Nutrition Note - 1

Cooking Oils


You cannot completely avoid oils when cooking in the kitchen.  But, not all oils are created equal, and not every recipe you'll read requires the kind of oil that is listed.


When it comes to oil, vegetable oil is really one of the worst oils to be using.  If you have to use a heavy oil for cooking, try subbing out canola oil instead.  Its really ideal to use coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, or olive oil when cooking, and is especially easy to substitute out when cooking something at a high or medium heat setting.  


Nut/seed oils and olive oils have omega-3's in them, which can increase the amount of good cholesterol you have, making them "heart healthy".  I sub out olive oil for virtually every recipe I use...because if I have to ingest oil, it might as well have some kind of benefit.


These oils DO have a higher smoke point than vegetable oils--a smoke point is about what it sounds like--the point at which an oil is heated so much that smoke is created.  When oil is heated to that point, it begins to create harmful compounds that are then absorbed into the body.  Some of these compounds are even considered carcinogenic.  Do NOT over heat your oil!  The general rule is the lighter the oil and the "cheaper" it is (some chemicals are added to cheaper brands of cooking oil), the lower the smoke point will be.  


Another note--it IS possible for oil to "go bad", or get rancid.  Its a good idea to keep your oils in tightly sealed containers, in either the fridge or a cool, dark pantry, to avoid this from happening.