Cancer can partly be attributed to the lifestyle changes brought about by the modern era. Cancer is a disease that can affect any part of the body. It's just the controlled growth of cells in certain parts of the body. Cancer cells do not undergo apoptosis (the natural death of cells between the growth and development of an organism). In a sense, these cells are immortal. These cancer cells can also travel to nearby parts of the body causing cancer to spread to other organs is called metastasis. 

Cancer patients should care about a few things to enhance their faster recovery, especially their diet. While cooking your meal you should choose a cooking oil that will not only make your recipe tasty but also healthy. Cooking oil belongs to a subclass of fat. Fat often considered more harmful than beneficial, is also an essential nutrient. Let's talk about the importance of fat for recovery and some of the best sources of healthy cooking oil to include in your diet.

Why should you be extra careful about nutrition? 

Adequate and timely nutrition is a very important factor affecting the ability to treat and cure cancer. When a person has cancer treatment, they have to receive many different treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, etc. All of these treatments put a lot of stress on the body. These processes not only affect cancer cells but also healthy cells. You can lose many healthy cells in addition to cancer cells. Therefore, the body needs to repair and rebuild itself. 

Why is fat important?  

Fat is one of the essential nutrients and is therefore necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Fats and oils are nothing but fatty acids found in plants and animals. They are a very rich source of energy, even more so than carbohydrates. 

Fatty acids also play an active role in the transport and storage of vitamins such as vitamins E, D, and A in the blood. Fats are also important for maintaining healthy skin and hair. 

Types of Fats 

You may have heard of good fats and bad fats. Some fats can indeed be harmful to your body while others are good for you. You should always choose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats over saturated fats in your diet. Considering the effect of saturated or trans fats on cholesterol levels, they are not good for your heart.

Do not consume trans fats. Eat moderately saturated fat. In fact, some studies suggest a possible association between saturated or trans fats and tumorigenesis. The opposite is true for monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which can provide protective effects against tumors. These results were made in mice, but we need to further examine the human results.

Smoke point 

Just choosing healthy cooking oil might not be enough. You should ensure that the smoke point is not reached while cooking. The smoke point is the temperature at which the oil stops burning and begins to burn. At this point, you will notice smoke coming out of the oil. Smoke means that the oil has begun to burn, and that's not good. When oil begins to smoke, its chemical structure collapses and harmful chemicals called free radicals begin to be released into food. It turns out that foods cooked with such oils taste a little bitter. Such foods are harmful to your health. No matter what oil you use, if you hit the smoke point then the food becomes less healthy for sure.

So, to draw the maximum benefit of the cooking you should keep the smoke point in mind while cooking. Plus, you should reconsider reheating and reusing the same oil again and again which might be harmful to you.

Types of oil to choose

There are a lot of cooking oils that are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Examples are coconut oil, olive oil, peanut oil, ghee, sunflower, rice bran oil, avocado oil, etc. Lets discuss a few of them.

Coconut oil is an excellent edible oil because it is stable at high temperatures. This means that fat does not oxidize and does not contribute to free radical damage. In addition, heating does not release toxic chemicals. 

Olive oil is excellent vegetable oil. For one thing, it is not hydrogenated. Instead, it is almost entirely composed of one unsaturated fat and can fight the damage caused by free radicals. It is also associated with a low risk of breast cancer. However, although olive oil is healthy vegetable oil, it should never be heated. This is because it is not as stable as coconut oil, butter, and lard. And when you heat it, it stinks and can cause damage from free radicals. So definitely enjoy olive oil. But when you're done cooking, drip it over your meal. In this way, you get all the benefits and no additional risk.

Flaxseed oil: Apart from olive oil, the oil most often used for salad dressings is flaxseed oil. It is rich in omega 3 fatty acids and nutritious, but its smoke point is not high enough to heat it at high temperatures. 

Oils such as peanut oil, sesame oil, and canola oil are rich in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These can be used for regular Indian food. 

Amount of oil

Another important consideration is the amount of oil used in cooking. Adults can consume 3 teaspoons of cooking oil per day. This means that adults need to consume less than 0.5 litres of oil per month. 

Summing up

Food without fats such as cooking oil can be bland and less appetising. Cooking oil can be great if you use them below the smoking point. They are full of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats which help in many cellular and bodily functions. These are not only taste enhancers but can be an efficient way to intake fats in your body.