Category: Food and Nutrition
Move over olive, there is a new cooking oil in town – and some say it is healthier.
List of articles under : Food and Nutrition
Downside of Supplements
Healthy Living
Food and Nutrition
The habit of choosing supplements over a balanced diet is on the rise among the growing population of health nuts. The growing fascination for the supplements stems from the belief that in addition to warding off a deficiency, they also help stave off various illnesses. Read more
Ten Best Energy Foods
Healthy Living
Food and Nutrition
Ever wondered why some people eat less but are more energetic? The secret may lie in the kind of foods they consume. Foods that are high in carbohydrates with a little potion of protein but have no or low fats are often termed as energy foods. Read more
Essential Fatty Acids are Essential for Health
Healthy Living
Food and Nutrition
Essential fatty acids (EFA) are the fatty acids that are required to create and repair cell membranes in the human body. These essential fatty acids cannot be obtained synthetically and they have to be obtained only through diet. Read more
How Healthy are Canadian Eating Habits?
Healthy Living
Food and Nutrition
Walk into an eatery or wheel into a drive thru – you will be welcomed by mouth-watering images of sweet and sugary donuts, cookies, French fries, chicken wings, hamburgers … great! Read more
Does Coffee Really Perk You Up?
Healthy Living – Food and Nutrition
Rizani Razeed
Are you one of those who just can’t start the day without their morning coffee? Do you love chocolate? Are you a pop junkie? You might be wondering what these three have in common. Well, it’s the caffeine content – a key ingredient in all of them. Read more
Oil Change in Calgary
Healthy Living —Food & Nutrition
Arlen Panchoo
Calgary started 2008 by making history as the first Canadian city to ban the use of trans fats in restaurants. On January 1, all margarines, spreads, and oils used for cooking in restaurants were limited to a maximum of two percent trans fats of the total fat content in foods. Read more
Whole Grains vs. Whole Wheat – What is Best For You?
Healthy Living — Food & Nutrition
Kim Edmundson, R.N.C.P., R.h.A.
We hear it all the time, “Eat more whole grains”. But what does this really mean? Most people think that eating more whole grains means simply eating more whole wheat. Read more
Food and Nutrition
Healthy Living
Reaping the benefits of Rice Bran Oil
Food and Nutrition
Move over olive, there is new cooking oil in town – and some say it is healthier.
Rice bran oil (RBO) is produced from the bran of the rice kernel. RBO contains a variety of antioxidants that are beneficial to our health. Two of its components: gamma-oryzanol and tocotrienols have individually shown health benefits.
The oil has a nutty flavour and researchers agree it has an excellent lasting quality, meaning you save money and time. RBO is a specialty product found in countries such as Canada, United States, Japan, India, Korea, China and Indonesia. It costs more than most cooking oils, but its superior quality and health benefits provide many advantages.
What are the benefits?
Cooking oil is commonly used in many Canadian households. Health professionals always emphasize on the advantages of healthy oils over fatty oils. Rice bran oil is healthier because it has higher cholesterol reduction ability than its competitors. It increases HDL cholesterol, (known as good cholesterol) and lowers the production of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides, which lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. One study in California, USA showed every one per cent reduction in cholesterol meant a two per cent decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease. As well, another research indicates RBO does not produce allergic reactions, as many other oils do.
Disease prevention
Rice bran oil’s component Gamma-Oryzanol is high in antioxidants. Its antioxidant properties reduce plasma cholesterol and cholesterol absorption. It also decreases early atherosclerosis (a disease that affects the blood vessels in the arteries). It also increases fecal bile acid excretion, which helps in digestion.
Its other component Tocotrienols, found in the outer grain hull of the rice kernel, belong to the vitamin E family (known for its antioxidant properties) and can help in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. A study, as quoted in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, has shown that long-term use of tocotrienol might reduce overall cancer risks.
Everyday use
Rice Bran oil can be used for everyday cooking or to add a little flavour to your salad. Already some companies and restaurants are using RBO in their cooking. Unlike some oils, RBO doesn’t produce a lot of smoke at high temperature and as a result some Japanese restaurants use the oil when deep frying their tempura dishes. Canada’s very own, Mampster is one of the few companies dedicated to using RBO in all their products.
Look out for these products at your local grocery store and start enjoying a healthier version of snacks you already love.