I first discovered Rice Bran Oil in 2012 in Sainsbury’s Supermarket in St Leonards-on-Sea and what drew me to buy it was the high amounts of Vitamin E. It is fabulous for baking and cooking with as it has a very mild flavour so never overpowers anything you combine it with. It is also full of goodness and, similar to Coconut Oil and Butter, has a high smoke point so can safely be used in frying without changing its properties to a trans-fat.

One thing you do need to be aware of, though is that, despite all its great health properties, it has a high level of Omega 6. Omega 6, if eaten in large quantities, can cause inflammation in the body, which could possible lead to dis-ease, including rheumatism; arthritis; high blood pressure; heart conditions; diabetes or even cancer.

So, everything in moderation! I use it in conjunction with other oils in some of the cake recipes in Volume 1 of The Alchemist’s Cookbook Series as well as when cooking pancakes, such as the Blood Sugar-Stabilising Breakfast Pancakes in Volume 2 - Breakfasts-Light Bites-Breads & Soups. This means that the goodness is preserved and the Omega 6 level is minimised. It comes under the “sweet” category of foods and is thus great for bringing balance to the spleen and stomach. So, here are some of the health benefits of Rice Bran Oil:-

• Menopausal Issues: Research was carried out on an extract of rice bran oil to see how it affected women in menopause. The results were that more than 90% of the women who took the supplement had reduced frequency of hot flushes. It may well be that if you are of such an age and suffering in such a way that simply adding rice bran oil into your daily cooking regime may create the same results
  
  

• Cholesterol Control: The World Health Organization and the American Heart Association both reported that rice bran oil has the best possible composition of monounsaturated; polyunsaturated and saturated fats compared to other vegetable oils. Consequently, our “bad” LDL cholesterol levels can actually be reduced, as the rice bran oil encourages the “good” HDL cholesterol to inhibit its ability to bond in the body. “Bad” LDL cholesterol can cause heart conditions, leading to an increased risk in heart attacks and strokes
• Cancer Prevention: Rice Bran Oil is high in antioxidants, both through its high levels of Vitamin E, as well as special compounds such as oryzanol. As mentioned above, rice bran has a lot of Vitamin E, including both tocopherol and tocotrienol, which most vegetable oils are lacking. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, which means that free -radicals in the body are neutralized. Free-radicals are abnormal cells, which can encourage healthy cells to mutate into cancerous cells. Therefore, keeping a steady level of antioxidants in our body is essential for reducing the chances of contracting cancer of any kind
• Premature Ageing: The additionally great news is that the tocopherol element to Vitamin E is also known for improving the health and wellness of the skin. Free -radicals can also attack our skin cells and thus increase the signs of premature ageing. As Rice Bran Oil is able to increase our levels of Vitamin E, this in turn enables us to speed up our wound healing; increase our cell regeneration; smooth our skin; reduce any wrinkles and provide added protection from sunburn. Vitamin E also helps to boost the protective quality of our skin cells, so keeping foreign toxins and pathogens from entering through our skin