Over the past few weeks, I have received an increasing number of questions about cooking oils. Given the apparent confusion and misinformation out there, I’ve constructed this list of facts, FYIs, and tidbits I consider absolutely crucial.
1. Oils with high omega-3 content (i.e.: hempseed oil, flax oil, walnut oil) are unsuitable for cooking. They should only be used to make raw dips and sauces, salad dressing, or to drizzle on food once it has been cooked and plated – and should be stored in the refrigerator. Ideally, these should already be purchased refrigerated.
2. Deprogram the “all unsaturated oils are healthful” slogan out of your head that has been drilled into the American public for decades.Some of these unsaturated plant oils offer large quantities of omega-6 fatty acids. Although omega-6 fatty acids are necessary (without them, our blood wouldn’t clot, so a paper cut could result in hours of bleeding), the average American currently consumes too much of them, which has significant implications from an inflammatory standpoint (high cellular inflammation is theorized to be a main culprit behind several chronic diseases). The worst omega-6 offenders? Corn and cottonseed oils. Not surprisingly, these oils are prominent in a lot of processed and fast food. Limit your intake of these foods and a significant portion of your excessive omega 6 is also slashed.
3. Make amends with coconut oil. It has been vilified for decades by government guidelines and federal health organizations, but there are significant amounts of clinical research which shows that its main fatty acid –=- lauric acid — helps maintain healthful cholesterol levels. Try it in savory recipes (like chili) or use it to make stovetop popcorn at home. Since coconut oil has a very high smoke point, its fatty acids can withstand high degrees of heat without oxidizing (once a fat oxidizes, its healthful benefits are gone).
4. Tread carefully with canola oil. The seed from which it is extracted — rapeseed — receives heavy pesticide treatment.
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