Cooking oils, are they good, or bad? Which ones should I use? Which ones should I avoid? Let’s talk about it! What makes sense and what are just cooking oil myths?
If you’re on any form of social media, you might have seen that there is a lot of debate surrounding cooking oils. Are they the worst thing you could possibly eat? What about seed oils? Let’s clear some things up!
Myth #1
All cooking oils are bad.
Fact: Cooking oils have different compositions which will affect their nutritional value. Some have better nutritional value than others do. We can see this when we compare seed oils. Some have a greater ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3, and others vice versa. Similarly, some cooking oils have a higher amount of saturated fat, while others have less.
Generally, we want to see our dietary omega-6 to omega-3 ratio at 4:1. This means for every 4 grams of omega-6 we eat, we should try to eat 1 gram of omega-3. Having too much or too little of one or the other will affect how the other works in the body. It is typically easier to eat more omega-6 on a traditional American diet. This is because oils high in omega-6 are most often used in processed foods, which we know make up a large part of most Americans’ diets.
Some of the most commonly consumed high omega-6 to omega-3 oils include:
- Soybean oil
- Corn oil
- Cottonseed oil
- Sunflower oil
There is not enough research out there to support claims that a high intake of omega-6 leads to inflammation. It is however important to know that most Americans are getting too much omega-6 fatty acids and not enough omega-3 fatty acids. The lack of omega-3 to balance out a high omega-6 intake is what can lead to dysfunction within the body.
Tip: increase your omega-3 fatty acid intake by eating more fish, nuts, seeds, and avocados.
On the other hand, we do know that an increased saturated fat intake leads to increased risk factors for heart disease. A high intake of saturated fat raises our total cholesterol levels, increases our LDL, or bad cholesterol, and promotes inflammation in the body.
Oils that are high in saturated fats:
- Coconut oil
- Palm oil
- Palm kernel oil
- Butter
- Lard
Oils low in saturated fats and high in monounsaturated fats:
- Olive oil
- Canola oil
- Peanut oil
- Avocado oil
Monounsaturated fats help lower inflammation in the body. They also help improve our good cholesterol and lower our bad cholesterol. If we regularly eat a lot of saturated fats, the chances of us eating a lot of monounsaturated fats are slim. This is why it is ideal to limit your saturated fat intake to allow for more monounsaturated fats in your diet.
Tip: limit your intake of the saturated fats listed above and swap them for a monounsaturated fat instead! You don’t have to completely cut saturated fats out of your diet but making the swap more often than not would have a great impact on your heart health.
Myth #2
There is no nutritional value in cooking oils.
Fact: cooking oils have a myriad of nutrients like those mentioned above.
Unsaturated fats are nutrients themselves. They have the power to improve our blood lipid profiles by lowering our bad cholesterol and improving our good cholesterol. They are also helpful in minimizing inflammation.
How? Unsaturated fats are turned into ketone bodies by the liver when they are being broken down INSTEAD of lipoprotein triglycerides which would otherwise increase our bad cholesterol. These fats also increase HDL (good cholesterol) metabolism, meaning we’re able to make more HDL cholesterol from unsaturated fats.
Omega-3 and omega-6 are other essential nutrients for the body. Omega-3s and omega-6s are other forms of polyunsaturated fats which as mentioned above are helpful in improving our blood lipid profiles. The key to these two is having them balanced within the diet.
Tip: next time you’re going for cooking oil, choose one from the list of unsaturated fats above! You can also increase your omega-3 and omega-6 intake.
Myth #3
Seed oils wreak havoc on our health.
What are seed oils? Seed oils are those coming from seeds such as sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, canola, and grapeseeds. As mentioned earlier, most of these oils are refined and are high in omega-6s. We have already explained that omega-6s aren’t scientifically linked to promoting inflammation however, they do lead to an imbalance in the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. We do know that omega-3 is an anti-inflammatory so a lack of it can lead to inflammation within the body.
Not all seed oils are high in their omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Canola oil for example has a 2:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. This is below the 4:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 we would want to see in our diet. Even though it is not the exact 4:1 ration of omega-6 to omega-3, it is still perfectly fine to eat canola oil.
Seed oils themselves will not wreak havoc on our health. It is when we do not pay attention to the foods we aren’t eating of (ie enough omega-3 sources) that we may experience issues.
Tip: instead of fearing seed oils, focus on the nutrients you might not be getting enough of.
The Bottom Line
We’re hopeful we cleared the air surrounding different types of fats/oils for you! Remember, fats are an important component of a balanced diet.