The Canola Event...

September 12, 2013

"Health is wealth"; it's a proverb everyone must have proclaimed once at least in their lifetime. Food is one of the most essential factor towards maintaining good health, of course. As a foodie and a novice cook, I'm one of those skeptic people who are prodding and questioning each and every ingredient that goes into the food. And why wouldn't I? "Good food makes a good man", they say and I believe. I guess, this holds true for most. We want freshest organic produce, locally sourced ingredients, etc. But I reckon do we even think which oil should be used to cook the food in? Because it too plays an integral role! The kind of fat that goes in one's body impacts the body immensely. I bet that at the end of the day no one wants to battle issues like hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and alike. This is where canola oil comes into the picture, one of the most healthiest oil; it is low in fats of saturated nature and almost devoid of other bad cholesterol generating fats.

How do I know this you'd ask? Well, last Tuesday I attended a meet which was on Canola oil organized by canolainfo.org in association with Blogadda at Four Season Hotels, Worli. There, present were some eminent personalities that addressed us and made us acquaint with the amazing qualities of Canola oil. Did you know that Canola oil, although western in origins, can be undoubtedly used for Indian way of cooking like deep frying as it has a high burning point of around 230 degrees (something for which olive oil doesn't possess)? I too wasn't 100% sure of this until Chef Ajay Chopra, the Executive chef of The Westin, Mumbai demonstrate it himself by utilizing Canola oil for making traditional Indian snacking items (of course with a twist). Also, canola oil do not have a peculiar smell, making it a perfect canvas for preparing flavoured oils in it! That surely makes canola oil win a brownie point from my side, as I am a huge fan of flavoured oils, which are generally damn expensive in my part of the world.

As mentioned before we had some amazing personalities who made sure that we knew the nitty-gritty of all kinds of fats, their role in our diets and the recommended amount. Spilling some of the beans here, the recommended amount of fats through oils in one's diet should be maximum of half a litre per month. To be honest, it was a really shocking moment for me when I heard it, but soon I learnt that ultimately most of the people who have a balanced diet manage to just be on the mark.

Enough of talks, eh? I'll let the pictures to the talking now...