Sunflower oil is running out. Those are the better alternatives

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Oil running out? It doesn’t always have to be sunflower oil. Those are the better alternatives

Sunflower oil is running out. That’s not bad if you choose the better alternatives

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Food prices are rising, oil shelves are empty: the Ukraine war is becoming more and more noticeable when shopping. Sunflower oil is currently particularly affected. There are much better alternatives for this.

Anyone who stands in front of the oil shelf in the supermarket today is currently experiencing a yawning emptiness. Sunflower and rapeseed oil seem to be out of stock or are offered elsewhere for a lot of money. The reason for this is the Ukraine war. Most of the rapeseed and sunflower oil is imported. “The most important export countries, especially for sunflower oil, are the Ukraine and Russia,” says Julia Müller, food and nutrition consultant at the Thuringia consumer advice center. With 76 percent, Russia and Ukraine are the market leaders.

Since the outbreak of war, there have been major supply bottlenecks, especially for sunflower oil. Now Russia is also announcing that it will export less sunflower oil, because the raw material is also becoming scarce there. Consumers, however, are reacting to this. They hoard rapeseed oil. But there is no reason for that, because rapeseed grows enough in Germany.

The expert from the consumer advice center therefore advises switching to olive oil: “Although rapeseed oil, with its favorable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, is ideal for everyday use, other vegetable oils are also suitable for preparing food,” says Julia Müller . Olive oil, for example: “It can be used universally and cold-pressed has a typically fruity, Mediterranean taste of its own. The favorable composition of the fatty acids is also impressive.”

These are good alternatives to sunflower oil

Nutrition expert Dagmar von Cramm would generally advise against sunflower oil anyway, as she does in one Youtube post explains: “Sunflower oil contains polyunsaturated fatty acids.” The ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids is not particularly good in sunflower oil. It contains too much of the pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. She therefore recommends using oils that contain a good ratio of omega-3 fatty acids. These are, for example, soybean oil and walnut oil for frying and linseed oil, camelina oil or hemp oil for salads.

The consumer center also recommends the alternatives pumpkin seed oil, peanut oil, corn oil, sesame oil and coconut oil. They are all suitable for both cold and warm dishes. “They provide different fatty acids. Cold-pressed, they give dishes their very own aroma,” says the expert.

Sources:Consumer Center, youtube

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