“Health is wealth”, this is true in every aspect. And we all know that taking care of our own health is easy. All we have to do, is to adopt some good healthy habits. One such habit is healthy eating habit. We can take so much measures in healthy eating like consuming more fruits, green leafy vegetables, avoiding fast foods, using right eating oil and many more.
Knowing right edibles for maintaining your weight is essential. And choosing the right oil for yourself is one of the most important and crucial step you can take to watch your weight. And the next step involves consuming the right amount of oil needed by your body to maintain weight. According to dietary guidelines you must take at least 2 teaspoons of oil to get your per day nutritional needs.
There are various oils available in the market. So, weight watchers must gain some knowledge to choose the right oil for themselves. Some of the healthy oils are olive, canola, flax seed, safflower, mustard, groundnut, sunflower, coconut, grape seed and avocado oil. These oil can help you maintain weight, cholesterol level and blood pressure. Each oil has its own benefits.
So, it is always advised that you should switch between different oils to gain their good effects on health and weight. We are providing necessary information about different oils which can be used by weight watchers to maintain their weight.
Cooking Oils for Weight Watchers
1. Olive oil
Olive oil should be of high quality. Mainly two types of olive oil are available in market. One is extra virgin olive oil and other one is ‘light’ olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is best for salad dressings or to sprinkle some on cooked and hot recipe. This is because of its bitter and little bit spicy taste(due to the presence of polyphenols and tocopherols anti-oxidants, also it smells little bit pungent). It adds flavor and taste to the regular boring salads, dishes and make them interesting while helping in watching weight.
Try not to use extra virgin olive oil as a cooking oil as heat can make its taste vanish. ‘Light’ olive oil has neutral and light taste and no smell. It can be used as a cooking oil because it is refined oil. Both types of oils can be used but the purpose of using them should help you in choosing the type.
2. Coconut oil
Coconut oil is famous for its nutty flavor. It can be used for various purposes. You can make a use of it in making soup, curry, stir fry and regular dishes. It is also known for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory properties which are quite excellent for getting a nice digestive system. This oil does not get collected as fat instead it has medium chain fatty acids(not a regular saturated fat) which make it easy to convert into energy required to do our work much easier.
Using coconut oil has another benefits as well. You can make your skin glow, hairs shiny and healthy and so much more. Coconut oil should be consumed daily at least twice a spoon amount by weight watchers. It will surely help you in achieving your weight goals.
3. Avocado oil
If you have a liking towards the creamy tastes, you should go for avocado oil. It has a green color. Avocado oil is a great option for drizzling because of its grassy flavor and buttery texture. Avocado oil is helpful in decreasing cholesterol level and blood pressure. Thanks to the good amount of fatty acids it contains. Avocado oil can be one of the choices among healthy cooking oils for weight watchers.
4. Flax seed oil
Flax seed oil is extracted from flax seeds by crushing and cold pressing them. Flax seed oil contains enough amount of a type of omega-3 fatty acids called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Consuming flax seed oil lowers the cholesterol level. According to researchers the flax seed oil improves insulin sensitivity. It helps in getting better digestion. Flax seed oil should not be used in cooking like other oils(coconut, olive oils), it should be used as a dressing on your daily healthy salad.
You may also want to try to sprinkle it some on the roasted vegetables. This should be done because of its nutty flavor and light nature. You should definitely include it in your diet.
5. Canola oil
You can consider including canola oil in your healthy diet as your cooking oil. It has high smoke point(temperature at which the molecules breaks and loses some of their important properties making it unhealthy). So, even at high temperature it is healthy to eat and does not lose its beneficial properties and this makes it a good refined cooking oil. It is also inexpensive and easily available in markets.
6. Grape seed oil
Grape seed oil is extracted from the seeds of grapes by various processes. It can be used as a great substitute of canola oil. Grape seed oil is an all purpose oil. You can use this in cooking your healthy dishes, baking your cakes, shallow frying, roasting or for any other purposes. Also the grape seed oil can be sprinkled on the your salads giving a rich taste to the salad because of its great emulsifying properties. Grape seed oil contains high amount of anti-oxidants along with vitamin E. It’s taste is mildly nutty.
It has almost no cholesterol and contains very less amount of saturated fats along with high amount of polyunsaturated fats. This makes it a great oil to be included in your weight watching diet.
As we all know, no oil is perfect for weight watchers. One oil cannot provide you all the necessary elements required by your body to maintain weight.
We must remember every oil has its own advantageous properties. Thus, it is often advised to use combination of various oils over a period of month.
Combining them will provide you proper nutrients and essential fatty acids, omega-3 acids and all the various healthy elements. Consuming healthy cooking oils can be a great way to watch your weight along with healthy diet, exercise and stress free good night sleep. Hence, choose your cooking oils proactively so that they help you in watching your weight.