Health

Oils (or fat in general)

Edible oil is a fatty liquid that is physically extracted from several vegetables and also some animal tissues, the most appreciated being olive oil for both taste and health properties, especially the extra-virgin category, mechanically extracted from olives at low temperature. 

Introduction  (Credits for all oil related content Google, Wikipedia & sciencedirect  com/topics/food)

Edible fats and oils comprise one of the three major classes of foods, the others being carbohydrates and proteins. Edible fats and oils can be obtained from terrestrial or aquatic animals, from the seeds or leaves of many plants, from the pulp, or from the nut/stone of many fruits. Edible fats and oils are used in many products not only to make food palatable but also to make them functional.

The terms “fat” and “oil” are used according to the physical state of the material at room temperature. Fats are in a semi solid state, but the appearance is of a solid, while oils are in a liquid state. Chemically, fats and oils are mixtures comprised of more than 95% triacylglyceride (TAGs) molecules mixed with minor components. Triacylglycerides can also be found in the literature with the name triglycerides or triacylglycerols. These minor components can include phospholipids, glycolipids, free fatty acids, monoglycerides (MAGs) or diacylglycerides (DAGs) (Swern and Bailey, 1964). 


Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. The oil is one of the earliest-known crop-based oils. Worldwide mass modern production is limited due to the inefficient manual harvesting process required to extract the oil. Oil made from raw seeds, which may or may not be cold-pressed, is used as a cooking oil. Oil made from toasted seeds is used for its distinctive nutty aroma and taste, although it may be unsuitable for frying, which makes it taste burnt and bitter

Unsaturated fats, such as olive oil and sesame oil, are healthier alternatives to saturated fats. Because poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats are found in both that can help improve the lipid profile. Notably, sesame oil has more nutritional components than olive oil.  

Pictures used under fair use copyright clause for educational purpose

Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained by pressing whole olives, the fruit of Olea europaea, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, and extracting the oil.

It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods or as a salad dressing. It can also be found in some cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soaps, and fuels for traditional oil lamps. It also has additional uses in some religions. The olive is one of three core food plants in Mediterranean cuisine, together with wheat and grapes. Olive trees have been grown around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium BC.

Spain is the world's largest producer, manufacturing almost half of the world's olive oil. Other large producers are Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey and Morocco.

The composition of olive oil varies with the cultivar, altitude, time of harvest, and extraction process. It consists mainly of oleic acid (up to 83%), with smaller amounts of other fatty acids including linoleic acid (up to 21%) and palmitic acid (up to 20%). Extra virgin olive oil is required to have no more than 0.8% free acidity and is considered to have favorable flavor characteristics.

Pictures used under fair use copyright clause for educational purpose

Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, it was restricted as a food oil due to its content of erucic acid, which in laboratory studies was shown to be damaging to the cardiac muscle of laboratory animals in high quantities and which imparts a bitter taste, and glucosinolates, which made many parts of the plant less nutritious in animal feed. Rapeseed oil from standard cultivars can contain up to 54% erucic acid.

Canola oil is a food-grade version derived from rapeseed cultivars specifically bred for low erucic acid content. It is also known as low erucic acid rapeseed (LEAR) oil and is generally recognized as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Canola oil is limited by government regulation to a maximum of 2% erucic acid by weight in the US and the EU, with special regulations for infant food. These low levels of erucic acid do not cause harm in humans

 

There is only one thing that differentiates canola from mustard oil: Erucic Acid — mustard oil has 47 per cent erucic acid. To understand the difference in simple terms, if we subtract 47 per cent erucic acid from mustard oil remaining is canola oil 

Pictures used under fair use copyright clause for educational purpose

Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colourless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction.

Owing to its polymer-forming properties, linseed oil is often blended with combinations of other oils, resins or solvents as an impregnator, drying oil finish or varnish in wood finishing, as a pigment binder in oil paints, as a plasticizer and hardener in putty, and in the manufacture of linoleum. Linseed oil use has declined over the past several decades with increased availability of synthetic alkyd resins—which function similarly but resist yellowing.

Linseed oil is an edible oil in demand as a dietary supplement, as a source of α-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid. In parts of Europe, it is traditionally eaten with potatoes and quark 

Pictures used under fair use copyright clause for educational purpose

Almond Oil: After harvesting, almonds are hulled and dried before different methods are used to extract their oil.

Refined almond oil is extracted from almonds using high-heat processing and chemicals.

This method negatively affects the nutritional value of the oil, as many of the nutrients found in raw almond oil are destroyed during high-heat or chemical treatments (1).

While this method results in a less nutritious oil, refined almond oil can withstand much higher temperatures and is less expensive than the unrefined type, making it a more cost-effective option for consumers.

Unrefined almond oil is made by pressing raw almonds without the use of high heat or chemical agents.

This low-heat process helps almond oil retain much of its nutrient content, making unrefined almond oil a better choice for culinary uses.

Fatty Acid Breakdown

Here are the proportions of fatty acids found in almond oil:

A diet rich in unsaturated fats has been linked to many health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease and obesity.

What’s more, monounsaturated fats may help lower high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease. 

Diets high in monounsaturated fats have also been linked to a lower risk of certain cancers like endometrial cancer, and they may even help you lose weight .

Pictures used under fair use copyright clause for educational purpose

I want to share this so that others can figure out how to maintain good heath.

I faced many health issues in Canada 2012-2019 that were directly rooted from workplace bullying.

Due to workplace bullying I withdrawn myself from some good hobbies that were connecting me with Nature and my inner self. After medical prescription failed to helm me get back my heath , I started analyzing what went wrong, when it went wrong, why it went wrong.

Finally I found my connection with the nature was lost and I was staying more in indoor environment that was opposite to my nature that requires good amount of outdoor time.

When I started this health transition , I was not even able to loft my body from bed in the morning. I used to struggle with myself for hours to get up. I took initiative to walk few meters everyday  and it was painful in the beginning. I started with 200 meters then gradually increased up to 5 kilometers .Then in second phase I started dancing and running in River valley Edmonton. I started cycle 10-20 kilometers.

I want to share that these transitions are slow just like natural processes. Now observe how slow snow will melt, then soil will soften. The leaves starts sprout out in shape of buds first. Then first leave will come out. Slowly but gradually tree will turn green ,then flowers will  bloom. Did you ever noticed that we only observe when there is greenery and flowers but never paid attention to everyday changes by closely watching and observing how natural process works - Slow and gradual.

You got the point. It is time to take initiative to observe yourself and nature. In case you have any health issue start reflecting how it started. Observe all changes and try to find out what you need to do according to your own personality and circumstances. Answers for every individual may be different but methodology is same . Analyze as the first stem, take initiative as the second step, Then challenge yourself slowly but gradually to get wherever you want to in your health and wellbeing.

-- Amrik Khabra 

From Book Power of Now by Echart Tolle