Whether you cook at home or enjoy meals out regularly, most dishes involve oil, ghee, or butter during the cooking process. It's important to monitor your oil intake, as excess consumption can lead to weight gain, digestive problems, and serious health problems. The first thing to do is to switch to home-cooked meals as much as possible. This way, you can control the amount of oil in your diet. Secondly, many households have the habit of using large amounts of ghee and butter to improve the taste of food. This can also have negative health effects in the long run. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently shared a video on Instagram explaining simple tips to reduce oil intake.
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“Many of our diets contain oils, ghee, butter, etc. Fats are essential for our bodies, but excessive consumption of oils and fats can lead to obesity and related non-infectious diseases such as high blood pressure. It can lead to sexually transmitted diseases (NCDs), diabetes and heart disease,” the video explains.
Here are five easy ways to reduce oil in your diet, published by food authorities.
1. Plan your calorie consumption
“To maintain a healthy, balanced diet, calories from fat sources should be limited to a maximum of 20-25% of your daily caloric intake,” the video explains. It's important not to completely cut out fat from your diet, as you need at least 20% fat to get enough total energy, essential fatty acids, and fat-soluble vitamins.
2. Track your oil, ghee and butter intake
“Buy only a fixed amount of oil, ghee and butter every month,” shares FSSAI. This tip will help you limit your overall fat intake and manage your cooking throughout the month within purchased amounts. FSSAI further advises people to “monitor the amount of fats and oils used in the household”.
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3. Reducing oil usage
The next tip is to consciously reduce the use of oil in your daily cooking little by little. If you're using 3 tablespoons to make a certain dish, try switching to 2 tablespoons to see if you can reduce the amount even further. Look for other recipes that make the same dish with less oil, butter, and ghee.
4. Use a small spoon to pour in the oil
If you pour oil directly from the bottle while cooking, you may end up pouring too much. Additionally, it is not clear how much oil was used. FSSAI recommends “use a small spoon during cooking instead of pouring liberally from the bottle.” This allows you to reduce oil consumption.
5. Limit fried foods
If you eat a lot of fried foods, even home-cooked meals, you may be consuming too much oil. “Limit your intake of fried foods. Instead, eat boiled, steamed, roasted, or grilled foods,” says FSSAI.
Reduce consumption of fats and oils for a healthy and happy family.
