Behind the Scenes of Fried Foods – Dangerous Oils to Watch Out for When Eating Out and Healthy Choices

Good morning~It's Miko!

Thank you to everyone who purchased our domestically produced sesame oil that was released the other day!

Precious Japanese sesame grown in Mimata-cho, Miyazaki Prefecture [Mimatan Sesame] Japanese golden sesame oil, fresh pressed 100g

Precious Japanese sesame oil grown in Mimata-cho, Miyazaki Prefecture, fresh pressed 100g

Well, today, on the topic of oil, I would like to write about the food I am most careful about when eating out: fried foods .

Japanese people love fried food too!

Fried foods are widespread in people's lives in Japan as well, and are popular menu items not only at street stalls but also at karaoke restaurants, conveyor belt sushi restaurants, and the deli sections of supermarkets.

In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, fried chicken restaurants have opened up all over Japan at a tremendous pace, as it is easy to order takeaway or delivery. From my perspective, this is extremely bad for your health.

I would like to share this with you all to warn you about this.

Actual oil usage in restaurants

When we were working in the food service industry in Taiwan, our neighbor actually ran a specialty store selling "crispy chicken pie," large fried chicken the size of a face, a Taiwanese specialty.

Every day I watched the people working next to me and saw that they hadn't even changed the oil once a week 😂 (About once every 10 days to 2 weeks, and the frying oil was pitch black...)

As we always say, when oil is heated to high temperatures it turns into a carcinogenic substance called hydroxynonenal.

So why do restaurants sell fried foods even though they know this (or maybe they don't)?

This is because fried foods are very easy and cost-effective for a restaurant .

There is very little food waste, and it is easy to make by simply coating the ingredients in batter or throwing them in the oil as frozen foods. You can make it on the same day even if you teach a part-time worker, so you don't need a chef.

Health effects of oil

Oil is actually an important nutrient that has a much greater impact on health and beauty than you might think, so it is important to consume quality oils.

However, restaurants are not health centers that look after people's health. They are a business that sells food and makes a profit, so they want to make a lot of profit. So, it is natural that they cannot use expensive, high-quality oils in order to keep costs down.

Excessive intake of omega-6 oils and health problems

There are many different types of oil, but broadly speaking, modern people are consuming too much of the so-called omega-6 vegetable oils, such as salad oil, soybean oil, and corn oil .

In fact, it is said that omega-6 oils are a factor in worsening allergies and neurological diseases. However, because the cost is low, restaurants generally use a lot of omega-6 oils. In addition, to further reduce costs, the oil is not immediately thrown away but is reused.

(As I mentioned before, the fried chicken restaurant next door hasn't changed their plates even once a week.)

Problems with stale oils and the use of shortening.

If you keep using the same oil for a long time without replacing it, the oil will deteriorate and the food will no longer be crispy.

The answer is simply to add shortening .

Shortening is an artificial oil that contains trans fatty acids, which I've written about here a few times, and is the cause of all kinds of illnesses, and is banned in the West. However, adding shortening restores the crispy texture without changing the oil .

By adding even worse oil to old, deteriorated oil, the deterioration is masked. This process is then repeated over a long period of use, causing the oil to oxidize and turn black.

If you look into the oil at night markets in Taiwan, you'll see a completely opaque, mysterious black sludge-like liquid that doesn't look like oil at all. People eat food that has been fried in that dirty, unnatural oil without thinking about it.

The Problem with Palm Oil

You may say, "Is that even possible? It's delicious!", but that's the truth.

By the way, the main ingredient of shortening is palm oil . Palm oil is an oil extracted from the fruit of a plant called "oil palm." It can be used both in liquid and solid form, and its ease of use has led to a rapid increase in consumption around the world . In fact, if you look at the export and import white paper, it is a clear fact that the amount of palm oil has been increasing year by year from the Showa era to the Heisei era.

But is palm oil sold in the oil section of supermarkets?

Yes, it's not for sale.

This oil is not used for domestic purposes, but is mostly consumed in ultra-processed foods such as snacks, chocolate, bread, and instant noodles, as well as in fast food and other meals eaten outside the home.

In short, consumers are unknowingly ingesting highly carcinogenic palm oil.

Health effects of inappropriate oil intake

If you unknowingly consume these substances every day, it can damage your blood vessels, worsen allergies, increase the risk of arteriosclerosis, damage your brain , and accelerate the aging of your appearance .

People on a carbohydrate restriction diet should also be careful. Many people think that it's okay to consume any type of oil as long as they limit sugar, but if you don't pay more attention to oils, you won't be able to lose weight in a healthy way. This is because the main component of the brain is oil, and cell membranes are also made up of oil. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid omega-6 oils such as salad oil, soybean oil, and corn oil as much as possible.

The proper way to eat fried foods

Some people may be disappointed if they are told that they can never eat fried food again. So, if you do eat fried food, you should only eat it occasionally at a trusted restaurant, or make it at home using good oil that you don't reuse. But... it's best not to eat it at all.

The oils suitable for deep frying are olive oil and sesame oil. Olive oil contains a component called oleic acid, which makes it difficult for the oil to penetrate into food and is also less likely to oxidize even at high heat. Sesame oil also contains sesamin, which has a strong antioxidant effect, which helps prevent the production of toxins when heated.

In fact, high-end tempura restaurants in Japan always use sesame oil, which is replaced every day so it's always fresh.

summary

So today I wrote about why I try to avoid eating fried foods at restaurants.

Basically, I don't eat fried food outside. The fried food in convenience store bento boxes is out of the question. Everyone please be careful!

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