Today I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite cooking oils, rice bran oil. For those of you who are unaware allow me to give you the 411.

Information about rice bran oil

This oil is extracted from the germ and inner husk of rice. Rice bran oil is rich in vitamin E and contains a natural antioxidant called gamma-oryzanol, which helps our immune system.

Rice bran oil ranks at the top of my list for cooking oils. It has been a standard for me over the years because it can be used in so many ways. I use it often when making salad dressing.  Most people have a tendency to use olive oil, I say give it a shot the next time you have a desire for salad dressing. It has a nice delicate taste that will truly compliment the flavor of your foods. Rice bran oil has fantastic cooking characteristics, due in part to its high flash point and low smoke ability.

This makes it ideal for deep frying, stir frying, sautéing and any other application. I love the fact that the food you cook absorbs less oil, compared to other oils you may use to cook with. This becomes a good thing because it means fewer calories for you to think about.

Another factor to keep in mind, rice bran oil does not have the tendency to leave you with an after taste, like most oils cooked at very high temperatures.

“High flash point, high smoke/low smoke point,” (culinary lingo) rice bran oil is taking the lead in becoming a truly healthy oil in which to cook with.

For your health

This wonderful cooking oil gives us a healthy balance of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fats. Here we are talking about life sustaining properties; our body’s metabolic process depend on essential fatty acids.

Polyunsaturated fat

Polyunsaturated fat is essential fatty acids, which lowers (LDL) the bad cholesterol and raises the (HDL) the good cholesterol. It is the LDL that will cause high blood pressure that can lead to heart disease and other health problems.

Sources: ‘What Are Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids? / Nutrition / Fats‘ | fitday.com

‘Can Rice Bran Oil Melt Away Cholesterol?‘ | University of Rochester Medical Center urmc.rochester.edu

‘Rice bran oil and gamma-oryzanol in the treatm…‘ | PubMed – NCBI ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

It is very important to note, that we actually get carbohydrates, energy, and proteins from rice bran oil. This can lead to weight loss and a decrease of body fat.

Monounsaturated fat

Monounsaturated fat or (MUFA) are liquids at room temperature and solid when refrigerated.  This type of fat is found in avocados, various vegetables oils and nuts. When used properly monounsaturated fats:

• help reduce LDL
• help satisfy your desire for food
• lower blood pressure
• maintain glucose levels

Sources: ‘Monounsaturated fat‘ | Wikipedia.org, the free encyclopedia

‘Monounsaturated Fats‘ | heart.org

Saturated fats

Now we can move on to the discussion of saturated fats. These are fats that can pose a awful risk to our health if eaten in large portions on regular basis.

This will contribute to high cholesterol. Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death here in the US.  These are food items that will clog our arteries, cause inflammation and contribute to any number of cancers.

Eating red meat every day is risky. Processed carbohydrates, foods with additives and preservatives that you cannot even pronounce, whole milk, cheese, skin from poultry, and any solid fats such as butter all pose a health risk. If you just can’t resist these foods then at least give some thought to eating them in moderation.

Interesting article: ‘Everyone Was Wrong: Saturated Fat Is Good For You‘ | greatist.com

I say live in balance and eat certain foods in moderation. Are you convinced? Will you try using rice bran oil?