The cooking oil you buy is more important than you may have realized. Yes, having a fancy bottle and an interesting, luxury cooking oil are important for your kitchen’s aura and mystique. But that fancy oil may also be exactly what you need to combat arthritis and receive some much-needed relief.
Certain cooking oils possess anti-inflammatory properties which can treat and prevent inflammatory conditions like, rheumatoid arthritis and certain types of cancers. This is especially true when a person’s diet emphasizes veggies, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains.
What Are Cooking Oils?
All cooking oils are a mixture of fatty acids: polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fats. The healthiness of an oil and whether or not it is healthful or harmful is determined by the ratio of these fats. Generally speaking, healthy oils have higher amounts of unsaturated fatty acids and a lower amount of saturated fatty acids.
Different types of fats have their own unique health benefits. Monounsaturated fats help to regulate your “bad” blood LDL cholesterol level while raising your “good” HDL cholesterol levels. Polyunsaturated fats play a role in lowering your total blood cholesterol level. Both help to prevent heart disease and related conditions like stroke.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is one of the best cooking oils you can use to treat arthritis pain. It is high in monounsaturated fats and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. Extra virgin olive oil is processed the least.
As a result, it contains more biologically active compounds such as, oleuropein, polyphenols oleocanthal, hydroxtryrosol, and lignans, all compounds that help to reduce joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis. So, if you are feeling the pain that is associated with arthritis, try cooking with olive oil; your joints will thank you.
