More evidence that low-calorie sweeteners are bad for your health
Studies show that artificial sweeteners can raise the risk of hypertension, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, including stroke.
As the sun comes out, so do the salads. But before you reach for the olive oil and start drizzling it’s worth considering these oily alternatives – most of which can be grown in the UK.
Although hemp, flax and rapeseed may not sound like a sexy trio when compared with olive oil’s Mediterranean aura – they are storecupboard essentials, especially if you are looking for something healthy, sustainable and grown closer to home.
It’s true, good extra virgin olive oil does have an unbeatable peppery, fruity flavour synonymous with summer, and in some cases no other oil will do. And olive oil is undeniably healthy. But produced on an industrial scale, olive oil also has a heavy environmental footprint.
While there are sustainable olive oils worth paying for, a good selection of other oils can enhance your cooking and could even be grown on a farm near you. We’ve picked three which are fantastically good for you, providing, amongst other things, a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids – ‘good fats’ which, taken in the right amount and ratio, are essential for health.
Below we review the pros and cons of each and the best ways to use them.
Flax oil
Also known as linseed oil. Whether you call it ‘flaxseed’ or ‘linseed’ the best oil comes from artisan producers where the oil is gently cold-pressed at minimal temperatures with no vigorous filtering or pumping. It should taste mildly of linseeds, with a delicate, sweet, fresh taste.
Pros: Of all the oils, flax is the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids. Flax is the only oil that contains more omega-3 than omega-6 (as much as four times more). Official guidelines and nutritionists say oily fish is the best source of omega 3 but flax oil is considered the best vegetarian source. It’s also more sustainable and arguably a safer alternative to fish oils that may come from contaminated waters.
Cons: Poorer quality oils can taste very bitter. Even though there are pioneering UK farmers out there producing top quality oil there are very few of them because the yields aren’t very good.
Surprisingly you can heat it as the oil is heat stable at 150°C for an hour. Use it more like melted butter, extra virgin oil or cream. Try it in salad dressing, on a baked potato, trickled over steamed veg, or stir it into soup to bring out the flavour of the herbs. Flax oil can go rancid very easily and needs to be kept in the fridge.
Hemp oil
With its reputation as a wonderplant – it’s a low-input and low-impact crop that is easy to grow without chemicals, which enriches the soil with nutrients, and has thousands of uses – cold pressed hemp oil has a dedicated band of producers and supporters in the UK and elsewhere.
Pros: It contains omega fats 3, 6 and 9 in the ideal ratio for your body to absorb them (omega-6 to omega-3 at 3:1).
Cons: The UK climate. Here, hemp grows beautifully for fibre but not for top quality food grade seeds that need long hot summers. Hemp oil producers in the UK tend to supplement their supply with hemp from Europe. China, the world’s biggest hemp producer where farmers grow it as a natural barrier crop, also has a lot of cheap seeds available but traceability can be an issue.
With its distinctly nutty flavour and rich green colour, hemp oil can taste strange at first but you soon get used to it. Use it on salads, in pesto or other savoury dishes, dip crusty bread into it or drizzle over rice or pasta. Many brands advise not heating the oil, storing it in the fridge and consuming within 6 weeks
Rapeseed oil
Cold-pressed, extra virgin rapeseed oil is catching on as a healthy British-grown alternative to olive oil.
Pros: Unlike flax and hemp oils, it has a high smoke point (more than 220°C), so it can be used to fry things at a high heat. It’s surprisingly healthy – high in mono-unsaturated fats (like olive oil) and very low in saturated fats, it also contains ‘good’ fats omega-3 and omega-6 and vitamin E.
Cons: Rapeseed’s reputation. Although this is NOT to be confused with the mass produced, flavourless cheap cooking oil variety (or canola oil, as it’s know in the US), rapeseed is grown widely across the world, often as a GM crop. Another downside is that rapeseed is hard to grow organically as normally the crop requires high levels of nitrogen fertiliser.
Although its mild, slightly sweet taste is nothing like that of olive oil, it works well on salads. Even just trickled on tomatoes it brings out the flavour of them. There’s not much you can’t do with this oil – try using it instead of butter in desserts, in dressings and stir fries.
And the rest
There is an amazingly rich variety of oils available to use as part of your healthy diet. Why not experiment?
For cooking try:
Sesame oil Rich and nutty, the semi-refined variety has a higher smoke point than unrefined – great for stirfries, oriental dishes. Toasted sesame oil is the tastier version.
Sunflower oil A general-purpose oil. If you’re frying with it, however, make sure you get the refined ‘frying oil’ variety.
Grapeseed oil A sustainable byproduct of winemaking, grapeseed has a clean, light flavor and is a good source of both vitamin E and oleic acid. Good for sauteeing (but not high heat baking) but also great for salad dressings.
Avocado oil A heat-stable monounsaturated fat like olive oil. Though most people use it cold for its stellar flavour, it has a high smoke point and can be used for grilling and pan roasting.
For flavour try these:
Toasted pumpkin seedA rich, dark green oil with a strong, nutty flavour. Delicious over salad, rice, pasta or steamed veg.
Walnut oil Nutty and sweet it adds a delicious flavour to salads and dips.
General buying guidelines
For maxiumum health benefits, and taste, go for for cold pressed oil. High temperatures can neutralise or destroy the antioxidants and create free radicals (molecules that attack the cells in the body). Solvents (usually hexane) are often used to extract every drop of oil, especially from plants that may not yield it so easily, and small traces of these toxic solvents may remain in the oil.
Top quality cold pressed oil is mechanically (expeller) pressed with minimal exposure to heat, light and oxygen. Check the label and look for the words ‘expeller extraction’. If you’re buying organic, you can be sure that no solvents are used – solvent extraction of organic oils is not permitted under EU organic regulations or Soil Association standards.
Store oils away from heat and light, preferably in a dark glass bottle. Some oils, such as flax, need to be kept in the fridge and consumed within 6 weeks – check the label.
Whole seeds
Don’t forget about whole seeds – still the best way to get fresh oils. They not only contain essential fatty acids but also vitamins, minerals, proteins and fibre. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and shelled hemp seeds are so easy to use sprinkled in salads or stir-fries or on cereal.
As for linseeds, use them whole on muesli or on salads. For maximum nutritional benefit it’s best to grind them into a fine meal with pestle and mortar or a coffee grinder (whole seeds are too tough to digest properly). Add the meal to porridge or muesli. Soaked in water the whole seeds improve digestion – although flax swells to five times its dry volume so make sure it’s combined with enough liquid.
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