The proliferation of edible oil in the market today has become a great concern to experts who believe that consumers should be careful with what they ingest into their bodies. Edible oil is one of the key ingredients needed in preparing meals. According to the experts, what a person consumes determines how healthy such a person becomes. It is even more important to note that what a person feeds his heart with matters the most. In other words, what such an individual consumes and its impact on the heart remains very important to his wellbeing. Health-conscious feeding begins long before mealtime.
It starts with the careful selection of ingredients that make up what an individual eats, including the type of edible oil used in cooking. The type of edible oil an individual uses in cooking is important in the light of the prevailing cases of heartrelated diseases globally but particularly in Nigeria. Recently, a popular artiste slumped and died while carrying out light exercises.
The story was not different for a school teacher who slumped and died while dancing during an end-of-year party for graduating students of her school. These two instances are part of the estimated 61,374 or 4.14 per cent of total deaths from Coronary Heart Disease in Nigeria, according to the latest World Health Organization data published in 2020. It is interesting to know that the high presence of saturated fats in our diets has been identified as the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases.
However, as stated in the 2020 World Health Organisation report, a healthy heart requires that we “reduce saturated fats to less than 10 per cent of total energy intake; reduce transfats to less than one per cent of total energy intake; and replace both saturated fats and trans-fats with unsaturated fats – in particular, with polyunsaturated fats.” Polyunsaturated fats, also called polyunsaturated fatty acids or PUFA, are “good fats” unlike Saturated fats which are generally viewed as “bad fat” because they can cause problems with your cholesterol levels that can increase your risk of heart disease. Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood which can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. They are generally categorised under two main groups: Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for the functioning of the body’s cells. They help with energy production and play important roles in the heart, lungs, blood vessels, and immune system. According to health experts, soya bean oil is one of the highest sources of PUFA. Soya bean oil mostly consists of 60 per cent PUFA, which are heart-healthy types of fat associated with several benefits.
It contains more PUFA than sunflower oil, olive oil, corn oil, and palm oil. “As you prepare your next meal, feed your heart 5x PUFA by cooking your meals with Golden Terra Soya Oil, the leading soya oil in the Nigerian market with its increasing presence across the country. It is 100 per cent pure soya oil, totally sourced and manufactured in Nigeria, available in sachet, five liters, 10 liters and 25 liters. It should be adopted by every Nigerian for a healthy heart. Families and individuals who use Golden Terra Soya Oil on a regular basis benefit from hearthealthy and brain-boosting meals that help them achieve their goals,” health experts said.
