Nutrition is a continuously evolving science. What is deemed healthy today might not be considered so healthy tomorrow because each day we have more research on what is really healthy for us. Once upon a time fat was considered your greatest enemy because we thought, “you eat fat, you get fat” but not really, it doesn’t really work that way. Whenever I hear someone say “oh it’s fat free”, it’s like nails on a chalk board for me. I mean really? Fat free olive oil vinaigrette? How is that even possible? This inspired me to write this second newsletter to educate you guys on the role of healthy fats in a balanced diet, how different oils should be used for different things, and how some of them can even be harmful for you.
I want to start by saying that we need fat, good fat, and fat free diets are not healthy. Our brain is actually 60% fat. We need fat to build cells, build muscles, make hormones, absorb nutrients and even to burn fat. In the 1970’s and 1980’s we forgot how important good fats are in the diet when the American Heart Association told us fat was bad for us. Companies took advantage and started marketing fat free products. However, when you take out the fat out of something it tastes HO-RRI-BLE so they would add chemicals and sugar. The result? People started getting fatter, more diabetes, more hypertension, more cardiac problems, you get the picture.
Oils are a huge part of this “fat” category and many of you have trouble choosing which one is the best one. The truth is many of them are good for different things and many are not good at all. Take Canola oil, for example, sounds healthy right? Well, not really. Canola is engineered from rapeseed plants which is used for industrial purposes. Over 90% of Canola oil in the US is genetically modified (GMO) and sprayed with tons of pesticides. To extract the oil from canola plants they need a powerful chemical which smells horrible. So after they extract it they wash and deodorize to get rid of the smell. In this process, the omega 3s (the good fat) is converted to trans fat, and there is nothing cool about trans fat. With the exception of olive oil, vegetable oils are generally not the best choices for us. Other oils on the “no list” are safflower, corn, sunflower, and soy.
So which oil should we choose to cook? Primarily you don’t want to choose any oil that is oxidized during the cooking process due to high temperatures. This oxidation releases free radicals, which have been shown to damage our DNA and increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Olive oil is amazing to eat without heating up but when heated to high temperatures, it is one of these oils that can be harmful.
We don’t know exactly at what temperature we cook but high heat is considered above 400 degrees, this is the case when we are frying, grilling, and broiling. When you are cooking at these high temperature you want to use oils that have very high smoke points so that they don’t oxidize and become damaging for your cells.
The oil with the highest smoke point is avocado oil. Surprising right? It’s not very popular but I believe it should be. It has a smoke point of 500 degrees and has a neutral smell and taste that allows it to be used for anything. Next is virgin coconut oil with a smoke point of 450 degrees. It is great for panfrying chicken and vegetables or anything you don’t mind the coconutty flavor on. Also with a smoke point of 450 degress is Ghee or clarified butter. Ghee is great for cooking eggs, oven roasted chicken, and anything you want a buttery flavor on. Ghee is synthesized by the liver and used directly as energy, which makes it amazing for anything you eat pre workout. Last but not least, on this list we also have macadamia nut oil with a smoke point of 420. It has a nutty flavor and is great to use with marinades.
As for other popular oils such as olive oil, grape seed oil, and sesame seed oil. They should all be used to cook below 400 degrees like sautéing and baking, and are best consumed raw. Olive oil has amazing health benefits beyond most of the previously mentioned oils but we should leave it for salad dressings, fresh pesto, and pasta sauces that don’t heat up to high temperatures because it has a low smoke point of 370 degrees. Above this point olive oil can turn to free radicals and be damaging for us.
I hope this post inspired you guys to choose better options!
Isa says
Wow que buen artículo!!!! Cocinaba todo con aceite de oliva pensando que era la “mejor” opción!!!
Voy a empezar a usar más el de avocado y coconut! El de avocado lo tengo líquido sirve? O vienen también espeso como el de coconut? Hay diferencia entre el líquido y el que es como crema espeso?
🙂
Nathalie Magno Gaitan says
El de aguacate es liquido! no tiene que ser pastoso como el de coconut. El de coconut si tiene que ser pastoso porque cuando no lo es usualmente esta refinado.