Healthy Cooking Oil
When discussing the use of healthy cooking oil, there are widely conflicting ideas on which one is best. Some people adamantly oppose the use of saturated fat for cooking and others consider that it is not the culprit. Both have scientific data to prove their point. Studies completed on groups of people who use saturated fats in their diet arrive at opposing results.
Some studies show clearly that saturated fats tend to clog the arteries. Yet, the French, known for rich foods and the use of saturated fats such as butter, have much lower heart disease than Americans do. There are other examples of communities with exceptionally good health using large amounts of saturated fat in their diet. For instance, on Okinawa, traditionally they use pork lard for cooking and include pork fat in many of their dishes. They experience no unhealthy effects of the pork fat but have longevity and good health.
Other civilizations used saturated fat in their cooking. Ghee used in Northern India is nothing more than clarified butter.
Coconut and palm oil has been the mainstay for cooking in tropical areas also. However, heart disease didn't become the epidemic until the late 1960's and early 70's. It occurred closely after the introduction of and increased use of
polyunsaturated fat.
There are also studies showing that the instability of polyunsaturated fat allows it to turn rancid quite easily. Tests show that even some of the
flaxseed oil found in specialty shops like health food stores, have at least some degree of rancidity. Part of the processing of the oil, such as in corn oil, makes the oil rancid. These processes include high temperatures and the chemical solvents used. You won't notice the problem however, because they mask the smell with not only bleaching agents but anti-foaming and deodorizing processes. For this reason, if you use polyunsaturated oil, use cold pressed oil only.
A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition used the evidence of 21 previous studies and found there was no clear link to saturated fat intake and an increased risk for heart disease. However, that doesn't mean you can eat pork rinds or fatback twice a day and still be healthy.
However, there are studies that show specific types of fat actually lower the bad cholesterol, the LDL, and increase the good cholesterol, HDL. Fat from
fish, walnuts and soybeans contain omega-3 fatty acid. The use of this type of fat lowers the potential for heart disease by as much as 30 to 40 percent according to recent studies. It also reduced the potential for sudden death from arrhythmia in many cases. Besides decreasing triglycerides, making platelets less sticky so there's less chance of clotting and reducing inflammation that often causes clogged arteries, it also raises the HDL, good, cholesterol levels.
Many individuals also tout
olive oil as one of the best oils to use for cooking. However, it does have a low smoke point, which won't hurt you but affects the taste of the food dramatically. Olive oil also contains Omega-3 fatty acid.
While the debate rages onward, there is no doubt that substituting a diet of
fresh vegetables for fried foods is definitely better for your body. If you decide to do this, you'll never have to worry about which oil is a
healthy cooking oil.