The Healthiest Oils to Cook With

The Healthiest Oils to Cook With

why you shouldn’t be cooking with olive oil

Why you should choose carefully:

When oils are heated past their smoke point (especially if the oil is reused such as in fryers at restaurants), they release free radicals. Free radicals damage DNA, can be carcinogenic, and contribute to skin aging. This is why it is so important to carefully choose your cooking oils. This is also why it’s so important to eat a variety of antioxidants, as antioxidants neutralize free radicals. to preserve most of the health benefits of the oils, always buy cold pressed, virgin, unrefined whenever possible!

1. Avocado Oil (high heat)

   My personal favorite. Avocado oil has a smoke point of up to 520°F and has a very mild flavor so you can use it for everything (even cookies)! Monounsaturated fats such as oleic acid or omega-9 makes it a heart healthy oil. It is overall a very healthy oil to cook with and has even been shown to be anti-inflammatory.

2. Virgin coconut oil (high heat)

   Virgin, unrefined coconut oil is best as it is minimally processed but it does have a coconut flavor. If you are not a fan of coconut flavor, triple filtered coconut oil is a good option. There is controversy over the healthiness of coconut oil because it has a high saturated fat content. However, saturated fats are more stable for high heat such as frying. So, even though the smoke point of unrefined coconut oil is only 350°F, I would still recommend it for frying.

3. macadamia nut oil (medium heat)

   Macadamia nut oil has a smoke point of around 400° F, making it a great oil for baking or light sautéing. It contains antioxidants and may be beneficial for heart health and digestive health.

4. extra virgin olive oil (low heat)

   Olive oil has a smoke point of 325-465°F. Extra virgin (cold pressed) is on the low end and refined on the high end. Refined olive oil isn’t recommended due to the chemical solvent extraction process. Because of the low smoke point, extra virgin olive oil isn’t great for high heat cooking due to the release of free radicals. However, EVOO has a lot of health benefits when consumed raw! It also contains lots of phenols which act as antioxidants, reducing oxidative stress. So, use extra virgin olive oil for things like salad dressing or to finish off a dish after it’s been cooked.

5. walnut oil (low heat)

   Walnut oil is high in antioxidants, may decrease inflammation, lower blood pressure, help improve blood sugar levels, and is anti-fungal (great for candida issues). (Source) It has a smoke point of around 320° F so is best to use for low temperature cooking or raw.

6. pumpkin seed oil (low heat)

   Contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, is beneficial for heart health, and can help with symptoms of menopause. (Source)

Grapeseed oil has a smoke point of around 420°F but isn’t as stable at high temperatures so use for medium heat cooking. its mild flavor makes it great for baking and the vitamin e and polyphenols make it an overall healthy oil—if it is cold pressed and unrefined. Most grapeseed oil is manufactured using hexane, so make sure to buy cold pressed as the finished product may still contain hexane. (2) overall, there is a lot of mixed information on grapeseed oil so I personally feel more comfortable using one of the above oils for daily use!

canola oil and vegetable oil are highly processed, contain very few nutrients, and are almost all genetically modified. the American heart association has been the ones to call these oils “heart healthy” but there is a lot of independence of appearance and they should not be trusted. check out this article for more information! for these reasons, I stay away from these oils while cooking at home.

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