Blended Vs Refined Oil: Which One Should You Choose?

One of the biggest parts of our daily cooking is oils. While cooking oils receive a lot of flak, we cannot ignore this vital ingredient. Almost everything we cook needs a certain amount of oil, whether our vegetables or any other dish. However, when it comes to oils, there is always a debate about the type of oil we should go for! One debate is blended oil vs single seed refined oil. People choose to use blended oil because they believe it is healthier than single-seed refined oil. However, each type of oil has its own benefits and drawbacks.  But first, let’s address the central question…

Difference Between Blended & Refined Oils

To answer this question, you must first know what they are. These are the same kind of oils but have different nuances. Refined single-seed oils are extracted from a particular (single) food ingredient like soybean, rice bran, groundnut, mustard, etc. Blended oils, on the other hand, are a mix of more than one type of oil, for example, soybean and rice bran or sunflower with olive oil.  Let’s look at the benefits of both these types of oils.

BLENDED OILS

Oils do not have a good reputation- among consumers. However, healthier oils low in saturated fats can be consumed daily in controlled amounts. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids are found in various vegetable and seed oils. MUFAs and PUFAs are essential for health, and a balanced approach will help our bodies. 

Benefits of blended oil

The debate of blended oil Vs refined oil isn’t a debate since they come with exceptional benefits. Let’s check out some of the benefits of blended oil:

• Some blended oils are rich in MUFAs and PUFAs. These fatty acids are essential for the body. Some blends are proven to lower bad LDL cholesterol and help manage heart disease.
• Blended oils with specific blends may help in managing cancer cells. They also lower triglycerides and overall body weight.
• Blending oils help with a higher smoke point, making them ideal for frying our tasty treats. Their higher smoke point also makes them perfect for all types of cooking, without generating toxic chemicals.
• Blended oils are excellent for providing health benefits that exceed the benefits of a single-source oil.

REFINED COOKING OILS

Single-seed oils are equally crucial for our health as blended oils. In fact, the question: why oils are refined is a popular one. Several oils need to be refined because they often contain certain impurities that can affect the consumption of this oil. These oils need to be refined to make them edible and safe to consume. Refined oils also ensure longer shelf life. 

Benefits of refined cooking oil

Again, pertaining to the debate of blended oil Vs single seed oil, both  come with their own sets of advantages and let’s take a look at them: 

• Fats are an integral part of our life. According to ICMR dietary guidelines, dietary fat intake should be 15-30% of total energy intake. This means that not more than 30% of our dietary energy should come from oils and fats. Refined oil is a good source of fats and should be a part of our diet.
• Packed refined cooking oils are good also because there is less chance of adulteration.
• Refined cooking oils are replete with fatty acids essential for our bodies Refined oils tend to keep twice as long as unrefined oils - at least 6 to 12 months if stored properly.

In Conclusion,

Both blended and refined oils come with their benefits, however, choosing them is a personal choice. Blended oil has quite a bad reputation when in fact, it's a good thing. It doesn't mean that it's adulterated; it just means it's been combined with other types of oil. Since blended oils combine two oils, to have a rich source of MUFAs and PUFAs from a single healthy cooking oil!  For instance, Saffola Gold is a blended oil that combines rice bran and sunflower oil and is developed to be good for your heart health. You can choose Saffola Total with a blend of rice bran oil and safflower oil if you want to decrease your LDL cholesterol. A blend of these two oils has also been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels more effectively than single-source oils. Also read more about natural ways to reduce cholesterol levels.