Healthy Cooking Oil: Which Is The Best For My Family?

Confused about healthy cooking oil?

Is there even such a thing?

While it is important to remember that ALL cooking oil is pure fat, high in calories and should be used sparingly, there are some choices that are better than others.

Here are the best types of oils for you and your family:

FAVORABLE OILS

Canola Oil:

Canola oil is low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat making it a healthy cooking oil for your family. Canola oil has a very mild taste, so it won't change the taste of the food you are cooking. It has a high smoke point and can be used for frying.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also a great choice for your family. It is rich in monounsaturated fat and contains phtyochemicals that can help lower cholesterol! Be careful though. Olive oil has a strong flavor. Try "light" olive oil if you want the health benefits without the taste. It has a milder flavor than regular. Also, olive oil has a low smoke point, so do not use olive oil for frying.

Other acceptable options:

Vegetable Oil Cooking Sprays:

Cooking sprays are great because you can spray a small amount that adds little in the way of fat and calories. Perfect for coating pans or baking dishes without adding calories!

Soybean and Sunflower Oils:

Both are low in saturated fat, but not as high in healthy monounsaturated fat as the others making these not as good of a choice for your family. They both have high smoke points and can be used for frying.

UNFAVORABLE COOKING OILS

vegetable shortening

palm oil

coconut oil

Also, be sure to check the label when buying "Vegetable Oil". It often is a mixture of palm oil, corn oil, soybean oil or sunflower oil that can be high in saturated fat!

Butter verses Margarine

Butter is higher in fat than margarine, but margarine can often contain more dangerous trans fats. (The more solid the margarine, the higher the trans fat!)

Try buying "buttery spreads" instead like Smart Balance, Benecol or Take Control which contain healthier ingredients like phytosterols which are plant compounds that have been shown to reduce LDL (or bad cholesterol) levels!



SOURCES:

The Best Kept Secrets of Healthy Cooking by Sandra Woodruff R.D. Copyright 2000 by Sandra Woodruff

Butter vs Margarine: Which Is Better For My Heart? by Martha Grogan, M.D. June 2, 2006 www.mayoclinic.com/health/butter-vs-margarine.html


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