The short explanation
No single oil is perfect. What matters more is the type of fat and how much you use overall. Oils rich in unsaturated fats, such as groundnut, mustard, sesame, rice bran, sunflower and olive oils, are generally better for heart health than fats high in saturated fat, such as ghee, butter, vanaspati and coconut oil. Using a mix of unsaturated oils, cooking with less oil overall, and keeping ghee and coconut oil for occasional or small use is a balanced approach. Avoid vanaspati and repeatedly reheated frying oil, which can contain harmful trans fats.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Deep-fried snacks and sweets are often the biggest source of fat in Indian diets, more than the oil used in daily cooking.
- If your cholesterol is high, your doctor or a dietitian may suggest more specific changes.
- Heart-healthy eating also includes vegetables, fruit, whole grains, dals and nuts, and less salt and sugar.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This answer cannot plan a diet for your specific cholesterol or health. A dietitian or doctor can help with that.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Which oils are best for my cholesterol levels?
- How much oil should our family use?
- Can I meet a dietitian for heart-healthy Indian cooking?
- Should my cholesterol be rechecked after diet changes?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 for chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to the jaw or arm, sudden breathlessness or fainting.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Discuss diet changes and recheck cholesterol at your next routine appointment.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- High cholesterol NHS
- Blood cholesterol National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH)
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) World Health Organization
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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