What do you understand by healthy oils?
Healthy oils are oils that have a good composition for the human body, consisting of various fatty acids, vitamins, essential oils and possibly other secondary plant ingredients. The essential fatty acids are of particular importance here, i.e. fatty acids which the body cannot synthesize (produce) itself and which therefore have to be supplied by food. Above all, the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are important in the assessment of an oil.
What percentage of the oil is considered particularly healthy?
With the evaluation of a healthy oil it depends in particular on the fatty acid portion of the oil. In the oil there are exclusively unsaturated fatty acids (responsible for the fact that the oil is liquid). These can be differentiated into simply, doubly and several times insatiated fatty acids.
For the body fatty acids are important energy suppliers, some of the fatty acids can be manufactured by the body itself (not essential fatty acids), some must be supplied over the food (essential fatty acids). The essential fatty acids Omega 3 and Omega 6 contained in oil are therefore of particular importance. Fatty acids have important physiological tasks and support the immune system.
The already mentioned unsaturated fatty acids demonstrably lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases and have a positive effect on blood fat values. In particular the relationship of the fatty acids to each other is substantially involved in the quality of the oil. Apart from the fatty acids there are still further components, which make an oil particularly healthy. These are for example essential oils, secondary plant substances and certain vitamins. When assessing an oil, it is also important to consider the intended use of the oil, as not all oils are equally suitable for cooking, frying or in salad dressings.
What is the importance of Omega 3?
Omega 3 fatty acids are of great importance for health. Numerous studies prove the positive effects of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that must be ingested daily with food because the body cannot synthesize them itself.
Suppliers of omega 3 fatty acids include fatty sea fish, oils such as linseed oil and rapeseed oil, or soy products. The best known Omega 3 fatty acids are alpha linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Omega 3 fatty acids ensure that less pro-inflammatory substances are produced in the body and have a positive influence on the metabolism, brain performance, the immune system, and the muscles and skeleton. Through these properties, Omega 3 fatty acids reduce the risk of, or have a positive influence on, cardiovascular diseases, lipid metabolism disorders, diabetes, mental illness, osteoporosis, obesity, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatism, arthrosis, neurodermatitis and other diseases in which inflammatory processes play a role. With regard to the omega 3 contained in oil, it is important to ensure that the ratio between omega 3 and omega 6 is good, as the two fatty acids have opposite effects, so a high proportion of omega 3 is desirable.
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