Fantastic Fats: Two of Our Favourite Plant-Based Cooking Oils

2 Oct, 2017

At a time not so long ago, fats were demonised as the bad guy. We were told that all fats would clog our arteries, makes us fat and if we stopped eating fats we would be happy and healthy. It didn’t take doctors and scientists too long to figure out that this was very far from the truth. In fact, fats are the most concentrated source of energy we can consume, they keep our skin, hair and nails glowing, and they also help keep us satiated. At Melrose Health we believe that a balanced diet is the best kind and eating healthy fats in moderate proportions is part of that.

In modern Western cooking, most of us tend to stick with olive oil for most of our cooking needs. We too love olive oil, but why not branch out and try something different? Let’s talk about the benefits of two of our favourite types of plant-based fats and how to use them every day in the kitchen.

Coconut Oil
For centuries coconut oil has been used for both cooking and beauty needs in tropical regions across the globe where coconuts are in abundance. Coconut oil took the Western health and wellness world by storm a few years ago and now it has become a staple ingredient for many. Due to its unique composition, it is naturally free of trans fat and it's one the safest oils to cook with at a high temperature. Many athletes and fitness junkies choose to incorporate coconut oil into their diets as it is lower in calories than many other fats and oils, it converts directly to energy and can aid in speeding up metabolism. We love to use Melrose Organic Coconut Oil in raw desserts for that extra punch of coconut flavour, when making a hot and spicy curry and even as a daily body moisturiser to keep our skin glowing.

Organic Sesame Oil
Good things come in small packages, right? Well, the person who wrote that proverb must have been referring to sesame seeds!. These little beauties are high in copper, manganese, calcium, and magnesium, and deliver 18g of protein per 100g. Traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine, sesame oil can be used in multiple ways to administer natural formulas and may help treat a  variety of health concerns and symptoms. Rather than using it for frying or high-temperature cooking,we love using sesame oil for salad dressings and sauces. The natural, distinctive flavour of sesame goes exceptionally well with sour, salty, sweet or spicy - or a combination of these! One of our favourite combinations for a salad dressing is Melrose Organic Sesame Oil, lemon juice, wasabi and seeded mustard. Tip: try it on a cold soba noodle salad with fresh carrot, cucumber, green peas and seared salmon.