How to Choose & Use the Healthiest Cooking Oils
Cooking oil plays a crucial role when it comes to cooking, it’s the most basic component involved in cooking, frying, or even baking. It is a fact that cooking oil contains various kinds of fats and not all fats are bad for the body. However, there is a distinction between good fat and bad fat, so while choosing your cooking oil make sure they have a high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Monounsaturated fats are an example of healthy fats proven to have numerous health benefits such as weight loss, reduced heart diseases, and lowered stroke risk. Monounsaturated fats are present in Olive oil, avocado oil, Almond oil and the like.
Polyunsaturated fats are known to regulate and decrease your LDL cholesterol or simply ‘bad cholesterol’. Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that help improve brain function and are also known for regular cell growth.
We hope this article helps you select the optimal cooking oil for your family and makes a positive impact on your and your family’s health. Here is the list of a variety of cooking oils that you can evaluate to choose the best one for your family.
Table of contents
Olive Oil
Olive oil is by far considered the most versatile and healthy of all the available cooking oils out there. Keep in mind to look for “Extra virgin” on the bottle while shopping, meaning that the oil is not refined or overly processed. This extra virgin label also means that the oil you are buying has monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids thus increasing its quality.
Olive oil smokes at a lower temperature when compared to other oils, making it great for low and medium-heat cooking. Olive oils are also alternatives to a creamy salad dressing and seasoning for your meals.
Avocado Oil
Another great alternative cooking oil is avocado oil, which has a large amount of mono and polyunsaturated fats, however, avocado oil has a high smoke point, hence making it more suitable for high-heat cooking.
Avocado oil, derived from the fresh pulp of avocados, contains around 25% fat made up of tons of mono and polyunsaturated fats.
It is one of the topmost plant-based cooking oils available and is increasingly gaining popularity because it is very healthy and unlike other cooking oils. Avocado oil is mostly tasteless and so doesn’t add a distinctive flavour to the food.
Macadamia Nut Oil
Macadamia nuts are native to Australian Macadamia trees. Macadamia nuts, when pressed, reveal a clear, light-yellow liquid that can be used in cooking, as a moisturiser or a hair conditioner, making it as versatile as olive oil. Like olive oil, macadamia oil also is liquid at room temperature. Macadamia oil has a high nutritional value, is rich in fatty acids, potassium, vitamin E, and is teeming with antioxidants.
Consuming Macadamia oil improves heart health as the monounsaturated fats present lower your LDL cholesterol, decreasing the risks of heart attacks and strokes.
The antioxidants in Macadamia oil have even proven to lower the risk of cancer and help fight inflammation and autoimmune diseases.
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oil as the name refers to any oil that has plant-based origins, they are extracted from seeds or fruit parts while preserving the nutritional value.
These oils can come in a blend of various vegetables like corn, canola, soy, and palm. Since vegetable oils are a blend of various vegetables, they are thus highly processed and refined, losing a lot of their taste and nutrients.
This doesn’t mean vegetable oils are bad for you, it’s just that olive, avocado, macadamia oil have a lot more benefits compared to vegetable oils.
Worst Cooking Oils That You Must Avoid At Any Cost
If you are unable to find the perfect cooking oil, you can refer to the alternatives listed above. However, there are some options sold worldwide, that are extremely detrimental to health.Some of the cooking oils one must avoid at all costs are:
- Canola oil
- Cottonseed oil
- Sunflower oil
- Corn oil
- Soybean oil
These oils contribute to inflammation as the ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids isn’t balanced. These oils are highly processed and therefore have much lesser nutrients.
We hope this article helps you make an informed decision while selecting a cooking oil and take that first step towards a better and healthier lifestyle that you deserve.
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Frequently Asked Questions
While choosing a cooking oil for seniors you must keep in mind the effects of the oil on the heart, the ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and ensure it is not overly processed.
Extra-virgin olive oil is the best option for senior citizens as it is high in healthy fats and antioxidants, helping you lower your LDL cholesterol and the chances of sudden heart ailments.
Yes, olive oil has gained a lot of popularity over the years in the culinary industry as it is currently the best alternative out of all the available cooking oils in the market.
There is no exact ranking on the worst cooking oils as each oil may have different cons. However, avoid any oil which is overly processed or has an improperly balanced omega-3 and omega 6 fatty acids ratio.
