Thanks for the info as this information educates us to livd healthy lives
So I was thumbing through a recent edition of a popular newsstand fitness magazine (mainly because John Romaniello had a short article published there, which was good by the way) and then came across a rather troubling article full of misinformation in the nutrition section regarding the best fats to cook with.
Unfortunately, their number one choice (canola oil) is actually one of the WORST fats to cook with or to consume in general, and the REAL number one fat to cook with didn’t even make the list…you gotta love newsstand fitness pubs.
Anyway, so let’s go over while Canola oil sucks, and the true “best” fat to cook with.
Canola oil sucks because…
About 30% of canola oil is made up of polyunsaturated fats, very fragile fatty acids that are easily damaged by high heat processing, which is the processing method of virtually all “commercial” forms of canola oil.
Sure, it’s made up of a large portion of heat-resistant monounsaturates, but that still leaves 30% of the oil as denatured, processed crap.
And you know what happens when fragile polyunsaturates are heated to high temperatures? That’s right, they get all flustered and turn to trans fats, the absolute WORST possible thing you can put in your body, period.
Trans-fats have been conclusively linked to a million and one diseases and disorders, including heart disease and cancer. And oh yeah, their toxicity also has been shown to lead to weight gain while making weight loss harder.
But somehow, this particular publication chose canola oil as the “go to option for every day cooking”…yikes.
I really, really hope you’re not getting your fitness info from the mainstream mags…
(unless of course the article is written by me :)
So what should you be looking for in an oil, particularly an oil to cook with?
The oil should be:
1. cold pressed (not high-heat processed)
2. have a high smoke point (meaning it is relatively stable at high temperatures)
3. even better, comprised mostly of saturated fat (saturated fats are the most stable of all fats, and unlike the media has led us to believe, natural saturated fats are some of the more healthy fats available)
So, that gives us a couple options:
1. For cooking, nothing beats unrefined, organic coconut oil. Coconut oil is high in stable saturated fats, particularly the healthful medium chain triglyceride group (MCTs).
2. Organic butter is a close second.
3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is ideal for low-temperature cooking and when used straight from the bottle as a salad dressing base or flavor booster for cooked veggies, etc (added after the cooking process).
If you want to learn about 4 other “health” foods you should NEVER eat if you want to lose fat, click below to watch the video my friend Isabel put together for you:
Enjoy the tips!
Joel
Related Posts
83 comments - add yours
I was reading an article from ediets.com a couple years ago where the author started off by saying something to the effect that “coconut oil comes from a coconut; olive oil comes from an olive; what the heck is a canola ?”
Anyway, the article goes on to say canola oil is an engineered oil…a by-product of refining…made by one of the oil companies in Canada.
Great advice. Coconut oil is definitely the way to go for cooking needs. Save the olive oils and other “delicate” oils for salad dressings.
Hi Joel,
Coconut oil is fab!! Been using for years. Ok, shake up your oatmeal and egg whites with a dab of the stuff. It gives the bland, ordinary breakfast bowl a nice light tropical flavor. I also add a good shake of cinnamon and vanilla.
I use coconut oil instead of butter or margarine on my toast and sandwiches. The added benefit of coconut oil is that its also great for you immunity too. Make sure you get the coconut oil that doesn’t have coconut essence added it smells putrid when cooked and tastes horrible. It should smell like nothing.
Can coconut oil be used for high heat frying?
I can’t argue against organic coconut oil or ghee – but two alternatives that I don’t think have been mentioned are duck fat and goose fat. Both impart a wonderful flavor on food, both have very high smoke points and both are high in monosaturated fats.
Hi Joel, do you know argan oil? Argan plants grow only in Morocco, from their seeds you get an oil used in cosmetics and the refined variety is consumed in the southern part of Morocco since centuries. It seems better than virgin olive oil as for its benefits on health and it’s very tasty.
When I was a kid my mother would cut the fat from meat and use that to fry the meat in as well as whatever else was being fried for that meal.
I guess that means I should throw out my Pam (canola) spray when I bake?
The wikipedia article says “It has well established heart health benefits and is recognized by many health professional organizations including the American Dietetic Association, and American Heart Association, among others.”
quite confusing…
The truth about CANOLA OIL…..its a bio-engenered form of rape seed, which grows wild in Europe……the plant is highly toxic…..stupid farmers were mixing rape seed with grains as a filler for livstolk feed in the 90s…..hence….mad cow disiese……sinse rape seed has been banned as an edable substance there has not been a case of mad cow in Europe……read your lables…..do you want to eat Canola oil period……
I’ve been using the Spectrum spray coconut oil for some time now…very convenient…..still use the solid version for baking . The spray is great b/c it does not have that strong coconut smell and flavor so I’m able to use it more often with my kids.
They don’t mind it so much in baked goods, but for them sometimes it is overpowering.
I am greek so we do use olive oil predominately along with avocado oil.
Great post
Thanks for the info.Can flaxseed oil be used for cooking or should it be eaten raw and if raw can be eaten what is the best food to combine with
Hey Joel,
I understand the chemical reaction that takes place when canola oil is heated, but what about just drinking a little bit straight out of the bottle. I know a lot of people do this, and I’ve even been encouraged to so as well.
Joel,
My mother swears by frying in lard. Saturated 39g, Mono 45g, poly 11g. I’m not sure of the process but I recall most deep frying using it as a child.
What are your thoughts on that? I don’t fry hardly ever but if I make something (say homemade doughnuts for my kids), I’d like to know I’m using a better/best option.
Hi Joel! So glad to see organic coconut oil being published as the best cooking medium! I’ve been using it for years. It makes fish baked in the oven so tasty! Another fat I use to cook with is avocado oil. It apparently has an even higher smoke point than coconut oil! I use both and find them a great add to my everyday cooking! Fabulous post!
Hi Joel,
Can you pse give me some advice on Rice Bran oil, i have been trying to convert my friends to coconut oil, butter and olive oil for months now but they still swear my rice bran oilbeing the best.
@ Kelley Moore:
Hi Joel, what oils should we use, as here in the UK we don’t get any real guidance. I have been using Colza which is popular in Europe and is 40% nut (Walnut) and 60% Rapeseed. It is cold pressed and organic and has 7 gms of saturated fat, 43 gms unsaturated fat & 41 gms polyunsaturated. I have been using it for stir fry’s and baking fish in the oven. Should I be using something else.
Thanks Greg.
Hi there…if canola is not good for cooking, what is best oil (brand) then for cooking? thanks a lot.
Do you have links to studies to back this up? My dad is a chemical engineer and highly skeptical of all of this, so I’d love to give him something more solid to look at.
Actually olive oil and canola oil have very similar compositions. Both are very nutritious as salad oils. I’m with Caroline. I am skeptical that very much trans fat forms when cooking with canola oil. As for dairy products, they can contain some naturally occuring trans-fat
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...