If you pay attention, you will see that almost any cooking oil advertisement. Of course, vegetable oil is also associated with the phrase "cholesterol-free," and this phrase is printed very large. As if this is a superior advantage, making the product better for health. But in reality, this is a fact that not everyone knows. Vegetable oil, which is pressed from seeds and fruits such as soybeans, sunflowers, sesame, and olives, naturally does not contain cholesterol.

In simple terms, advertising vegetable oil as cholesterol-free is like selling a bottle of water and stating that it does not contain alcohol. It sounds impressive, but it is an obvious truth. The only exception is when the oil is made from animal-derived ingredients, such as butter oil. Because it is made from milk or refined animal fat, it can contain cholesterol. However, this type is very rare in the market and is not usually grouped with the common vegetable oils that you buy at the supermarket. This means that if you buy any bottle of vegetable oil, from premium to budget, from expensive to cheap, whether it states it or not, it certainly cannot contain cholesterol.

So why do companies still include this statement?

This is a classic psychological tactic in marketing. For a long time, consumers have heard a lot about the harmful effects of cholesterol. So what is it that is so scary? Cholesterol is actually a special type of fat present in the blood and in the membranes of all cells in the body. Even the word fat makes many people think of something harmful, but the truth is that it is very important for life.

The body uses cholesterol to build cell membranes. It acts like an outer armor to protect the cells, while also producing important hormones that help produce vitamin D when the skin is exposed to sunlight and creating bile to digest fats. Without cholesterol, humans may not exist. In fact, our liver can produce up to 70-80% of the necessary cholesterol, with only a small part coming from food.

But why is cholesterol so hated?

The problem does not lie in cholesterol itself but in how it moves in the blood. Cholesterol cannot swim on its own in the blood; it must hitch a ride on transport particles called lipoproteins. Often referred to as bad cholesterol. It is like trucks carrying cholesterol from the liver throughout the body. If there is too much of this, the excess cholesterol will stick to the walls of blood vessels, creating plaques that narrow the vessels, making it difficult for blood to flow, and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. People fear cholesterol because it is associated with cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death worldwide.

Additionally, for decades, the media, advertising, and public health campaigns have continuously emphasized that cholesterol is a silent killer, leading to its negative image in the eyes of the public. Therefore, when consumers see the prominent phrase "cholesterol-free" on packaging, they feel more at ease, believing that this product is safe for their heart and are ready to choose it over another product that does not have that statement.

In reality, both are the same. This is a form of redundant advertising, stating something that is inherently true to create a special impression. This tactic helps the brand score points in the few seconds that customers stand in front of the shelf and sometimes even makes buyers believe they are choosing a healthier product despite no real difference.

In summary, vegetable oil being cholesterol-free is not wrong, but it is not a special advantage. It is just a clever way of saying to make consumers feel reassured and reach for their wallets faster. More importantly, it leads people to avoid animal fats, specifically in Vietnam, where pork fat is predominant. And from here, we have the battle between cooking oil and pork fat. If we go back in time before the 1980s, you would see that kitchens in Vietnam did not have a trace of industrial cooking oil.

From the lowlands to the highlands, from poor households to rich ones, the fat used for cooking was almost exclusively pork fat. People would slaughter pigs, eat the meat, and render the fat to obtain lard. The top fat was used to eat with rice or as filling for pastries, which was very delicious. A spoonful of pork fat could turn a plate of water spinach or sweet potato leaves into a fragrant dish. Or hot rice served with pork fat was also filling. Pork fat was also a very valuable source of energy because in the past, when resources were scarce, eating a lot of fat helped stave off hunger and keep the body warm in cold seasons.

In rural areas, children could recognize the smell of fried pork fat with onions, knowing that their mother was preparing a delicious meal that day. Pork fat not only nourished an entire generation but also became associated with warm memories of Vietnamese families. But everything began to change when Western studies in the 1960s-1980s started concluding that saturated fats found in animal fats increase bad cholesterol, leading to cardiovascular diseases. The media, television, and even the healthcare sector in many countries continuously emphasized that consuming too much animal fat is not good. Public health campaigns exploded, encouraging people to eliminate fat and replace it with vegetable oil.

In Vietnam, from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, cooking oil began to appear more on store shelves. Cooking oil companies seized the opportunity to launch colorful advertisements. These were bottles of shiny golden oil. There were images of families smiling around a table full of stir-fried and fried dishes, with the phrase "cholesterol-free" printed in large letters. This message struck at the consumers' fear of cholesterol. And although the scientific truth is that all vegetable oils inherently do not contain cholesterol, people at that time were largely unaware, and cooking oil quickly dominated the kitchen, pushing pork fat from its throne down to being the villain of the heart.

Entering the 2010s, as social media developed, Google also evolved. The story turned around, and the clean eating, green living movement emerged. Many people began to doubt industrial cooking oil. They said refined oil goes through many chemical processes, is bleached, deodorized, and when heated at high temperatures, it is easily oxidized, producing harmful compounds. Videos on social media showing the frying of pastries with pork fat, golden and shiny pastries appeared with captions like "our ancestors ate fat their whole lives, living healthily to 80 or 90 years old without any issues." Immediately, the pork fat faction rose, viewing this as a revival of traditional ingredients.

The cooking oil faction, of course, did not back down. They countered with videos simulating blood vessels being blocked when consuming too much saturated fat, presenting studies proving that vegetable oil is better for heart health. Heated debates erupted right in the comments. For example, whether pork fat is tastier or if oil is scientifically superior, or that whatever you eat will eventually lead to the same outcome, as long as it is enjoyable. Each side had its own advisors, citing studies, articles, and even online doctors. Supporters of pork fat argued that fat had been wronged for decades.

They presented data showing that pork fat contains about 40 to 45% saturated fat but also has a significant portion of monounsaturated fat, which is good for the heart, similar to that in olive oil. In fact, pork fat also contains a small amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins D and E. Another strength is its high smoke point, around 100 to 200°C. This means pork fat withstands heat well, is less likely to degrade when frying, and is particularly good for frying at very high temperatures. Traditional pork fat, if sourced from naturally raised pigs without antibiotic residues and not undergoing industrial refining, retains its original flavor.

For this faction, pork fat is not just an ingredient but the soul of Vietnamese cuisine. Meanwhile, supporters of cooking oil assert that vegetable oils, which contain unsaturated fats, help reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. High-quality vegetable oils, if used correctly, are not only safe but also beneficial for health. The issue is that consumers often choose cheap oils, heat them excessively, or reuse them multiple times, which is when problems arise.

Scientifically speaking, neither side wins absolutely. Pork fat is not as bad as it has been condemned, and cooking oil is not necessarily as good as advertised. Health depends on the source of the ingredients, cooking methods, and consumption levels. If pork fat is sourced from clean pigs and used moderately, it can be a delicious and safe ingredient. If vegetable oil is cold-pressed, not overly refined, and used at appropriate temperatures, it can also be very good for the heart. Conversely, if pork fat comes from industrially raised pigs or if the oil is of poor quality or reused many times, both can be equally harmful.

The battle between cooking oil and pork fat on social media will certainly be long because it is not just a scientific story but also a cultural and memory story. Pork fat evokes childhood, old Tet celebrations, and the fragrant smell of fried pork fat with onions. Cooking oil, on the other hand, represents modernity, convenience, and a healthy lifestyle of the new era. The ultimate winner is the one who knows how to balance. Use oil for salads and light stir-fries, use fat for high-temperature frying, and most importantly, do not overindulge in either. As our ancestors said, "medicine can be beneficial, but too much can become poison." Oil or fat, it is the same; using just enough is the king of the kitchen.