Healthy Cooking Oils Healthy Cooking Oils

HEALTHY COOKING OILS

Essentials of Healthy Cooking Oils
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Type
Taste
Smoke Point
Fat Type
Healthy
Cooking
Stays
Fresh
Avocado - refined Mild 520° F Monounsaturated (70%) +++ ++ ++
Canola - refined Mild 400° F Monounsaturated (59%) and Polyunsaturated (30%) plus 9% omega-3 and 20% omega-6 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking) +++ -  
Coconut Mildy Nutty 375° F Saturated (86%) --- + +++
Corn - unrefined Buttery 320° F Polyunsaturated (55%) and Monounsaturated (28%) with 54% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) + --- ---
Corn - refined Mildly Buttery 400° F Polyunsaturated (55%) and Monounsaturated (28%) with 54% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking)   -- ---
Flaxseed Nutty 225° F Polyunsaturated (66%) and Monounsaturated (20%) with 53% omega-3 (very healthy, but not for cooking) +++ --- ---
Grapeseed Nutty 400° F Polyunsaturated (70%) with 70% omega-6; good source of vitamins (E and others) and antioxidants + +  
Olive - unrefined Fruity 350° F Monounsaturated (74%) with 72% omega-9; extremely healthy +++ + +++
Palm - unrefined Strong 350° F Saturated (49%) and Monounsaturated (37%) --- + +++
Palm Kernel Strong 375° F Saturated (82%) ---    
Peanut - unrefined Nutty 320° F Monounsaturated (46%) and Polyunsaturated (32%) with 32% omega-6 ++    
Peanut - refined Mildy Nutty 450° F Monounsaturated (46%) and Polyunsaturated (32%) with 32% omega-6 + +  
Rice Bran Neutral 490° F Monounsaturated (39%) and Polyunsaturated (35%); good source of vitamins (E and others) and antioxidants ++ ++  
Safflower - unrefined Nutty-corn 320° F Polyunsaturated (75%) with 75% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) - --- ---
Safflower - refined Mildly Nutty 450° F Polyunsaturated (75%) with 75% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) - -- ---
Sesame - unrefined Nutty 320° F Polyunsaturated (42%) and Monounsaturated (40%) with 41% omega-6; sesamol antioxidant permits heat up to 320°F +   ++
Sesame - refined Mildy Nutty 400° F Polyunsaturated (42%) and Monounsaturated (40%) + + ++
Sunflower - refined Bland 450° F Monounsaturated (45%) and Polyunsaturated (40%) with 40% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) -   ---
Sunflower - high-oleic, unrefined Nutty 320° F Monounsaturated (84%)      
Sunflower - high-oleic, refined Mildly Nutty 450° F Monounsaturated (84%) - +  
Vegetable (soybean) - refined Mild 450° F Polyunsaturated (45%) with 40% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) - -  
Walnut - unrefined Nutty 305° F Polyunsaturated (63%) with 53% omega-6 and 10% omega-3 fatty acids (not healthy for cooking) - --- --
Walnut - refined Mildy Nutty 400° F Polyunsaturated (63%) with 53% omega-6 and 10% omega-3 fatty acids (not healthy for cooking) -- -- --

Key:
  • Bold Red = Smoke point of at least 400° F.
  • Highlighted = Consider for healthy cooking.
  • +++ = Highest rating in the associated category.
  • --- = Lowest rating in the associated category.
  • Healthy (category) = How healthy is the associated oil at room temperature?
  • Cooking (category) = How healthy is the associated oil at higher temperatures?
  • Stays Fresh (category) = How long before the associated oil turns rancid?

Considerations

Oil Overview

  • The best cooking oil has a high smoke point, does not break down when heated, contains healthy ingredients, lacks unhealthy ingredients and has an appropriate flavor.
  • All oils are fats (NOT all fats are oils).
  • All fat has 9-calories per gram. This is true of all oils, too.
  • There are three basic categories of fat (based on their fatty acid content) -- Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated and Saturated.

Health Factors

  • In general, healthy oils tend to break down into unhealthy chemicals when heated.
  • Unless heated, the healthiest fat is Monounsaturated fat. It raises the good HDL cholesterol ratio.
  • When heated, Monounsaturated fat tends to break down and become unhealthy.
  • The unhealthiest fat is Saturated fat. It is associated with the bad, artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, but it is also the most stable when heated.
  • Trans fatty acids are twice as unhealthy as saturated fats.
  • Trans fatty acids are in hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated oils. Avoid them.
  • Linolenic (Omega-3) and Linoleic (Omega-6) are essential fatty acids. They are healthy (especially Omega-3), but they break down and become unhealthy when heated.
  • Western countries typically consume too much Omega-6 and not enough Omega-3. They must be balanced.

Shelf Life

  • Oils have a relatively short shelf life and become rancid rather quickly. Rancid fats have been associated with atherosclerosis, heart disease and cancer.
  • Shelf life for cooking oils is about 3-months to 1-year. Exposure to oxygen, heat and light diminish an oil's shelf life.
  • Refined oils stay fresh longer and can be heated to higher temperatures, but they contain more impurities than unrefined oils.
  • Saturated fat has the longest shelf life, but it is the most unhealthy fat.
  • Polyunsaturated fat readily combines with oxygen in the air to become rancid.
  • Dark cooking oils have shorter shelf lives than light-colored or clear oils.
  • Anti-oxidants extend an oil's shelf life.

Links

Cooking Oil News

Yahoo! News

  • Coconut oil for cooking: Is it good or bad for you?
    10/29/2012 10:16 AM
    Although high in saturated fat, it can help increase good cholesterol levels. But it’s not healthier than unsaturated oils

  • The Global Omega 3 (EPA/DHA) Ingredients Market is Expected to Cross USD 4,000 Million in 2018: Transparency Market ...
    10/29/2012 06:30 AM
    ALBANY, New York, October 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research ( http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com ) "Global Omega 3 (EPA/DHA) ...

  • Omega-3 May Enhance Memory in Young Adults
    10/29/2012 09:08 PM
    Omega-3 has been known to help maintain low blood pressure and cardiovascular health, but other than its heart-friendly benefits, this fatty acid can also boost the brain power of yuppies from ages 18 to 25 years old. Featured on ScienceDaily. ...

  • New Study Shows that Omega-3 Supplements Can Boost Memory in Young Adults
    10/29/2012 10:47 AM
    Image credit: Wikipedia In the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have determined that healthy young adults ages 18-25 can improve their working memory even further by increasing their Omega-3 fatty acid intake with fish oil supplements. Their findings have been published in the online journal, PLOS [...]

  • Is coconut oil really the world’s healthiest oil?
    10/28/2012 04:01 PM
    Although high in saturated fat, it can help increase good cholesterol levels. But it’s not healthier than unsaturated oils

  • Omega-3 may boost brain power of young adults: study
    10/29/2012 07:00 AM
    A small, newly published study shows that increased omega-3 intake among young adults could serve to heighten their brain power even while they’re at the top of their ‘cognitive’ game.

  • Trans fats raise cholesterol, not blood sugar: study
    10/28/2012 08:47 PM
    (Reuters) - Although much-criticized trans fats raise levels of "bad" cholesterol, they don't appear to have a lasting impact on blood sugar levels, according to a U.S. study. Researchers, writing in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that both blood sugar and insulin, the hormone that keeps blood sugar levels in check, were similar regardless of how much trans fat people ate. The ...

  • Omega XL Reports New Independent Study: Omega 3 Fatty Acids Cut Stroke Risk
    10/30/2012 03:24 AM
    New Swedish study suggests taking omega-3 fatty acid, such as found in Omega XL, may help prevent stroke.Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) October 30, 2012 A new study out of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and published in the journal Atherosclerosis, suggests taking omega-3 fatty acid, such as found in Omega XL, may help prevent stroke by reducing a critical stroke risk factor.The ...

Archive

  • Food manufacturers have until Jan. 1, 2006, to list trans fat on the nutrition label.
    "On July 9, 2003, FDA issued a regulation requiring manufacturers to list trans fatty acids, or trans fat, on the Nutrition Facts panel of foods and some dietary supplements. With this rule, consumers have more information to make healthier food choices that could lower their consumption of trans fat as part of a heart-healthy diet. Scientific reports have confirmed the relationship between trans fat and an increased risk of coronary heart disease."
    http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/transfat/
    http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/transfat.html



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