Healthy Oils For Cooking

Cooking in oil and deep frying anything can be detrimental to any nutrition plan. Fried chicken, french fries, doughnuts and any other fried foods typically do not have any place whatsoever in a healthy diet. However, there are times when you do need to use oils for cooking and there are several healthy oils for cooking available to choose from.

Olive Oil

By far the most popular healthy oil for cooking, olive oil can provide you with the following health benefits:

• Olive oil is a monounsaturated fatty acid - also known as a "healthy fat"
• Can lower heart disease by improving related risk factors
• Benefits to insulin levels and blood sugar control

Sesame Oil

Chinese restaurant goers will quickly pick out the distinct taste of sesame oil as it is a staple used in Chinese, Korean and Indian foods. However, light sesame oil is also a great alternative to olive oil. Sesame oil provides the following benefits:

• Made up of nearly 50% monounsaturated fats
• High in Vitamin E
• Potent flavor means you don't need as much to taste it

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil is best suited for searing, browning and deep frying due to its high smoke point. His oil is about 80% monounsaturated fat which makes it one of the healthier options for deep frying.

Below you will find some additional oils listed in order of healthiest to least healthy.

Healthy Oils With a High Smoke Point:

• Almond
• Avocado
• Hazelnut
• Palm
• Sunflower

Healthy Oils With A Medium Smoke Point

• Canols
• Grapeseed
• Macadamia Nut
• Extra Virgin Olive
• Peanut

Healthy Oils With a Low Smoke Point

• Corn
• Hemp
• Pumpkinseed
• Sesame
• Walnut
• Soybean
• Coconut

Choosing the right oil for the type of cooking method is very important, but so is portion control Too much of a healthy oil is not healthy and can lead to weight gain. Again as I have said in many other blog posts, moderation is key - even when making healthy food choices.