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

• A nut above the rest? (Las Cruces Sun-News)
  03/10/2010 02:10 AM
  LAS CRUCES -- You've heard of Canola oil, peanut oil, corn oil and olive oil. But pecan oil?
  

• Arcadia Biosciences Completes First Commercial Production of SONOVA 400 High GLA Safflower Oil (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
  03/12/2010 10:02 AM
  DAVIS, Calif.----Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, announced today that it has successfully completed the first commercial production of SONOVA™ 400 High GLA Safflower Oil.
  

• Scientists optimise palm and sunflower oil-based ice cream (Food Navigator Europe)
  03/12/2010 08:02 AM
  Palm and sunflower oil may allow formulation of non-dairy based ice cream with low rates of melting and good structural properties, says new research from Canada.
  

• Bertolli Olive Oil Partners With Top Chef Fan Favorite Fabio Viviani (dBusinessNews.com)
  03/13/2010 11:07 AM
  HOUSTON -- Chef Fabio Viviani has joined forces with Bertolli Olive Oil, the number one selling olive oil in the world, to inspire consumers to unleash the chef within and experience the different varieties of its extensive line including Extra Virgin, Classico and Extra Light Tasting.
  

• Procurement keeps coconut oil prices steady (Express India)
  03/11/2010 03:56 PM
  Procurement of copra by state agencies seems to have finally helped in stabilising coconut oil market, as it has remained steady during the peak production season in Kerala.
  

• Scientists optimise palm and sunflower oil-based ice cream (Food Navigator USA)
  03/12/2010 11:44 AM
  “This study should be of great commercial interest to the ice cream industry,” wrote Kristine Sung and Douglas Goff from the Department of Food Science, at the University of Guelph in Ontario.
  

• Bertolli Olive Oil Partners With Top Chef Fan Favorite Fabio Viviani (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
  03/12/2010 11:36 AM
  Chef Fabio Viviani has joined forces with Bertolli Olive Oil, the number one selling olive oil in the world, to inspire consumers to unleash the chef within and experience the different varieties of its extensive line including Extra Virgin, Classico and Extra Light Tasting. Â With a thriving restaurant in Los Angeles, Viviani has become a shining star in the culinary world following a ...
  

• Twinlab Launches New Omega-3 Powder in Single-Serving Stick Packs for Busy Parents and Their Kids (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
  03/12/2010 06:00 AM
  The new Twinlab® Marine Friends™ Children’s Omega-3 Powder helps support normal brain, eye and heart health.*
  

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