You hear a lot about oil from health advisories and dietitians about how little volume oil takes up in your system in comparison to other liquids. What makes it so different and unhealthy?
In: Biology
I’m not sure I’d exactly call oil unhealthy. Some oils are quite unhealthy. Others can be unhealthy but may not be. And some are absolutely healthy. Finally, some are considered unhealthy by some and quite healthy by others.
Trans-fat oils are absolutely unhealthy. They contain chemical parts which do no occur in our foods and we cannot properly digest them.
Poly-unsaturated oils (like olive oil) are healthy, UNLESS they’re oxidized, either by exposure to air or to heat, like use in frying.
Mono-unsaturated oils are OK, but they are less prone to oxidation, so they’re better for heating in food preparation.
Fully saturated fats, such as coconut oil (which is a solid at room temp) are most stable for frying, baking, etc.. But some regard these are unhealthy. OTOH, where coconut oil is widely used (the Philippines) heart disease is very low, so there’s that.
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