Healthy eating - oils and sugars

EmmaJ_3

Me again!! Another question I wanted to pick your OS brains about!

I'm doing a lot more cooking from scratch now, which means I'm aware when I'm using oils, fats and sugars in my cooking and baking, I think I'm eating a lot healthier generally as a result.

Are there any oils or fats that are healthier to use than others, anyone know where I can find this information?? I tend to use olive oil in a lot of cooking, or groundnut oil where I want flavourless and in breadmaking etc. For baking I keep in butter and Trex.

And the same question with sugars really - I have caster sugar for baking and dark soft sugar for use in the breadmaker - is brown sugar healthier as it's less refined??? I have tried artifical sweeteners in the past and found them difficult to use and having to use large volumes to get the same effect as sugar, and worry about them being 'fake'/chemically etc.

I obviously realise that no fat or sugar is going to be 'healthy' but perhaps there are some types that are just not quite as evil as others???

Penelope_Penguin

EmmaJ wrote: »

Are there any oils or fats that are healthier to use than others, anyone know where I can find this information?? I tend to use olive oil in a lot of cooking, or groundnut oil where I want flavourless and in breadmaking etc. For baking I keep in butter and Trex.

There was a recent thread here - vegetable vs sunflower oil.

I'd also avoid trans fats. There was a long thread last year that I'll find in a mo Here you go:

Trans fats deadly

Everyday products with trans fats

And the same question with sugars really - I have caster sugar for baking and dark soft sugar for use in the breadmaker - is brown sugar healthier as it's less refined??? I have tried artifical sweeteners in the past and found them difficult to use and having to use large volumes to get the same effect as sugar, and worry about them being 'fake'/chemically etc.

I obviously realise that no fat or sugar is going to be 'healthy' but perhaps there are some types that are just not quite as evil as others???

Again, I'd avoid aspartame Off to find the thread for that: Another good reason to cook. There's alos a lot of discussion on Weightloss III thread.

I use whatever sugar is appropriate. I don't think there are any proven "health" benefits for any sugar, I like dark sugar in gingerbread and white caster in shortbread.

As is often said on here (thriftlady will certainly back me up) a diet that's mainly unprocessed or lightly processed (cheese, yogurt, pasteurised milk) food, and things our grannies would recognise, will be healthiest. A HM flapjack every now and then will lift our spirits, and bee good for us!

HTH, Penny. x

EmmaJ_3

Thankyou very much, some really useful links there I've been wading through

:eek: all this Trans fat stuff is confusing isn't, but it seems to be a processed food problem generally?

I've also answered my own question a little bit and found the government food standards agency site about recommended diet:

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/fatssugarssalt/fats/

inovermyhead

Hi Emma,

There is an amazing natural sugar substitute that is derived from the cactus plant called Agave Syrup (also known as Agave Nectar). It will set you back between £2 and £3 for a 250ml bottle but worth every penny, look out for it in health food shops. Agave carries a low GI and is about the only decent sugar substitute safe for diabetics. You can use it in any recipe that would normally require sugar.

Hope this helps!

Dazi

Hi inovermyhead

do you have a conversion for the agave syrup to use in receipes? My OH's DD has diabetes and I usually use sugar in all recipes and allow her carb count for that, but anything that would work in recipes and means carb count is lower would be helpful.

Thanks xxx