HEALTHY COOKING OILS

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.

Internal Links

• Avocado Oil
• Canola Oil

External Links

• All About Oils
• What Oil Should You be Cooking With, and Which Should You Avoid?
• Demystifying oil
• Oils and Fats Introduction
• Healing with Food, Natural Cooking, Vegetable Oil Guide
• The Food Storage Faq - Fats and Oils
• What You Should Know About Triglycerides and Fatty Acids
• USDA Nutrient Database

Yahoo! News

• Mouse Study May Help Explain Fish Oil's Benefits
  09/03/2010 04:03 PM
  FRIDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Feeding obese mice omega-3 fatty acids reduced inflammation that can lead to diabetes, a new study finds.
  

• A Celebrity Chef's Educated Palate
  09/03/2010 10:42 PM
  While his celebrity-chef peers slap their names on frozen pizza and Las Vegas chow halls, Ferran Adrià is taking the high road—to Harvard
  

• What's New?
  09/04/2010 12:00 AM
  Review: Sensible Portions fruit and veggie snacks, $1.25 for a 1-ounce. bag, available at Publix Super Markets and other grocers
  

• Water, sewage top priorities after quake
  09/03/2010 10:21 PM
  Sewage and water concerns are among the top priorities for emergency services in the wake of this morning's 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch.The city was left devastated after the quake struck 30km west of the city at...
  

• California Walnut Industry Enjoys a Record Crop
  09/03/2010 07:59 PM
  FOLSOM, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The USDA NASS California Field Office crop estimates, out today, confirm expectations of the growing California walnut industry. As the 2010 harvest begins in California's Central Valley, NASS predicts the annual yield to be 510,000 short tons, demonstrating a record production that is 17% larger than 2009's crop of 437,000 and more than double the crop ...
  

• Snow goose done four ways
  09/03/2010 11:24 AM
  Snow goose done four ways
  

• Quick fix: Add chicken for a main-course Caesar salad
  09/03/2010 07:12 PM
  Recipe: Chicken Caeser Salad. This classic salad becomes a main course with the addition of spicy coated chicken.
  

• Rock 'n' roll hommus
  09/03/2010 03:45 PM
  600g canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed 100ml olive oil 2 tbs tahini paste 1 tsp ground cumin Juice of 1 lemon 1/4 cup of water
  

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