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Sesame Oil: Effects and Uses in The Kitchen and For Body Care

Sesame oil has been used for thousands of years in Asian countries as a food and for body care. We explain to you what makes the oil so healthy and how it affects skin and hair.

What makes sesame oil so healthy?

Sesame oil is considered the oldest cooking oil in the world. For thousands of years it has been a popular food, especially in China, India and Japan, and it is hard to imagine Asian cuisine without it. When sesame oil also became popular in India, it quickly became an essential part of Ayurveda. In Ayurvedic medicine, it has also established itself for external use.

Sesame oil is considered a very healthy source of fat, as it consists of around 87% unsaturated fatty acids. It has a particularly high proportion of unsaturated linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid. This has a positive effect on cholesterol levels, strengthens heart activity and blood clotting and can prevent osteoporosis and hardening of the arteries.

Other health benefits of the oil result from the content of antioxidants, which are said to have a cancer-preventing effect, as well as the proportion of lecithin and vitamin E.

sesame oil in the kitchen

Depending on how the oil is produced, it is available in different variants:
Cold-pressed and virgin sesame oil has not been heated. As a result, it has a particularly high proportion of valuable and health-promoting ingredients.
With the refined oil, the seeds were previously heated, which means that many of the ingredients are lost. However, heating it also makes it last longer. It is also tasteless and can be used for many dishes.
Sesame oil is also available as light and dark oil. The color of the oil depends on how the seeds were treated before it was made:
The light sesame oil was pressed from the untreated sesame seeds. It has a neutral and mild taste and is particularly suitable for cooking, baking and roasting. For example, if you want to make tahini yourself, you can also use sesame oil.
The dark oil is obtained from roasted sesame. It has a very intense and nutty taste and should therefore be used sparingly. In its raw state, it is often drizzled over a dish at the end to give it an Asian character. This oil is also recommended for the preparation of salad dressings.
Due to the antioxidant content, sesame oil has a very long shelf life and is relatively resistant to light and heat. Nevertheless, you should preferably store it in a cool and dark place. Then it can be stored for up to a year.

Sesame oil as body care

Sesame oil is particularly important in Ayurveda and is used both in the kitchen and for skin care. In massages, it is used as a natural massage oil and is considered a particularly suitable agent for morning oil pulling.

For body care you should use the light and cold-pressed sesame oil. The content of linoleic acid, antioxidants and vitamins makes it a proven remedy for dry and stressed skin. The oil penetrates deep and quickly into the skin and provides it with optimal moisture. It also helps in skin regeneration and strengthens skin cells.

The healthy oil also has the same effect on your hair. You can use it as a nourishing hair treatment especially for very dry and stressed hair or a sensitive scalp:
Simply put the oil in your hair before washing and massage it well into the scalp and hair ends.
Leave it on for at least two hours or overnight.
Rinse gently with lukewarm water and wash your hair with a mild shampoo.
If you struggle with brittle ends in particular or if your hair is difficult to comb through after washing, you can simply massage a few drops of the oil into the hair lengths after washing. This will also give your hair a natural shine.

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Food

Black Sesame: How Healthy it is and How You Can Use it

Black sesame is rather unknown in this country. The small grains are full of nutrients. We explain to you what makes it so healthy and how you can process it.

Black sesame is mainly harvested around the Himalayas. It is considered the original form of sesame and contains a particularly large number of nutrients. People have been using it as a remedy and healthy ingredient in kitchens for thousands of years. Black sesame tastes stronger than the more familiar, white version of the seeds. You can also use black sesame oil for cooking and as a natural remedy.

What makes black sesame so healthy?

Black sesame is considered cholesterol-lowering, nutrient-rich and bone-strengthening. The many valuable ingredients in the small grains are responsible for this.

Black sesame contains a lot of calcium. With a calcium content of 800 milligrams per 100 grams, sesame contains more calcium than dairy products. It is therefore a good source of nutrients for people who follow a vegan diet or cannot consume cow’s milk for health reasons. Another plus is the high iron content of black sesame. It also contains B vitamins, vitamin A, magnesium, zinc and selenium.

Furthermore, black sesame is said to have an antioxidant effect. This protects the body from free radical attacks.

Black sesame is low in carbohydrates and high in plant-based protein. This makes it a reliable source of protein and attractive for strength athletes, especially for athletes who eat vegan.

The contained proteins and amino acids contribute to a healthy and strong growth of hair and nails as well as to an optimal function of cells and muscles. Because black sesame is high in fiber, it helps to regulate the intestinal flora naturally.

How to process black sesame

In order to benefit from the valuable ingredients in the granules, it is best to eat them raw. Black sesame is a delicious component in smoothies, salads and muesli. If you like, you can also eat black sesame pure. A guideline is one to two teaspoons per day. The following recipe shows you how to prepare two servings of black sesame salad. You need:
2 beetroots
2 carrots
2 hands full of green lettuce of your choice (overview of the types of lettuce)
1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp mustard
Salt
pepper
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
You should plan about 20 minutes to prepare the salad:
Peel the beets and grate them finely. Since beetroot stains heavily, we recommend wearing gloves when processing it.
Grate the carrots too.
Wash the lettuce and spin dry. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
Peel the onion and cut into rings.
Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper to form a dressing.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
Toast the sesame seeds in a pan for 2-3 minutes. You don’t need to add any oil. Alternatively, you can also sprinkle the raw sesame seeds over the salad.
Garnish the salad with the black sesame seeds.

Bake sesame puff pastry sticks: recipe

The puff pastry sticks are easy to prepare. They are a great accompaniment to soups and a tasty component on the party buffet. You need:
1 pack of puff pastry (or make your own)
Salt
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
Preparation:
Roll out the puff pastry and brush it with some water.
Cut the puff pastry into narrow strips.
Sprinkle the puff pastry strips with salt and sesame seeds.
Spread the strips on a baking sheet. Bake the whole thing for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees top/bottom heat. The puff pastry sticks are good when they are lightly brown in color.
You can of course vary the sticks, for example with chilli flakes, garlic or oregano.

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Food

Sesame: Nutrients, Effects and Tips For Preparation

Sesame often hides in baked goods. The small grains have no reason to hide: they are full of healthy ingredients. Here you can find more background on the ingredients of sesame.

Sesame originally comes from South Asia. Today, the oil plant is grown in many tropical and subtropical countries around the world. With us, the white sesame seeds are certainly the best known – but there are also brown and black sesame seeds. The different varieties taste different and the nutrient composition also varies slightly.

Sesame: nutritional values ​​and ingredients

The name oil plant already gives it away: sesame seeds contain a lot of fat. Here are the nutritional values ​​per 100 grams of sesame:
Calories: 567 kcal
Fat: 48g
Proteins: 17 g
Carbohydrates: 26 g
Fiber: 17 g
The fat in sesame seeds consists mostly of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These in turn are composed primarily of oleic acid and linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid.

Sesame also contains many vitamins and minerals. Sesame seeds are particularly interesting for vegetarians and vegans because they contain a lot of iron and calcium. In addition, sesame provides us with various amino acids, the B vitamins B1, B2 and B6, vitamin E and magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Black sesame contains a little more of most of the nutrients than white sesame.

Sesame in nutrition: how it affects health

Sesame provides vegetarians and vegans with important iron and calcium, but also has other positive properties:
Sesame contains antioxidants, including vitamin E. These substances protect our cells and are said to prevent numerous diseases.
Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid that your body cannot produce itself and must be obtained from food. Among other things, it is important for the skin and animal experiments have shown that it has an antioxidant and anti-cancer effect. However, it is important for the positive effect that omega-6 fatty acids such as linoleic acid in your body are always in the right ratio to omega-3 fatty acids. So make sure you’re getting enough omega-3 fatty acids. They are found, for example, in linseed oil and linseed oil seeds and in walnut oil.
Because sesame is high in fiber and protein, it is very filling.
Caution: Sesame is a strong allergen. If you are allergic to sesame, you should definitely avoid it.

Cooking with sesame: use in the kitchen

In the kitchen, you can use either sesame seeds or sesame oil. You can get the latter cold-pressed or refined. Cold-pressed sesame oil tastes nutty and contains many healthy nutrients. Refined sesame oil, on the other hand, can be heated up and stored for a long time. Since it tastes neutral, you can combine it with many foods.

You can roast sesame seeds very well, which makes them taste stronger. Sesame oil also tastes particularly spicy when it is made from roasted seeds.

How to use sesame seeds or sesame oil in the kitchen:
Cold-pressed sesame oil tastes delicious in a salad dressing. It goes particularly well with Asian food.
You can use refined sesame oil for frying.
If you’re baking bread or rolls, you can add sesame seeds to the dough or sprinkle them over the dough pieces before baking. A mixture of light and dark sesame is particularly nice.
You can also garnish salads and Asian wok dishes with sesame seeds.
When you blend sesame seeds and oil together, you get a creamy paste called tahini. Tahini is a great ingredient for oriental creams like hummus.
You can make delicious, filling sweets from sesame seeds. In the Arab world, people like to eat halva or bars made from sesame and honey.

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