There may not be a house without it, and it is certain that we eat it in many processed and ready-made foods outside the home, but we do not stop much in front of hydrogenated oils! Have you thought about the amount of these oils that enter your body and what they do in your body? Let’s get to know together about these oils and why we hear a famous phrase in food advertisements “free of hydrogenated oils.”

What are hydrogenated oils?

It is a type of oil that is manufactured by introducing liquid fats extracted from plants in a process called hydrogenation, by adding hydrogen to it to convert it into a more solid form in what is called trans fats, and here lies the danger, as these fats affect our health very negatively. We must stop He has and think about these effects.

So why do food companies make these products out of hydrogenated oils? The answer is not difficult and you can easily guess it; This type of fat is less expensive, which brings more profit to companies, and it has a longer shelf life than natural or non-hydrogenated oils.

What are the harms of hydrogenated oils?

Here we must talk about the warnings that we hear from global health institutions regarding limiting the intake of this type of fat. Even the US Food and Drug Administration recently prevented food companies from relying on trans fats as a main ingredient in their products, for the following damages:

1. Increased level of harmful cholesterol in the blood.
2. Increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
3. Increased risk of stroke.
4. Increased rates of obesity.

Foods containing hydrogenated oils

If you want to avoid these harms, you can find hydrogenated oils in many food products, so be sure to avoid them, which include:

• Processed and packaged baked goods such as biscuits, cakes and pies.
• frozen pizza.
• Fried foods such as french fries, fried chicken, and donuts.
• coffee creamers.
• Vegetable shortening (margarine).
• Ready-made pastries.
• Packaged snacks and snacks.

How do you know which products contain hydrogenated oils?

In a very simple way, any product must contain a label with the ingredients, nutritional values, and manufacturing method. Just before buying any of the products we mentioned, make sure you read this label to know its ingredients.

There are also some products that write “free of trans fats” on their packaging, and this does not mean that they are completely free of these fats, but most often means that they contain 0.5 grams or less, so make sure of the ingredients on the label if you want to avoid them completely.

What are the best alternatives to hydrogenated oils for cooking?

Here comes the question, what is the alternative if I cook my food with vegetable ghee? Currently, many manufacturers of cooking fats and foodstuffs worldwide are moving to use less harmful alternatives to hydrogenated oils, which use another technology called esterification fats alternately The benefits of fat To convert oils to solid form instead of adding hydrogen.

How does the esterification process take place? fats alternately fat benefits?

It is a chemical or enzymatic process in which the structure of fatty acids in natural oils and animal fats is rearranged and modified while preserving their physical properties, to be converted into a more solid form for use in the manufacture of foodstuffs and margarine, without the need to add hydrogen and thus ensure that they are free of trans fats, thus helping Manufacturers not to rely on trans fats that cause damage to the heart, and to use these modified (hydrogen-free) fats instead in the manufacture of their products.

So far, the effect of these modified fats on the health of the whole body and its effect on the metabolism process is being studied, and the amount allowed to be consumed per day of these fats is also being studied.

Other alternatives are less harmful than hydrogenated oils

• Natural farm butter, especially from grass-fed cattle.
• corn oil.
• olive oil.
• sunflower oil.
• Avocado oil.
• flaxseed oil.
• canola oil.
• Soy oil.

Finally, you should know that avoiding consuming hydrogenated oils is not difficult. You can only dispense with canned products and snacks with healthy and light foods that you prepare at home with the healthy fats that we mentioned, and to make sure that what you get and what your family eats will not harm their health and will not expose them to the risk of the diseases we mentioned. .. We wish you good health and wellness.