The food oils (and their nutritional value) that you choose to consume DO matter. I'm researching cooking oil options and why they are good as food additives and the health benefits they provide. Here's some of the best, healthy and nutritional oils to use for food products and when you are cooking.
1. Olive Oils
Olive oil is a natural food oil that has been used for hundreds of years for many purposes: eating/baking/cooking, lighting lamps, cosmetics, medicine and more. Olive oil comes to mind first because it's one staple oil that I always keep in the kitchen. Olive oil has a mild flavor, and you can purchase this oil in many forms: Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), pure/regular olive oil, and light and extra light olive oil.
EVOO is the best form of olive oil to use for salad dressings, drizzled over food, used as a dip with bread or baguette, or used in foods in its pure form. It tolerates temperatures up to 350- 410 F so you can use this for most cooking, but it's not recommended to deep fry with EVOO. This type of olive oil is extracted in the purest form, through oil press and manual methods and retains the most nutritional value of the olive oils.
Pure/regular olive oil is a combination of refined olive oil and 15%-25% of virgin olive oil. This option might be more affordable and has a higher smoke temp of 470 F, holding up better in high temperatures. This olive oil option still contains some of the nutritional value of the EVOO.
Light/extra light olive oils are a combination of refined olive oil and 10%-15% virgin olive oil. These options also have a high smoke temp of 470 F. However, light/extra light olive oils are not good for salads or dipping oils, as the flavor is very bland.
Olive oil is a food oil that has many benefits on our health. Olive oil is high in antioxidants and reduces inflammation. Olive oil may have a beneficial effect on genes linked to cancer. It may also prevent strokes. It helps with prevention of cardiovascular disease and is not known to cause obesity or weight gain. Olive oil could also prevent Alzheimer's and leads to better health overall when compared to vegetable oil.
2. Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is very similar in profile to olive oil. They are both considered to be beneficial, heart-healthy fats. However, avocado oil has a very high smoke temp and thus is the better option for high heat cooking such as frying. I like to keep both EVOO and avocado oil in my pantry for different uses.
Health benefits of using avocado oil are reduced inflammation, increased skin nourishment, reduced risk of cancer, reduced degeneration of the eye, improved liver health and the improved absorption of nutrients. Avocado oil is high in antioxidants. One thing to note with avocado oil, is that it has a very mild taste and can be used in many ways.
There are also options when buying your avocado oils. Regular avocado oil is a refined product, and this leads to the higher smoke temperature tolerance. Some nutritional value is lost when refining the oil. However, if you purchase extra virgin avocado oil it will have a much lower high smoke temp of 350 F.
You can use avocado oil as a food oil in many ways, but my favorite use of avocado oil for now is frying and sauteing with it! You can also put it in smoothies, drizzle over salads or any way you would also eat olive oil.
I'll be honest... I can and will stop there! These are the two healthy food oils that I use in my cooking on a daily basis. I look for products that contain olive oil or avocado oil versus other oils. You can find many of your cooking products made with these healthier oils. Above are two that I use often. Spreadable butter made with olive oil and an olive oil cooking spray.
Other cooking oils are considered "seed oils". Seed oils are typically found in ultra processed foods and definitely in fast food restaurants. Seed oils contain high amounts of omega-6 fats which can cause inflammation. If you can avoid using these oils in your cooking at home, I recommend it!
References:
11 Proven Benefits of Olive Oil (healthline.com)
The Different Types Of Olive Oil | OliveOil.com
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Benefits and Drawbacks - GoodRx
Avocado Oil: Characteristics, Properties, and Applications - PMC (nih.gov)
8 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Avocado Oil (healthline.com)
