multiple oils give. Thus, for benefitting from it, blending oils helps.

A balanced diet should have a PUFA/SFA scale of 0.8-1 and linoleic and Alpha-linolenic acid on a scale of 5-10.

While a single type of cooking oil doesn't help you achieve it due to the absence of some or other fatty acid, blending oils helps. The basic aim is to increase the quantity of Alpha-linolenic acid intake with a decreased quantity of linoleic acid from edible oils.

Blending oils even improves the oxidative and thermal stability of oils. For example, blending rice bran oil and safflower oil in the ratio of 70:30 with added antioxidant benefits improves your health. 

Another way to ensure nutritional value that my dietitian suggests includes keeping a combination of cooking oils like mustard, coconut, peanut, sesame, and sunflower oil. Further, swap them every day like using different oils on alternate days and so on. 

Why Is It Important To Choose The Best Cooking Oil For Health?

Cooking oil is the most used ingredient in our kitchen. It constitutes a major portion of our fat intake and is important for the functioning of our body, like producing energy and absorbing nutrients.

But nowadays cooking oils are harmful, and people are switching to zero oil cooking, using substitutes, and lots more. Is it enough? 

Cooking oils usually contain MUFA and PUFA that lower bad cholesterol and hence play an important role in regulating heart functions and decreasing inflammation. 

But the process of extraction makes a significant difference. Bad quality or refined cooking oils contain unhealthy fats like trans fats and excessive saturated fats that increase cholesterol and vulnerability to heart diseases.

But choosing the best cooking oil in India provides smart dietary selection and improves heart health, apart from managing weight control and all-around wellness. 

6 Best Oils for Indian Cooking

After ensuring a good quality cooking oil, you can check the best type of edible oil for everyday cooking needs.

Below-mentioned is a list of the same: 

1. Mustard Oil

Mustard oil has a strong, pungent flavour with rich monounsaturated fats. It's a staple in everyday cooking due to the rich taste it provides. 

Additionally, it has antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties with essential nutrients, making it one of the best cooking oils in India.

With a high smoke point, Gyros Organic Farms provides two variants: black mustard oil and yellow mustard oil. 

2. Olive Oil

Olive oil is believed to be one of the best cooking oils, especially when it's extra virgin. This is because it has a good quantity of MUFA and antioxidants that regulate heart health, improve cognitive function, and even reduce inflammation. 

Besides, it is suitable for sautéing, grilling, and as a salad dressing. But don't substitute it instead of normal cooking oil.

This is because olive oil is not suitable for proper Indian cooking due to its low smoke point. Hence, it's not suitable for cooking at high temperatures or applications like frying. 

3. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil, often preferred in South Indian and Maharastrian cuisine, is easier to digest and acts as a source of energy faster. Besides, it is even rich in medium-chain fats. 

It provides relief from joint pain and acts as a good source of weight loss. Though it has more saturated fats, but can affect cholesterol negatively.

Thus, you should consume only good-quality coconut oil, like cold-pressed, and in moderate quantities. 

4. Groundnut Oil

Groundnut oil, also known as peanut oil, is rich in MUFA and PUFA, which lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. Hence, it reduces the risk of heart disease. 

Moreover, peanut oil contains Vitamin E and other antioxidants that protect your body from damage from free radicals and lower inflammation.

Its mild nutty flavour adds taste to food and even improves memory and cognitive function, thus reducing the risk of age-related cognitive decline. 

5. Sesame Oil 

Both black and white sesame oil contain MUFA, PUFA, and suitable amounts of antioxidants. These include nutrients like Vitamin E.

It is anti-inflammatory and helps to achieve a healthy heart. You can drizzle it over dips and sauces or use it for frying, sautéing, steaming, or usual cooking. 

How To Choose The Best Healthy Cooking Oil?

There are various factors you should consider while choosing the best healthy oil for Indian cooking, and below is a list of the same:

• Smoke Point: It is the critical temperature at which the oil begins to break down and emit harmful free radicals. Oils with higher resistance to smoke points, like cold-pressed mustard oil, are ideal for Indian cooking. However, heat-extracted and refined oils break down to a certain extent or come close to the critical temperature during extraction itself. 

• Fat Composition: Oils high in MUFA and PUFA are healthier options for the heart. But those containing saturated or trans-fat should be avoided. Thus, read the labels carefully before buying one. 

• Nutritional Value: Many oils contain additional nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids. Thus, they provide more benefits to your body, and hence, you should consider them before buying one. 

• Method of Processing: Oils extracted at higher temperatures or completely with machines kill nutrients faster and harm the body instead of benefiting it. Thus, opting for cold-pressed oils, which are extracted using expeller or wood/stone press at room temperature, should be your go-to choice.  

Final Thoughts 

While cooking oil is the most used fat and essential for our body, it's the most chemically processed ingredient that can be a slow poison for your body.

Hence, we at Gyros Farm ensure that you get the purest form of oils that are an asset for your health. Our journey begins with setting up organic farms and collaborating with farmers who help us achieve our mission. Thus, seeds and nuts are extracted organically for processing.

Further, we test the seeds and then extract oils from them using a wooden or stone press, based on the oil variant you have selected. All of it is done at room temperature, so no nutrients are killed, nor is there a chemical breakdown.

Moreover, we ensure rigorous testing and quality checks at each phase to serve you the best oil for cooking in India. Yet, you need to know everything with transparency and make an informed decision.