食用油究竟要不要换着吃.docVIP

菜籽油、苎麻油、红棕榈油、南瓜油……突然橄榄油在超市的货架有了许多竞争对手，但它们是否比我们一贯喜欢用的橄榄油更健康、更美味呢？罗伯特.哈德森用试验揭开了谜底。 It was a day like any other, and I was in the super-market, reaching confidently for a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. I hadnt looked at the oil shelf properly for five years - olive oil tastes good, its part of the famously healthy Mediterranean diet, so what is there to think about? Suddenly though, my eye was caught by a dusky bottle of cold-pressed rapeseed oil. Next to it, I noticed the line of hemp, grapeseed, red palm and canola oils, all smartly packaged, all making strident health claims. I found myself twisting in bewilderment. Lately it seems the oil shelves have been invaded by new varieties. All naturally claim to be delicious, and, because olive oils success has been fuelled by its perceived health benefits, they all claim to be great for you too. So, for example, Hillfarm Extra Virgin Rapeseed oil trumpets its Delicious light nutty flavour before adding that it is very low in saturated fat, contains Omega 3, 6 + 9 and is free from artificial preservatives. It is an ideal oil for those concerned with their health and wellbeing. So, had my knee-jerk reliance on olive oil blinded me to a better, healthier, tastier way of life? After all, Omega 3 is important to the circulation and brain, and Omega 6 helps skin and hair (although excessive amounts have been linked to heart disease); both are found in rapeseed, avocado, hemp, pumpkin and walnut oils. Omega 9 is not essential. It has fewer demonstrated health benefits, and our bodies produce it from other unsaturated fats. Significantly, olive oil is full of Omega 9, but low in the other two. So do we need to switch? Dietitian Ursula Arens says no. These are important nutrients, but for essential fatty acids, there is no doubt that fish oils are the star. Vegetarians might need to consider getting some of their Omega 3 from vegetable oils, but they would need to eat large amounts. In fact, quantity is key. When it comes to he