Healthy Oils To Cook With And Getting The Most Benefits Out Of Them

When one is cooking with high temperatures you would want to use oils that are stable, that don’t go rancid and which don’t oxidize easily. When oxidation occurs, the oils react with oxygen and then form free radicals which are harmful to the body. It’s also very important to make sure that cooking oil is stored in a cool, dark and dry place to avoid exposure to light and air which can also oxidize the oil.

Seed and vegetable oils are highly processed and refined products which contain high levels of omega-6, which initiate inflammatory processes in the body, and should rather be avoided. These include sunflower, canola, safflower, soya-bean, grape-seed, sesame and corn oils.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is the healthiest oil one can use to cook with at high temperatures. More than 90% of the fatty acids in this oil are saturated which makes it highly resistant to oxidation. The fats in this oil can also boost metabolism and increase satiety, which means that it can make one feel fuller for longer. The better option to use here is raw virgin coconut oil rather than the refined version.

Butter  

Butter has gotten a bad reputation in the past but it’s an ideal product to cook with because it contains high levels of saturated and monounsaturated fats. It also contains high levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which helps the body to metabolize fat faster. Butter does contain small amounts of glucose and protein, so one may want to consider using clarified butter or 'ghee' so that it doesn’t burn when used for cooking.

Olive oil

Olive oil has been clinically proven to increase HDL (good cholesterol) levels in the body and this cholesterol helps to maintain cardiovascular health. It mainly contains monounsaturated fats which makes it fairly resistant to cooking temperatures. Extra virgin olive oil is an ideal choice as it contains more antioxidants and nutrients that the refined product.

Avocado oil

This oil is very similar to olive oil and can also be used cold in salads, for example.

Animal fats

Animal fats such as lard and bacon drippings can be beneficial in cooking due to their fatty acid levels. Grain fed animals will yield high levels of polyunsaturated fats, whereas free-range animals result in saturated and monounsaturated fats. Ideally, then, one would want to use the fat from free-range animals for cooking.

READ The Benefits of Pine Nut Oil

Palm oil

Palm oil comes from the fruit of oil palms and contain mainly saturated and monounsaturated fats. The best variety of palm oil is red palm oil which isn’t refined. It also contains coenzyme Q10 which is a very important protein which helps to maintain heart health. Palm oil tree levels have reduced drastically over the years, therefore this oil has to be sustainably sourced.

Macadamia oil

Of all the available nut oils, macadamia oil is the only one that contains mostly monounsaturated fatty acids. This makes it ideal for cooking and it’s suggested to use it for low or medium temperatures. This is a rather pricey oil, but it does have a very pleasant taste.

Choosing The Right Fats And Their Health Benefits

Polyunsaturated fats

Foods that are high in omega-3 include the following:

• Fatty fish such as wild salmon, lake trout, herring, sardines, mackerel, sturgeon, tuna and oysters.
• Pumpkin and flaxseeds.
• Soybeans, black beans and kidney beans.
• Walnuts.
• Dark green, leafy vegetables.
• Oils from flaxseed, canola, walnuts, wheat germ and soybeans. These oils should be consumed raw and should not be used to cook with.

Omega-3 has many health benefits and if one can't get it in through the diet, then supplementing omega-3 would be the next best plan of action. These health benefits include improvement of the following conditions:

• Prevents and helps to reduce the symptoms of major depression, bipolar mood disorder and ADHD.
• Reduced exacerbation of asthma.
• Reduces flare-ups of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
• Lowers blood pressure in patients with high cholesterol levels.
• Reduces cardiac deaths and improves cardiovascular events.
• Prevents atrial fibrillation in patients who've had coronary artery bypass grafts done.
• Improves emotional, attention and behavioural problems in children and adolescents. 
• Improvement of autism.
• Decreases symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus.
• Reduces the risk of strokes in men and the elderly.
• Decrease the risk of developing breast cancer. 
• Helps in maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
• Offers protection against dementia and memory loss.

Monounsaturated fats

Foods containing monounsaturated fats are also healthy for consumption and they help to elevate HDL (high-density lipoproteins) levels which help to improve cardiovascular health. 

Monounsaturated fat containing foods include olives, avocados, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews and natural peanut butter. Oils from these foods can be used in cooking as mentioned above.

Saturated fats

Saturated fats have been made to look like an evil fatty acid which causes cardiovascular disease. The fact is that saturated fats are good for cooking with, as mentioned above, and are actually beneficial to one's health if consumed from the correct sources.

The following list will help to guide one in choosing the correct food sources of saturated fats.

READ Is Olive Oil Always The Best Option

• Avoid processed and lunch meats, packaged meals or takeout food.
• Don't replace saturated fats with refined sugar foods.
• Avoid frying meats and poultry. Rather grill, roast or slow cook the meat which will then use its own fat to cook in.
• Avoid anything that's deep fried.
• Corn and potato chips should also be avoided as they're fried.
• Try consuming meat from organic/grass-fed animals as their fat becomes saturated which means it's better to cook with as these fats are more heat tolerant.
• Also, use dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt from organic/grass-fed animals.