There are many options when it comes to selecting fats and oils
for cooking. But it’s not just a matter of choosing oils that
are healthy, but also whether they stay healthy after having been
cooked with.
When you’re cooking at a high heat, you want to use oils that
are stable and don’t oxidize or go rancid easily. When oils
undergo oxidation, they react with oxygen to form free radicals
and harmful compounds that you definitely don’t want to be
consuming. The most important factor in determining an oil’s
resistance to oxidation and rancidification, both at high and low
heat, is the relative degree of saturation of the fatty acids in
it.
Saturated fats have only single bonds in the fatty acid
molecules, monounsaturated fats have one double bond and
polyunsaturated fats have two or more. It is these double bonds
that are chemically reactive and sensitive to heat. Saturated
fats and monounsaturated fats are pretty resistant to heating,
but oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats should be avoided
for cooking.
When it comes to high heat cooking, coconut oil is your best
choice. Over 90% of the fatty acids in it are saturated, which
makes it very resistant to heat. This oil is semi-solid at room
temperature and it can last for months and years without going
rancid. Coconut oil also has powerful health benefits. It is
particularly rich in a fatty acid called Lauric Acid, which can
improve cholesterol and help kill bacteria and other pathogens.
The fats in coconut oil can also boost metabolism slightly and
increase feelings of fullness compared to other fats.
Fatty Acid Breakdown:
• Saturated: 92%.
• Monounsaturated: 6%.
• Polyunsaturated: 1.6%.
Make sure to choose virgin coconut oil. It’s organic, it tastes
good and it has powerful health benefits. The saturated fats
used to be considered unhealthy, but new studies prove that they
are totally harmless. Saturated fats are a safe source of energy
for humans.
Butter was also demonized in the past due to its saturated fat
content. But there really is no reason to fear real butter.
It’s the processed margarine that is the truly awful stuff.
Real butter is good for you and actually fairly nutritious. It
contains Vitamins A, E and K2. It is also rich in the fatty acids
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and Butyrate, both of which have
powerful health benefits. CLA may lower body fat percentage in
humans and butyrate can fight inflammation, improve gut health
and has been shown to make rats completely resistant to becoming
obese.
Fatty Acid Breakdown:
• Saturated: 68%.
• Monounsaturated: 28%.
• Polyunsaturated: 4%.
Make sure to choose butter from grass-fed cows. This butter
contains more Vitamin K2, CLA and other nutrients, compared to
butter from grain-fed cows.
Olive oil is well known for its heart healthy effects and is
believed to be a key reason for the health benefits of the
mediterranean diet.
Some studies show that olive oil can improve biomarkers of
health. It can raise HDL (the good) cholesterol and lower the
amount of oxidized LDL cholesterol circulating in your
bloodstream.
Fatty Acid Breakdown:
• Saturated: 14%.
• Monounsaturated: 75%.
• Polyunsaturated: 11%.
Studies on olive oil show that despite having fatty acids with
double bonds, you can still use it for cooking as it is fairly
resistant to the heat. Make sure to choose quality Extra Virgin
Olive Oil. It has much more nutrients and antioxidants than the
refined type. Plus it tastes much better. Keep your olive oil in
a cool, dry, dark place, to prevent it from going rancid.
Animal fats - lard, tallow and bacon drippings: The fatty acid
content of animals tends to vary depending on what the animals
eat.
If they eat a lot of grains, the fats will contain quite a bit of
polyunsaturated fats. If the animals are pastured raised or
grass-fed, there will be more saturated and monounsaturated fats
in them. Therefore, animal fats from animals that are naturally
raised are excellent options for cooking. You can buy ready-made
lard or tallow from the store, or you can save the drippings from
meat to use at a later time. Bacon drippings are especially
tasty.
Palm oil is derived from the fruit of oil palms.
It consists mostly of saturated and monounsaturated fats, with
small amounts of polyunsaturates.
This makes palm oil a good choice for cooking.
Red Palm Oil (the unrefined variety) is best. It is also rich in
Vitamins E, Coenzyme Q10 and other nutrients.
However, some concerns have been raised about the sustainability
of harvesting palm oil, apparently growing these trees means less
environment available for Orangutans, which are an endangered
species.
The composition of avocado oil is similar to olive oil. It is
primarily monounsaturated, with some saturated and
polyunsaturated mixed in.
It can be used for many of the same purposes as olive oil. You
can cook with it, or use it cold.
Fish oil and krill oil is very rich in the animal form of Omega-3
fatty acids, which are DHA and EPA. However, due to its high
concentration of polyunsaturated fats, fish oil should never be
used for cooking. It’s best used as a supplement.
Flax oil contains lots of the plant form of Omega-3, Alpha
Linolenic Acid (ALA). Many people use this oil to supplement
with Omega-3 fats. However, unless you’re vegan, then I do
recommend that you use krill oil instead. Evidence shows that
the human body doesn’t efficiently convert ALA to the active
forms, EPA and DHA, of which krill oil has plenty. Due to the
large amount of polyunsaturated fats, flax seed oil should NOT be
used for cooking.
The fatty acid breakdown of canola oil is actually fairly good,
with most of the fatty acids monounsaturated, then containing
Omega-6 and Omega-3 in a 2:1 ratio, which is perfect.
However, canola oil needs to go through very harsh processing
methods before it is turned into the final product and involves
the toxic solvent hexane (among others) – I personally don’t
think these oils are suitable for human consumption.
There are many nut oils available and some of them taste awesome.
However, they are very rich in polyunsaturated fats, which make
them a poor choice for cooking. They can be used as parts of
recipes, but do not fry or do any high heat cooking with them.
The same applies to peanut oil. Peanuts technically aren’t nuts
(they’re legumes) but the composition of the oil is similar.
There is one exception, however, and that is macadamia nut oil,
which is mostly monounsaturated (like olive oil). It is pricey,
but if you want, you can use macadamia oil for low- or
medium-heat cooking.
Industrial seed and vegetable oils are highly processed, refined
products that are way too rich in Omega-6 fatty acids.
Not only should you not cook with them, you should probably avoid
them altogether. These oils have been wrongly considered
“heart-healthy” by the media and many nutrition professionals
in the past few decades. However, new data links these oils with
many serious diseases, including heart disease and cancer.
Avoid all of them:
• Soybean Oil
• Corn Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Canola Oil
• Rapeseed Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Safflower Oil
• Rice Bran Oil
One study also at common vegetable oils on food shelves in the
U.S. market and discovered that they contain between 0.56 to 4.2%
trans fats, which are highly toxic.
• And you also asked them what you please stop you so
It’s important to read labels. If you find any of these oils on
a packaged food that you are about to eat, then it’s best to
purchase something else.
To make sure that your fats and oils don’t go rancid, it is
important to keep a few things in mind:
Don’t buy large batches at a time. Buy smaller ones, that way
you will most likely use them before they get the chance to
damage.
When it comes to unsaturated fats like olive, palm, avocado oil
and some others, it is important to keep them in an environment
where they are less likely to oxidize and go rancid. The main
drivers behind oxidative damage of cooking oils are heat, oxygen
and light.
Therefore, keep them in a cool, dry, dark place and make sure to
screw the lid on as soon as you’re done using them.
