Reheating or reusing cooking oil can be the reasons you are getting more acidity or why your cholesterol levels are rising, says Luke Coutinho, Holistic Lifestyle Coach – Integrative Medicine.
Paying attention to this extremely common but highly ignored kitchen practice of cooking food is important. Reusing cooking oil is usually done because of excess food or meal prepping. This common kitchen practice might help you save up on time and even money, but it may be the reason for high levels of inflammation in your body.
Read below to know more about the dangers of reheating cooking oil.
1. It makes oil more carcinogenic.
Anything that is carcinogenic has the possibility of causing cancer. More and more research is showing how aldehydes – toxic elements – that are produced when you reheat oil. Cooking food by reusing cooking oil can also increase free radicals in the body, which can cause inflammation – the root cause of most diseases including obesity, heart disease and diabetes. High inflammation in the body can also reduce immunity and make you prone to infections.
2. It increases LDL cholesterol
Food cooked in black, smoked oil which is being used and reheated throughout the day can increase level of LDL or bad cholesterol in the body. High levels of LDL cholesterol can increase risks of heart disease, stroke and chest pain. Avoid reusing cooking oil to avoid cholesterol-related problems.
3. More acidity
If that burning sensation in your stomach and throat has become more frequent than ever, then reheated cooking oil may be the culprit behind it. Avoid eating roadside junk and deep-fried food if you experience more acidity than usual. If it helps reducing acidity, then you have your answer about its causative factor – reusing cooking oil!
Other health risks involved with eating food in reheated cooking oil are:
4. Obesity
5. Weight gain
6. Diabetes
7. Heart disease
How to reduce usage of reheated cooking oil to avoid the health risks?
1. Switch to home-cooked food
Home-cooked food is the most fresh and healthiest variety of food you can eat. Cooking food at home empowers you to decide what ingredients go in your food. From cooking oil to carbs, protein, fats and fibre, home-cooked food can provide you the perfect balanced diet you need for good health and weight loss. Make sure that you don’t use already used cooking oil.
2. Cook food in small quantities
This is an effective way to reduce excess cooking oil. Calculate the amount of food you need for a particular meal to avoid food wastage. Cook fresh food as frequently as possible. Cooking food in small quantities can also help you practice portion control – which is a key practice if you want to lose weight.
3. Carry home-cooked food when travelling or going out
There are times when you simply cannot avoid eating out. But, you can definitely work on reducing the number of times you have to eat out. Meal prepping can help you in this case. On a day when you know you have to travel or not be at home or your workplace, carry your food with you. This will help you keep up with your weight loss diet and also avoid eating food which is most likely to be cooked in reheated oil. You can also opt for fast food that involves less use of oil like salads, dosa and idli.
4. If you have Alzheimer’s, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or any other disease running in the family, it gives you all the more reason to avoid reheating cooking oil. It is going to contribute to more inflammation in conditions that are already inflammatory in nature.
NDTV
