Cooking Oils: The Good and the Bad

#1

Which cooking oils are considered unhealthy? As we’ve already mentioned, palm oil, coconut oil and corn oil are examples of cooking oil that are bad for you – that’s because they’re high in saturated fat. Any vegetable oil blend that’s described as “partially hydrogenated” means that it’s high in trans fat.

On the other hand, lots of cooking oils can actually have a positive impact on your health. Flax oil, for example, contains omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are an essential part of a healthy diet that our bodies don’t produce naturally, so we’ve got to get them from certain foods. Among other benefits, these fatty acids promote good brain health. Olive oil is another healthy option. It’s a source of monounsaturated fat, one of the “good” fats that lower your overall cholesterol.

#2

All vegetable oils are pretty bad. Stick with nut and seed oils. :slight_smile:

#3

Guava is also a good fruit, which helps improving brain health. Because Vitamins B3 and B6 constitute benefits of guava on the brain – one of the most important parts in the body. Niacin which is vitamin B3 promotes the blood circulation to the brain, which enhances your cognitive function. This substance is necessary if you want to stay away from cognitive issues that often occur to elderly people, such as Alzheimer’s.

Meanwhile, vitamin B6 has an important part in the function of nerves.

Source: wikihomenutrition.com/guava-hea … ain_Health

#4

I was just wondering why a kind of creamy peanut butter has hydrogenated vegetable oils in the ingredients, which are said to be trans fats by definition, yet the nutrition facts on the label say “Trans fat 0g”. Well this seems to explain it… Label Loophole: Why Trans Fat-Free Foods Are Often Far From It.

Another loophole I noticed was on cans of black olives, which list total fat as 2.5g, yet 1.5g of monounsaturated is the only fat listed (that isn’t zero). Apparently they have about a gram of saturated fat per serving too, but somehow hiding it on the label is allowed, to say it is 0g. Whereas the USDA Food Composition Databases list all the fats for olives, or peanut butter (the standard reference source usually shows the most nutrients, fatty acids, etc).

Well, I guess anyone who is allowed to lie on a food label will do just that, even if it’s half assed, and they have to list a discrepancy with total fat. They’ll choose to do that, counting on nobody reading the whole thing.

#5

All you need to make a delicious batch of peanut butter is peanuts. No other ingredient is needed. Therefore, when I buy a jar of peanut butter at the grocery store, I always check the ingredients list. If the label lists anything other than peanuts, I don’t buy it.

#6

Great. At the time I was seeing if the viscosity would make a difference with digestion there. I don’t eat peanuts anymore though (I can only eat a few regardless). Ironically when I used to eat them as junk food, the dry roasted kind with msg (along with a bunch of cokes) didn’t bother me digestively, except over all it was not a good diet.

#7

From what I’ve read there are several studies that highlight corn oil as being healthy for one reason or another, and it isn’t comparable to palm or coconut oil for being high in saturated fat (maybe you were thinking of popcorn with palm oil in it).

Here’s one study: High corn oil dietary intake improves health and longevity of aging mice.

Good news if you have a pet mouse.

Or speaking of popcorn: Snack chips fried in corn oil alleviate cardiovascular disease risk factors when substituted for low-fat or high-fat snacks.