Following the right diet is the best thing you can do to keep your cholesterol levels healthy. One practice that works well for this is to use cooking oils that raise your levels of good cholesterol rather than bad cholesterol. Vegetable oil can be a good choice for this purpose.
Vegetable Oil Basics
Although many kinds of oil come from plant sources, the term "vegetable oil" most often refers to the canola oil or corn oil you buy in large plastic bottles. Both oils are made from their namesake plant, which is pressed in much the same way olives are pressed for their oil, or grapes are pressed for their juice. You can use canola oil as a fry lubricant, or as a fat in baked goods and other recipes.
Bad Cholesterol
Low-density lipoprotein is the "bad" cholesterol that clumps in your arteries and increases your risk for circulatory problems, like high blood pressure and stroke. Your body produces LDL in response to the presence of saturated fats in your diet. Canola and corn oils are low in saturated fat -- containing just 1 g in 1 tbsp. of oil. At these levels, vegetable oil will have a negligible effect in terms of raising your bad cholesterol.
Good Cholesterol
Your body also produces "good" cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein. This substance cleans out your bloodstream of contaminants, including harmful LDL. Friendly to your circulatory health, HDL is produced when you take in unsaturated fats. Each 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil contains more than 12 g of unsaturated fat. According to Walter Willett in "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy," this will increase your HDL production so much that he recommends it as part of your daily diet.
Total Cholesterol
When doctors measure your blood cholesterol levels, they use a measurement called total cholesterol. Total cholseterol accounts for the interaction between good and bad cholesterol by subtracting your HDL measurement from your LDL level. Vegetable oils can lower your total cholesterol by increasing your HDL production while raising your LDL by only a tiny amount.
References
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Canola Oil
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy;" Walter Willett; 2004
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; High Cholesterol: Understand Your Risks; February 2011
- Canola Council of Canada: FAQ
