Q. I was wondering how rice bran oil compares to virgin olive oil. Good fats, antioxidants, cholesterol lowering effects, etc. It sounds pretty good by what I have read on the labels, and have been using both in my cooking. What's your opinion?
We all know about the risks of breast cancer. It attracts enormous publicity – think of all those pink products and celebrity survivors such as Olivia Newton-John and Kylie Minogue! With all that media hype, it’s easy to forget that it’s NOT the No 1 killer of Australian women – heart disease is. In fact heart disease kills four times as many Australian women as breast cancer every year!
A. Monounsaturated fats have only one double bond in their carbon chain (hence the term "mono"), while polyunsaturated have two, three or more of these bonds ("poly" means many). Understanding this difference in their structure will help us understand the role they have in our health.
If you have high cholesterol or a history of heart disease, go for a soft margarine OR a margarine with added sterols (Logicol, Pro-activ) that block cholesterol absorption.
If you have high cholesterol, then you've probably heard of things called plant sterols. But you may be wondering what the heck are plant sterols and what do they do? And should you be consuming them? Read on.
A. Fat and cholesterol are two separate components of food. Only animal foods such as prawns, eggs, meat and milk contain cholesterol, while plant-based foods do not.
Peanut butter enthusiasts – buckle up. There’s a new healthier alternative in town. I love peanut butter. I remember when I was younger, I’d go for spoonful after spoonful of this sinfully-wonderful-peanut-y-creamy paste after school. Yes, “glutton” I hear you say. But as I grew older, I soon realised that this spread isn’t too innocent afterall.
At 80 per cent fat, pure butter’s got a great taste and is all-natural, but it’s hard to spread thinly straight from the fridge. It’s high in saturated fat so not for anyone with high cholesterol. However, if you love the taste of butter and can’t stand the alternative, the best compromise may be a soft butter or a butter-oil blend. In this article I’ll tell you how they’re made and which ones to go for.
Who is Catherine Saxelby?
This post is sponsored by HeartActive milk 
