A picture of pakoras, puris, samosas, kachoris, and other deep-fried delicacies flashes before our eyes when someone asks us to “Tell that you are Indian, without telling you are Indian”. Whatever you want to say about it, fried food is a favorite of many individuals, even gym rats prefer to eat it on their cheat meal days. And when the monsoon season approaches, the need for fried foods grows even stronger.
Rujuta Diwekar, a celebrity nutritionist, recommends eating pakoras during the monsoon – deep-fried in local oil like mustard, filtered groundnut, or coconut – with a cup of tea. She also stressed the need for portion management. While the 47-year-old nutritionist’s message was bolstered by the significance of mental health, one component of fried food poses a serious threat to everyone’s health: recycling the same oil. While we believe it is a means of reducing waste, we are unaware of the health hazards it might bring to our overall health. Ryan Fernando, a nutritionist, and dietary coach discussed the consequences of reusing oil, creating awareness about the risks related to it.
“As a dietitian, I strongly oppose refrying oil. Oil oxidizes to Trans fats, total polar molecules, and para aromatic hydrocarbons as it emits smoke. All of these compounds are harmful to human health. “Various studies have been done on rat models where cholesterol, blood pressure, antioxidant levels in the blood, and other things have all happened in rat models,” he stated.
He blamed bad food provided in restaurants, which is frequently cooked in reused oil, for the rising prevalence of cardiac issues in children.
“Fried meals prepared at roadside cafes, food outlets in marketplaces, and restaurants are widely consumed in India. According to a study, 48 percent of Americans eat fried food once to six times each week. This meal is commonly consumed by young people between the ages of 20 and 30, who acquire high cholesterol levels at an early age as a result of their dietary choices,” he added.
In a nutshell, reusing cooking oil has the following negative health consequences such as:
- High risk of heart diseases in the long run
- Increased cholesterol levels
- High blood pressure
As a result, it is recommended to use a little amount of oil for cooking and frying to avoid wasting and the danger of re-use, which has its own set of negative effects.
