Snacks and junk foods prepared with traditional cooking oils have numerous bad impacts on our health, especially on our heart. Rice bran oil, relatively new edible oil can replace those oils or trans fats and make our foods healthier.
The oil contains vitamins, antioxidants, nutrients and is trans-fats free. It can help lower cholesterol, fight free radicals and have many good effects on health.
Rice bran oil is extracted from cereal germ and inner husk of rice. It is extremely light and has mild flavour. It is mostly suitable for high-temperature cooking methods such as stir frying and deep-frying.
Although it is not widely used in Bangladesh, the oil has become popular few years back as cooking oil in several Asian countries, including Japan and China. Recently, food and beverages major PepsiCo India has decided to transform its entire snacks portfolio into a healthier category by cutting down fat contents and increasing the nutrients.
According to a 2005 study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, rice bran oil lowers cholesterol in healthy adults. Total cholesterol was significantly lower with consumption of diet containing rice bran oil than with consumption of the control diet. Moreover, with consumption of the rice bran oil diet, harmful LDL (bad) cholesterol decreased by 7 percent, whereas HDL (good) cholesterol was unchanged.
It contains almost all the essential fatty acids. Its non-fatty acid components too have beneficial health effects. It is naturally abundant in antioxidants such as tocopherol, oryzanol and tocotrienol that have ability to counter ageing by fighting free radicals. Oryzanol reduces the harmful cholesterol without reducing the good cholesterol. Tocotrienol, on the other hand, is powerful and vitamin E existing in nature. It is said to have an anti-cancer effect. It also contains Phytosterols, which are believed to lower the absorption of cholesterol.
Food products cooked in rice bran oil have bland oil taste, while other oils like Peanut incorporate its own distinct taste.
Snacks are necessary to keep energy levels up between meals and ensure that there is no energy slump as the day wears on. But the main concern now a days is the oil used to make it that is rich in saturated fats and trans-fats. These fats tend to increase the cholesterol levels and increase the number of obese people. Snacks made with this type of healthy oil make these products and ultimately the consumers healthier.
On the other hand, rice bran oil is free from monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is one of the main culprits behind obesity. So, the next time you feel the urge to treat your taste buds with some potato chips, rice crackers or french fries, put your worries behind and just enjoy the munch. Just, make sure that it has been cooked with healthy oil like rice ban oil.