The New Complete Book of Food

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412

r Vegetable

Oils

(Coconut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil,

peanut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil)

See also Butter, Nuts, Olives.

Nutritional Profile

Energy value (calories per serving): High

Protein: None

Fat: High

Saturated fat: Moderate

Cholesterol: None

Carbohydrates: None

Fiber: None

Sodium: None

Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin E

Major mineral contribution: None

About the Nutrients in This Food

Vegetable oils are low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated and

polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the essential fatty acid linoleic acid.

The polyunsaturates are a good source of vitamin E, the collective name

for a group of chemicals called tocopherols. The tocopherol with the most

vitamin E activity is alpha-tocopherol; the RDA for vitamin E is stated as

milligrams of alpha-tocopherol equivalents (mg a-TE): 10 mg a-TE for a

man, 8 mg a-TE for a woman.

 Vitamin E was first identified as a substance vital for reproduction in rats, hence

the name tocopherols from the Greek words tokos (offspring) and pherein (to bear).