Healthy Cooking Oils that are Good for You

Discover the Healthy Cooking Oils that are Good for You!

Let’s face it, knowing the healthy cooking oils that are good for you is very important, if you want to adhere to healthy eating.

A large part of healthy eating is learning to prepare and cook foods in a healthier manner.

This often means roasting, baking, and broiling foods rather than frying them.

However, no matter how you decide to prepare your food, choosing to use a healthy cooking oil is quite essential.

Why is Vegetable Oil Not Considered Healthy?

Most people think that vegetable oil is healthy. After all vegetable oil is made from vegetables and vegetables are healthy so they reason that vegetable oil should be healthy as well.

This is simply not the case. First of all, when talking about vegetable oil, you are not talking about oil made from leafy green vegetables, carrots, or other healthy vegetables.

You are talking about oils extracted from soybeans, cottonseed, or sunflower seeds. The extraction process is harsh and includes both bleaching and deodorizing.

Not what anyone would consider as healthy.

So, here are some of the healthy cooking oils that are good for you:

1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2L (2QT 3.6 fl. oz)Not only great for using as a dressing on Salads, Olive oil is perfect to use as a low temperature cooking oil for both frying and roasting.

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and may help to lower blood cholesterol levels (HDL). It also has a wonderful flavor that can enhance almost anything you cook.

However, note that olive oil is NOT good for cooking at higher temperatures. This is because this oil may burn easily and will ruin the taste of your food.

Try to choose extra virgin olive oil as it is unrefined and still has all the nutrients intact.

2. Coconut Oil – Healthy Cooking Oil for High Heat

Coconut oil is among the cooking oils that are good for you! It is not damaged by heating, which makes it ideal for use in both frying and baking.

It is believed that coconut oil is good for the heart as it may help to lower bad cholesterol.

Other health benefits of coconut oil include constipation relief, improved metabolism and decreased appetite, which is helpful to those looking to lose weight.

Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 15 OunceCarrington Farms Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 54 OzViva Naturals Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 32 Ounce

3. Avocado Oil – Versatile Cooking Oil

Avocado oil is similar to olive oil. It is rich in monounsaturated fats and is heart healthy. Avocado oil contains lutein, a powerful anti-oxidant that may help improve eye health.

What I really like about this oil is its versatility, it can be used for salad dressings as well as for high temperature cooking.

It has very high smoke point (about 520 degrees), which makes it is great for high temperature cooking.

4. Grapeseed Oil – Great for Deep Frying!

La Tourangelle Grapeseed Oil – Cooking & Body Care – Expeller-Pressed, Non-GMO, Hexane-Free, Kosher – 16.9 Fl. Oz.This is made by cold pressing Grape seeds. It is choked full with vitamin E & F, vital minerals and powerful anti-oxidants.

Grapeseed oil is great for deep frying as it withstands high temperature without smoking.

What I like most about this healthy oil is that it is very light, hence it retains the original flavor of foods.

Studies suggest that grapeseed oil may be helpful for several health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease diabetes, arthritis and certain types of cancer.

It is important to choose one that is not processed using any toxic solvent.

5. Palm Oil is One of the Healthy Cooking Oils that are Good for You

Nutiva Organic Red Palm Oil, Unrefined, 15 Ounce (Pack of 2)Derived from pal fruits, this oil contain saturated, monounsaturated fats an negligible amounts of polyunsaturated fats.

It is also choked full of Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin E and other vital nutrients that promote good health.

6. Peanut Oil – Healthy Cooking Oil for Deep Frying

Peanut oil is one the healthiest oil you can choose if you are going to deep fry any type of food.

Not only has peanut oil shown promise in lowering bad (LDL) levels, it may also help boost the good (HDL) cholesterol levels.

It is also less absorbent than many other oils, meaning that peanut oil doesn’t absorb into the food you are cooking as easily as other types of oils.

Healthiest Cooking Oil for Stir Frying

Many people wonder which type of oil is the healthiest when stir frying and the honest answer is that it really depends on exactly what you are stir frying.

If you are making stir fried vegetables that need very little cooking and should be cooked at a lower temperature then extra virgin olive oil is the best for this type of stir fry.

However, if you are stir frying strips of meat, that need to be cooked at a higher temperature to insure that it is done (such as chicken) then grapeseed oil or peanut oil may work better for such dishes.

How to Preserve Cooking Oils

It is not enough to choose a healthy cooking oil, you should also ensure that you preserve the oil very well to prevent it from being oxidized and going rancid. Rancid oils are toxic to the body!

To prevent oxidation, close the lid very well and store your cooking oil in a cool, dry dark place. This is because heat, oxygen and light are the major culprits behind oxidation.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not intend to diagnose or treat any disease. It is always recommended that you seek the advise of your private medical doctor.