Oils to Consume, Oils to Avoid

A topic that came up multiple times last week was about which oils are healthy and which are not.  This is a pretty big subject, so  I will give you some key highlights about oils as this week’s tip and refer to old posts that relate.

Oils are either saturated or unsaturated.   My favorite unsaturated oils to use for salads and other purposes are flax oilextra virgin cold pressed olive oil , hemp oil,  and coconut oil .  Some oils cause inflammation and are mentioned in this tip .  Harmful unsaturated oils include cottonseed oil, canola oil, soy bean oil and corn oil.  These crops are not only heavily sprayed with pesticides, they are the most common GMO crops planted .   Butter substitutes should be completely avoided also.  Earth Balance, Smart Balance, Promise, Olivio , Country Crock and “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” have a minimum of 11 ingredients all containing some combination of soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil and/or natural flavors (which are not natural at all).

Saturated oils such as coconut oil and butter are excellent for cooking because they are not as likely to convert to free radicals while cooking like unsaturated oils.   See my previous post on saturated fat.  Olive oil is the unsaturated option that can be used for cooking,   but water should be added to the pan to keep it cool and to prevent the oil from burning.  If you’re interested in learning more about this topic let me know.   I have a 90-minute class on fats and oils that I’ve given in the past and would be willing to share the information again.

 

Oils to Consume, Oils to Avoid