How you cook your food plays a huge role in your nutrition and your overall health and wellness. This includes how you cook, but also the hidden ingredients involved in different cooking methods. One of the main ingredients used in the cooking process is cooking oil. However, not all of them are equally healthy, or even healthy for all types of cooking. This article will explore the healthiest cooking oils, their benefits, and which type of cooking method they each suit best.
Before looking at the healthiest cooking oils, it is important to understand the different characteristics of cooking oils. These characteristics are:
A smoke point is an important characteristic of cooking oils and will affect the quality of the oil and the impact it has on the body. A smoke point is a temperature at which the oil starts to break down, losing its integrity. When oil reaches its smoke point, it will start to produce a lot of smoke, an indicator that the oil is breaking down. Not only will the situation become a smoky one, but the nutrient composition of the oil will change. The nutrients will start to break down and free radicals will start to occur. Free radicals are compounds that can cause damage to the cells of your body, which can negatively affect your health.
To help avoid the smoke point, it is important to be mindful of the smoke point of the different oils and choose the appropriate oil for the different cooking methods.
Another characteristic of cooking oils is whether it is refined or not. Cooking oils that are refined go through an extraction process using heat. This process does extend the shelf life of the oil, but it can cause nutrients and flavor to be lost.
An unrefined oil has not gone through this extraction process. This means that the nutrients and flavor are retained, but the shelf life is limited.
These types of oils suit different types of cooking methods. Refined oils are better for cooking methods using a high temperature, whereas unrefined oil is better for salad dressings and low-heat cooking methods.
Unsaturated fats are beneficial to your body, increasing the good cholesterol and reducing the bad cholesterol as well as reducing blood pressure. This reduces the risk of heart disease. Unsaturated fats also help to reduce inflammation and promote brain health.
Excess saturated fats, on the other hand, can increase the bad cholesterol in your body, increase inflammation, and raise the risk of heart disease. While you don't need to avoid saturated fat completely, it is important to make sure your diet doesn't include too much of it.
Knowing the smoke point and type of fat each of these oils contains can help you choose the best oils and cook with them in the best ways to retain their benefits and avoid their pitfalls.
Olive oil is one of the most well-known of the healthiest cooking oils and is rich in unsaturated fats, antioxidants, and polyphenols. It has many benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease, managing diabetes, protecting against some cancers as well as increasing longevity. A study focusing on the benefits of olive oil found that individuals who had more than half a tablespoon of olive oil per day had increased longevity compared to individuals who did not.
There are several different types of olive oil that will affect the quality and health benefits of this oil. These classifications are refined, virgin, and extra virgin. Refined olive oil goes through a heat process and has a higher smoke point but fewer nutrients. Virgin and extra virgin olive oil are cold pressed. This means that the oils are not heated beyond a specific temperature. Once the oil has been made, it goes through a classification process. Extra virgin olive oil has no defects, while virgin oil will have minimal defects. The flavor, antioxidant, and polyphenol content of extra virgin oil will be superior to virgin olive oil, but both oils are rich in nutrients.
The smoke point of extra virgin olive oil is 325-375° F, lower than the smoke point of refined olive oil which is 465° F. Virgin and extra virgin oil is best for salad dressing, sauteeing, and baking where the temperature is below the smoke point.
This oil has the benefits of avocados and is high in unsaturated fats, specifically monounsaturated fats. It's rich in antioxidants, including lutein. Lutein naturally occurs in your eyes, but your body cannot naturally make lutein and relies on your diet to receive it. A diet rich in lutein can help to enhance eye health, reducing the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. Its high monounsaturated fat profile also reduces the risk of heart disease, and its vitamin E content can help enhance skin and hair health.
The smoke point of avocado oil is 375° F for virgin and 520° F for refined. Its flavor, like olive oil, is more neutral than other oils, and, combined with its higher smoke point, this makes it a good oil for frying, roasting, and baking.
Made from the seeds of peanuts, peanut oil can be a fun oil to experiment with that also contains multiple health benefits. Peanut oil is mainly refined and has a high smoke point of 450° F. This makes it ideal for high-heat cooking methods such as searing, grilling, stir-frying, and roasting. It's rich in vitamin E as well as unsaturated fats, helping to enhance skin, hair, and heart health. This oil has a nutty flavor, and unrefined peanut oil will have a nuttier flavor than refined peanut oil. The unrefined peanut oil will have a lower smoke point and is useful for salads and spreads.
Sesame oil has a medium smoke point of 410° F and contains the antioxidants sesamol and sesaminol. These antioxidants have neuroprotective effects and can protect against Parkinson's. Studies also suggest that sesame oil can help to improve fasting blood sugar levels. It's rich in polyunsaturated fats and can help reduce bad cholesterol in your body, reducing the risk of heart disease. It's a versatile oil and is good for sauteeing and general-purpose cooking as well as salad dressings, although it does have a distinctive flavor.
Coconut oil has been receiving a lot of attention recently with many considering it within the category of healthiest cooking oils. This oil is high in saturated fats and due to this, it's solid at room temperature and then liquidizes in heat. Its smoke point is 350° F for unrefined and 450° F for unrefined coconut oil, making it ideal for high-heat cooking such as frying and sauteeing.
Coconut oil does contain a high level of saturated fat, but although an excess of saturated fats can increase the risk of heart disease, this oil does carry multiple benefits. Some of these benefits include increasing the good cholesterol in your body, reducing hunger due to its high energy content, and having anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. It also has benefits applied to your skin. Due to its high saturated fat content, however, coconut oil should be consumed in moderation.
Sunflowers are not just pretty flowers - they also make a nutritious oil. This oil is high in vitamin E, with one tablespoon of sunflower oil, containing 28% of your vitamin E requirements. Vitamin E can help to enhance your skin health by protecting your skin, helping to even out skin tone and texture, and helping to reduce the signs of aging. Its got a high smoke of 450° F, and with its neutral taste, it's best for high-heat cooking methods such as frying.
Whilst sunflower oil does have benefits, it is high in omega 6. Omega 6 is necessary for the body in order to function optimally, however, omega 6 can have inflammatory effects on the body if there is an imbalance of omega 6 to omega 3. Because our modern diets generally contain much more omega 6 than omega 3, moderation is important.
This oil may not be as well known as some of the other oils on this list, but it does have many benefits to your health. Chia seeds are rich in omega 3, helping to reduce bad cholesterol, inflammation, and blood pressure and promoting brain health. Its smoke point is 400° F, and with its neutral flavor, it's useful for light sauteeing and salads.
Whilst it does have a similar name to sunflower oil, these two oils are different. Safflower oil comes from the seeds of a safflower plant. It's high in unsaturated fat, with studies suggesting that it can possibly help to reduce inflammation, reduce bad cholesterol in the body, and help to manage blood sugar levels. It has a high smoke point of 510° F and is useful for frying, grilling, marinades, and dips.
Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) is a condition due to chronic stress. Your body copes with short-term stress through the adrenal glands and NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response System. When stress becomes chronic, the adrenal glands can become depleted and this can cause imbalances within the NEM to arise. There are six circuits within the NEM system, and one of these circuits is the Bioenergetics circuit.
The bioenergetics circuit consists of your pancreas, thyroid, and liver and maintains your metabolism and blood sugar levels in your body. When there is an imbalance in this circuit, imbalances in your metabolism and blood sugar levels can occur. This causes a range of symptoms such as weight changes, sugar cravings, dizziness, and shakiness. Managing weight and controlling sugar cravings can help to balance this circuit. Whilst the healthiest cooking oils are not a stand-alone solution to managing weight and sugar levels, they can be used in conjunction with a healthy diet, such as the adrenal fatigue diet, to assist in providing relief.
Choosing a cooking oil with multiple health benefits is a great way to increase the quality of your meals. Whilst the healthiest cooking oils can have multiple benefits to your health and could assist in managing blood sugar levels and weight, there are some cautions to be aware of.
Your body can become sensitive to AFS and can react negatively to any new products including cooking ingredients. It is also important to be mindful of the quality of the oil and purchase cooking oil from a reputable company. If you are currently experiencing AFS and are looking for ways to help relieve symptoms, chat with your healthcare provider before you add one of these oils to your diet. Your healthcare provider will be able to guide you on the healthiest cooking oils for your individual dietary needs.
Cooking oil can increase the nutritional quality of your meals or add free radicals and unhealthy fats. There is a range of oils that fall under the category of healthiest cooking oils. To get the maximum benefit from them, it's important to be mindful of the following characteristics when choosing a cooking oil:
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Oil is classified as a fat and it's needed in small quantities in your diet for optimal health. The healthiest cooking oils are a good choice for when you are adding oil to your meals, but although these oils have many benefits, moderation is still important.
