Differentiating Between Oils and Oil Benefits

In the modern world of natural health and natural cooking, there are a wide variety of different oils and fats available for use. Almost all of us have heard of trans fats, polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, saturated fats, and partially hydrogenated fats. Oils contain these fats, and are in fact, just fats in liquid form. Knowing which oils to use and what their benefits are is a daunting challenge. But with health concerns like cholesterol, heart disease, and blood pressure always on the rise, it's important to at least have a general knowledge of oils and fats and to understand a little bit about how the different ones effect your body.



There are a lot of differences between the various types of fats and oils, differences in how the cook, the nutrition they provide, and how they effect things like cholesterol and blood pressure. A lot of oils are very nutritious and can be consumed by the spoonful, but might not be the best for cooking due to their tendency to be damaged by heat. Other oils are great for cooking but aren't very nutritious for the body. In the last couple of decades, there have been many mistruths proclaimed about fats and oils, and many products such as margarine, which have purported to be heathly, have been widely used and have at least partially caused a rise in chronic conditions such as heart disease.



A lot of the oils that you'll come across with contain a variety of different kinds of Omega essential fatty acids. Most people have heard of Omega essential fatty acids but aren't quite sure what they are. There are three types of Omega essential fatty acids: Omega 3, Omega 6, and Omega 9. All three are very valuable to the body and the difference between them has to do with where the double bond between 2 carbon atoms within the molecule first takes place. With Omega 3s, the first double carbon bond happens at the 3rd carbon molecule, which is different from Omega 6s whose first double carbon bond takes place at the 6th carbon molecule, and so on with Omega 9s. These three different Omega essential fatty acids are all classified as polyunsaturated and are all three heavily beneficial to the body and widely used. Every single one of your cell membranes is made up of primarily Omega 3 essential fatty acids, whereas Omega 9 and 6 essential fatty acids contribute to very important other bodily functions.



In the past, the reputation of these oils has been tarnished by oil distributors promoting "lowfat" oils. But in recent years, many studies have shown that oils high in polyunsaturated fats, instead of contributing negatively to things like cholesterol, heart disease, and blood pressure, actually have been shown to have positive effects. There are a few different reasons why this is so, but the main reason is due to the fact that these oils contribute to elevating HDL cholesterol, which is the good kind of cholesterol, while at the same time decreasing LDL cholesterol, which is the bad kind. So even though the overall effect of some of these oils might be an elevated level of cholesterol, high HDL and low LDL is generally seen as a healthy state. HDL cholesterol is a very helpful and essential compound to the body, one which can actually help to decrease the risk of heart disease and plaque buildup. Just lowering the total level of cholesterol, as many prescription drugs do, is a method that's coming into some criticism.





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A correct understanding of fats and oils is crucial in the modern age. There are so many oils out there and so many oil benefits that correspond with them. If you aren't sure where to start, check out the amazing coconut oil benefits that come with cooking with the oil and applying it topically to the skin.