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| How dangerous can cooking in fat be for you? |
"What if we can't afford to buy oil and where one part of ghee comes, one kilo of fat is extracted from the fat with the same money, with which we cook food."
This was said by Shaughta Bibi, who belongs to the lower middle class and could hardly buy cooking oil and ghee earlier due to inflation in the country, but now after the threefold increase in the prices of food items, especially oil, and ghee, she is forced to eat. Chicken fat is used for cooking.
He and several people in his neighborhood bring fat scraps from the poultry shop, which are cleaned from chicken meat, and cooked to extract the fat, which is later used for cooking.
Shagutta Bibi's family had to pay a heavy price for this thrift of a few rupees. Her husband is currently in the hospital's ICU. His blood pressure skyrocketed and the arteries in his brain threatened to burst, with doctors barely able to save his life after severe breathing problems.
Taking information about medical history and eating habits, the doctor found that her husband had no other illnesses and apparently no complex medical problems in the family, but his high consumption of fat in his diet for the past two years seemed to be his cause. There was a big reason.
Shaughta Bibi's husband is a daily wage laborer. After covid-19, work is not the same as before, so to support this family of five people, Shaugafta Bibi herself started working as a nanny in a school. Still, the income was not enough to buy quality food items.
But didn't the cost of hospitals and medicines prove to be expensive for the money saved from edible oil?
On this, he said, "It is expensive, but if I only have 50 rupees in my pocket at that time, I will think about it, what can I do with it."
Shagufat Bibi is not alone in doing this. Rather, a large number of poor and underprivileged people in Pakistan use not only chicken but also cow, buffalo, and goat fat to get fat from it and cook with it, but what is this for their health? Is the value harmful?
How expensive can eating fat be?
Cardiologist Dr. Masood Al Hasan says that consuming fat or ghee is not so harmful as long as it is consumed in small quantities and along with exercise and walking routine.
He said that 'all those fats which are called saturated fats including ghee, butter, desi ghee and fat, their excessive consumption is harmful to health. Saturated fats are fats that freeze at room temperature or in cold climates. '
According to Dr. Masood Al Hasan, if a person already has high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease, consuming fat or fat can be dangerous for them.
According to him, "If a healthy person consumes fat continuously and does not include much transportation and exercise in his daily routine, this fat can accumulate in the blood vessels and cause heart diseases."
He explained that when a person eats fat, it reaches the intestines through the stomach, where it is absorbed and enters the blood. There they go through the blood vessels to the liver. Where the fat is digested according to the body's requirement and the rest is stored in the liver. Similarly, the excess amount of fat circulating in the blood vessels begins to accumulate in various places, especially near the heart.
Dr. Masood Al Hasan says that 'if a healthy man consumes fat daily, it has been observed that within a few weeks, his weight starts to increase and the fat in his blood vessels increases and his stomach becomes distended. It starts coming out. '
Although a person is born with a certain amount of fat in the blood vessels. But when the amount of fat in the blood vessels exceeds 50%, angina occurs and if the arteries are completely blocked, a heart attack can occur. '
He further said that not only this, but the fat circulating in the blood makes the heartbeat irregular. And this fat starts accumulating not only in the arteries of the heart but also in the arteries of the neck and brain. Then there is an obstruction in the leg and kidney vessels. It causes paralysis, blindness, blood pressure, and kidney failure. Daily consumption of fat eventually leads to increased fat in the ducts.
Dr. Masood Al Hasan said that if a person is not apparently fat, but his stomach is enlarged, it means that there is a layer of fat on the stomach as well. Because it can also lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.
He further said that 'fat and carbohydrates are also related. Therefore, you want to reduce the consumption of starches and carbohydrates because these are also converted into fat later.
He further said that it is very important to have the ingredients included in the food in proportion. If everything is eaten in moderation and exercise is included in the daily routine, their ill effects can be greatly reduced and eliminated.
What to do if the amount of fat in the blood increases?
Dr. Masood Al Hasan gave some suggestions in case of high blood fat levels:
More water especially in the morning after breakfast and before meals
Include vegetables in your diet, but avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and peas
Eat radish leaves boiled or in the form of salad, they are anti-oxidants
Eat turnips and their leaves
Eat kino it reduces body fat.
It is useful to drink this drink by putting Cano peels in boiled water
Consume protein, such as poultry and fish in moderation
Reduce salt intake
Exercise and take brisk walks
Quit smoking and stay away from stress and tension
What can be a cheap substitute for edible oil instead of fat?
Nutritionist Zainab Ghayoor says that it is a fact that people in Pakistan consume more fat than their body needs.
However, he says that compared to the sub-standard ghee and oil that are currently available in the Pakistani market to low-income people, the use of fat is comparatively better, but it is extremely limited. Very important.'
Zainab Ghayur said that our traditional food is high in fat. But so much fat whether it is oil, ghee, or fat is not good for our health in any case. They are very harmful to heart patients or blood pressure patients.
There are different types of grease available in the market, which one is the most dangerous, and which one can be used?
In response to this question, he said that if ranked, the worst thing is the overconsumption of anything, even the supposedly healthy seed oils.
"Mustard oil can be a relatively cheap alternative," he explained. Then you can use olive and other vegetable oils like sunflower and corn oil, followed by country ghee or butter if you are sure it is natural and pure. If some of these are not available, animal fat can be used but in very small quantities. However, do not use it in case of any disease or medical condition, especially in case of blood pressure and heart disease.
He said that if we use saturated fat in our daily diet along with other sources of fat like milk, yogurt, milk, seeds, or fruits, it should be less than 10% of the amount of these ingredients. '
Zainab said that there is no magic food in the world that can make one sick or healthy. Excess consumption of anything causes disease, just as moderation in food ingredients and exercise leads to a healthy life.