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- Question: What are MUFA & PUFA? When an oil is said to be MUFA or PUFA based, does it mean that other compounds are absent?
- Ans : MUFA & PUFA are the short forms of Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids and Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids, respectively. All edible oils contain both MUFA & PUFA, though one of these may be present in higher percentage than the other. However, all edible oils contain some Saturated Fatty Acids (SAFA) as also traces of non-oil compounds – some of which have important roles in nutrition and health, like Vitamin-E and Lecithin
- Question: Is it true that some edible oils have cholesterol while some are cholesterol-free?
- Ans : All edible vegetable oils are free from cholesterol. Cholesterol is only present in animal fats like butter and ghee.
- Question: Are there any oils, which are saturated, fat-free?
- Ans : Oils may be low on saturates, though there are no saturated fat free oils.
- Question: What is Cholesterol and what is its relevance?
- Ans :Cholesterols are made up of a fat (lipid) part and a protein part and hence are also called Lipoproteins. Total Cholesterol comprises of three types of Lipoproteins: High Density Lipoproteins (HDL), Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) and very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL). Of these, HDL are called Good Cholesterol as they carry cholesterol - that can cause blockage in the arteries - from your cells back to your liver to be removed from your body. LDL and VLDL are called Bad Cholesterol as they form the plaque on artery walls that develops into a blockage that restricts blood flow to the heart – leading to atherosclerosis and coronary heart diseases. To look at the total cholesterol alone does not give an adequate reflection of cholesterol levels. What is important is the ratio between the good and bad. The optimum ratio of Total Cholesterol to LDL should be less than 3.5 to1 (For LDL ratio take the Total Cholesterol and divide by LDL). The ideal ratio of Total Cholesterol to HDL should be less than 3 to 1 (For HDL ratio take the Total Cholesterol and divide by HDL).
- Question:Is it alright if I don't eat any fat?
- Ans : Fat is an essential nutrient required for health and growth, like protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals. Fats supply essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, which our bodies cannot manufacture. Nutritionists suggest that, for adults, about 30% of the kilojoules consumed should be derived from fat. This translates to 50-60 grams of fat daily for a sedentary adult woman consuming 7500 kilojoules (1800 calories) a day. The type of fat is important - no more than 15 grams a day should be saturated fat.
- Question: I have heard that fats don't give us anything except kilojoules
(calories). Is it true? And what is the role of fats in our daily diet?
- Ans : Fat serves many functions in nutrition. Fat:
 Provides insulation and "cushioning" for internal organs;
"Spares" protein for its primary role of building; and
Serves as a "carrier" of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K) and fat-soluble antioxidants like beta-carotene and other carotenoids.
- Question: In order to lose excess weight, is it necessary for me to
eliminate all fat from my diet lose?
- Ans : A recent study conducted by Harvard School of Public Health used a regression analysis of data from the Nurses Health Study (80,000 women for 14 years) suggests that replacing saturated fat and trans unsaturated fats with monounsaturated (MUFA)and polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) is more effective in preventing coronary heart disease in women than reducing overall fat intake.
- Question: Is it true that canola oil is toxic/contains a poison?
- Ans : This myth has been circulating on the internet with no substantiation. It probably arose from canola's association with its parent, rapeseed, which contains naturally high levels of erucic acid, but this characteristic has been bred out of canola.
- Question: Do light oils keep my fat intake low?
- Ans : Light or "lite" oils have exactly the same fat and kilojoule content as regular oils. They are simply light in flavour or lighter in colour.
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