“When I was a child, I liked you to make lard the most. The lard bibimbap is so fragrant. After each refining, you can use the oil residue as a snack.”
My aunt said to her mother, and picked up the vegetable oil on the supermarket shelf, “However, you are so old and have high blood lipids, so don’t eat lard anymore. I heard that eating too much cholesterol. The vegetable oil you bought is healthy.”
But my mother had eaten lard for decades, and she was used to it. “Don’t buy it for me. I still think lard is fragrant and delicious. Don’t waste your money.”
“Why is this a waste of money? You didn’t read the news that it said that lard is high in fat and not suitable for the elderly.” Aunt Zhang was obviously a little angry.
My aunt wanted to say a few more words, but seeing her mother’s face darkened, she just mumbled, “We all eat this.” In the end, she bought vegetable oil for her mother.
Controversies like this are not uncommon between generations. Is lard delicious or bad for health? Take a look below the article.
The history of lard has a long history
People have had the habit of eating lard for thousands of years. Whether it’s stir-frying or mixing into staple foods, lard elevates food.
Many people are curious: It stands to reason that the oil itself is less volatile and can hardly smell, but why is lard so fragrant?
The aroma of lard is actually a “deception” of the brain.
Humans are extremely sensitive to the smell of mutton, and it is our instinct to realize that if we smell the smell of mutton, it means that there are fat sheep to eat. During the heating process, the meat will undergo a chemical reaction to volatilize the aroma, so the raw mutton smells more stinky, and the cooked meat is less stinky. This reaction is called the Maillard reaction.
This reaction also occurs when cooking lard. Once the fat pork without aroma is heated, many small molecules of volatile organic compounds will be produced, which are keenly captured by our sense of smell. These substances are defined by our brains as “scents”.
For people in the 1980s and 1990s, a bowl of lard bibimbap and a serving of lard residue are fond memories of childhood. But with the focus on healthy eating, lard has been classified as an “unhealthy food”, is that really the case?
Second, the high incidence of cardiovascular disease is because of not eating lard?
From the perspective of human physiological nutrition, oil can provide heat, provide essential fatty acids, and promote the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, which is an important part of maintaining physiological functions of human beings. However, too much fat intake can indeed threaten cardiovascular health.
Excessive intake of fat is one of the important factors that induce cardiovascular disease. As an animal fat, lard contains saturated fatty acids (more than 40%) and cholesterol (containing 1000ppm), which are all unfavorable factors for cardiovascular disease.
Epidemiological studies have shown that excessive intake of saturated fatty acids will increase the content of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood and increase the incidence of arteriosclerosis. The US FDA proposed in 2004 that replacing lard with vegetable oil in daily meals is indeed more conducive to cardiovascular health.
But why do modern people eat less lard and more and more cardiovascular diseases? This is because the increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disease is not only behind the single factor of “don’t eat lard”. Risk factors affecting cardiovascular disease include smoking, second-hand smoke, obesity, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and prolonged life expectancy, which are the result of a comprehensive effect.
Therefore, it should not be assumed that there is a necessary connection between the two because the reduction of lard consumption and the high incidence of cardiovascular disease occur at the same time.
Is vegetable oil better than animal oil?
In the eyes of most people, vegetable oil is better than animal oil, and many health practitioners like to use olive oil, corn oil, etc. However, an article published in the British “Daily Telegraph” said: Research has found that ordinary vegetable oil cooking produces a large amount of aldehyde compounds, which are carcinogenic to the human body and may be more dangerous than animal oil.
This made everyone panic.
The truth is not so scary. The temperature of this experiment is higher than the smoke point of the oil itself, and it is cooked for a long time. Some conclusions in the article are also exaggerated and misleading, and cannot be regarded as conclusive scientific evidence.
So is vegetable oil better or animal oil better?
Fats and oils include saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Generally speaking, animal fats contain more saturated fatty acids. Excessive intake may increase blood cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is not good for health. Vegetable oil may be more beneficial to health, and its unsaturated fatty acids can reduce blood lipids, improve blood circulation, inhibit platelet aggregation, and are better for cardiovascular disease.
Of course, we don’t need to eat animal oil completely. After all, it has a good taste and special flavor, and occasional consumption is not harmful to health.
To eat oil healthily, remember three points
- Do not exceed
Healthy adults need 25 to 30 grams of cooking oil per day; saturated fat intake should not exceed 10% of total daily calories. If converted into lard, it is about 50g.
- Diversification
The fatty acid composition of different oils is different, and the nutritional characteristics are also different. Therefore, peanut oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil, etc. can be mixed and used. For example, use sesame oil and olive oil for cold cooking; use peanut oil when cooking; use butter for baking bread, etc.
- Control the intake of trans fatty acids
Trans fatty acids have no health benefits. According to the recommendations of international expert groups and public health authorities, trans fatty acids should be controlled below 1% of the total intake, and foods containing more trans fatty acids such as cream and biscuits should be avoided as much as possible in daily life.
Whether it is lard or vegetable oil, as long as it is not consumed in excess, it does not pose a risk to health. While enjoying the deliciousness, learn to use oil scientifically and develop good habits, so that you can enjoy the deliciousness brought by oil with peace of mind.
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