Why Is Vegetable Shortening Bad For You?
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Answers ( 4 )
WHAT IS VEGETABLE SHORTENING?
It is a type of fat made from vegetable oils such as peanut, soy or corn. In its production process, a method known as hydrogenation is used, which uses heat and pressure to obtain fatty acids.
Up to this point, it could be thought that vegetable shortening is better than animal shortening.
The answer is yes and no. Well, while vegetable shortening may have some benefits, by providing some vitamins and good flavor to dishes, regular consumption makes vegetable shortening bad for your health .
So, what are the most recommended fats to use in the kitchen? To understand it better, let’s see what kinds of fats exist and some criteria that must be taken into account when choosing the oils used in preparations.
TYPES OF FATS
There are several types of fats, both of animal and vegetable origin , however not all of them have the same health properties.
In general, fats are classified into:
Saturated fats.
Trans fat.
polyunsaturated fats
Monounsaturated fats.
However, there are some types of fat that are not or are not recommended for cooking, because they can release toxins in the body and in turn trigger various health problems, including heart problems.
1. SATURATED FATS
In this group are fats that are distinguished by being solid at room temperature and liquid when they are at high temperatures.
They are very common in daily preparations and are found in foods such as:
Butter.
Vegetable or pork lard.
Cream cheese.
Milk cream.
One of the great problems that this type of food represents is that they have been associated with a high incidence of cardiovascular diseases and obesity.
2. TRANS FAT
Also known as trans fatty acids, they are a type of fat obtained industrially by transforming liquid oil into a solid fat.
The process of trans fats is particularly convenient for the large-scale food industry, since it allows to reduce production costs and thus manage to sell in massive quantities.
Trans fats are present in packaged fried foods, snacks or industrial pastries and also present serious health problems.
3. POLYUNSATURATED FATS
In this group are some oils such as corn or sunflower, which, although they provide essential fatty acids, can become harmful if consumed in excess.
4. MONOUNSATURATED FATS
These types of fats are the most suitable for human consumption, as they provide essential fatty acids, which are necessary for the proper functioning of the body.
Among them are oils such as olive or safflower, which are of plant origin and can help improve aspects such as heart health or control body weight, unlike vegetable shortening, which is bad for health.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF VEGETABLE SHORTENING
Compared to butter of animal origin, which has a high content of saturated fats that put cardiovascular health at risk, it could be said that the use of vegetable butter is preferable.
Indeed, vegetable shortening provides fewer calories and does not contain an excess of “bad fats”. Even so, vegetable shortening is bad because it represents a significant contribution of saturated fats, which, as we mentioned before, are associated with serious health risks.
This does not mean that vegetable shortening is the healthiest option, because although it can provide vitamins A, D and E and some minerals such as sodium or calcium, it is recommended to obtain them from other sources that do not put health at risk.
In a technical sense, “shortening” is any type of fat that is solid at room temperature. This includes butter, margarine, and lard.
Shortening can be made from either animal fat or vegetable oil, but most shortening on the market today is made from vegetable oils like soybean, cottonseed, or palm oil.