What is cold-pressed?Cold-pressed is a method of extracting oil by crushing seeds or nuts and forcing out the oil in them through pressure. Although a little amount of heat is generated due to friction, the oil is not subjected to any kind of external heat and consequently, the oil is known as Cold-pressed.  It’s a method of oil extraction from oil seeds like sesame, sunflower, canola, coconut or oil. These oils retain their nutritional value, aroma, flavour and contain anti-oxidants that help fight free radicals harming our body cells. A good source of oleic acid, they’re rich in vitamins and known to reduce inflammation.The many kinds of cold-pressed oils including coconut oil, organic sesame oil, flaxseed oil etc react differently to different temperatures, so be careful about the amount of heat they’re exposed to and their usage. Make sure you’re not heating them beyond a specific point. Refer the table at the bottom.At Healthy Buddha, we house only cold-pressed oils and the oil range comprises extra virgin olive oil, virgin coconut oil and flaxseed oil. We also have mustard oil, groundnut oil and more. Cold-pressed oils can be used for cooking and dressings and baking. Cold-pressed cooking oil offers a richer flavour.Advantages of cold-pressed oils:The different kinds of oils have a range of benefits – they could be useful for your, skin, your digestive system and your overall health. Here are some of the top reasons you should opt for cold-pressed oils:They retain the healthy antioxidants that are otherwise destroyed in heat extraction method. The natural flavour and odour is retained.Most cold-pressed oils are rich in vitamin E, which is good for our overall well-being.They have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. They are not refined, deodorised or processed in any way.Cold-pressed vs refined oilsRefined oils which are used most commonly in Indian households such as canola oil, sunflower oil, corn oil and others like soybean oil cannot be extracted through natural techniques. Since these oils are chemically extracted, they need to be refined, which aren’t good for our bodies as they are unhealthy.Refined oils when extracted give a higher yield than cold-pressed oil and have longer shelf lives.Refined oils are particularly bad for health - any oil that’s chemically treated is harmful to us. It may mean the oil was treated with acid, or purified with an alkali, or bleached.  It can also be neutralized, filtered or deodorized.  All of which require chemicals.These oils have several adverse effects on the body including impaired insulin response, increasing inflammation in the body and elevated blood triglycerides. When being extracted, these oils oxidise and turn into transfats which are bad for the body. One kind of oil that must be avoided are hydrogenated oil which is made by forcing hydrogen gas into oil under high pressure.