Traditional Indian cooking oils better than refined: Experts

Traditional Indian cooking oils, such as ghee, coconut and mustard oil recommended by grandmothers, are healthier than the modern day refined or olive oils, experts have said.

"Cooking oils form an integral part of Indian diet. However, one is confronted with an array of commonly marketed edible oils asserting host of health claims.

"In Indian cooking conditions, which mostly involve deep frying, our age-old oils like ghee, coconut and mustard oils score better than refined and other oils in health benefits," said Dr SC Manchanda, Department of Cardiology, Ganga Ram Hospital.

The observations have been made in an editorial in the Indian Heart Journal (IHJ), the official peer reviewed open access journal of Cardiological Society of India (CSI).

Public Health Nutrition Consultant, Santosh Jain Passi said that it is advisable to avoid refined oils, since during the refining process oils are heated as high temperatures resulting in their degradation and generation of toxic substances.

"Refined oils degrade easily and therefore, should be avoided for frying. On the contrary, oils high in saturated fats (like ghee/coconut oil) can be used for Indian cooking, as they are comparatively stable during frying," he added.