Searching the internet for the healthiest oils for your diet can be a slippery slope.
Coconut oil is good. Coconut oil is bad. Canola is a healthy vegetable oil. Canola will clog your arteries.
Undisputed: Partially hydrogenated oil, found in processed foods, is the worst. These artificial trans fats are man-made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.
We asked Jamie Allers, MS, Registered Dietitian at Hartford HealthCare’s Digestive Health Institute, to walk us through the list.
1. Coconut oil
First of all – coconut oil.
“The research here is contradictory,” says Allers. “Some research indicates that coconut oil may have a negative impact on your cholesterol levels because it contains a higher percentage of saturated fat. Other research indicates that the impact is insignificant because it is a vegetable fat and that it may have benefits for you elsewhere.
2. Palm oil
And the conflict does not end there.
“Read those labels carefully,” Allers advises, as opinions diverge here as well. ” Where is he from ? Is it treated? Is it a mixture with other oils?
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3. Canola and other vegetable oils
The broad category of “vegetable oils” includes rock star olive and avocado oils, as well as canola and soy. They are all “healthy” in that they are made up of unsaturated fats. Problems can arise when manufacturers begin to process these natural vegetable oils in order to make them marketable.
“They want these to taste neutral, have a high smoke point, and have a long shelf life,” says Allers. “The treatment helps them get there. But this high level of processing can mean that they refine vegetable oils to such an extent that they lose or have reduced their beneficial components.
As always, says Allers, read the labels. If the oil you buy has an ingredient list longer than an item, it has been processed. Often, generic “vegetable oils” will be blends of different oils, which can also impact the health factor.
Additionally, these vegetable oils as well as sunflower, safflower, soybean, sesame and corn oils contain omega-6 fatty acids, which are not as healthy as the often talked about omega-3 fatty acids.
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The best oils for cooking
Different oils are good for different types of cooking, Allers says. Extra virgin olive oil is ideal for salad dressings or cooking over very low heat. If frying or pan-roasting, opt for avocado oil, which has a much higher smoke point.
“Cold pressed” oils are also healthier because they are unrefined and their nutrients have not been broken down through processing.
