Information you must have about cooking oil
I didn't. But I've learned a lot recently. Here is the story.
I've been concerned about cooking oil for a long time. We all know that trans fats are bad for us. But my intuition told me that there had to be more to the story.
During my research I discovered that the vegetable oils you find on the grocery store shelf that are touted as supposedly so good for us leave something to be desired. I discovered that cholesterol is not the bad thing that it has been portrayed as. I also read from several trusted sources that coconut oil and olive oil have much to recommend them.
So I've been using olive oil whenever I can, but I knew that some pieces of the puzzle were still missing.
A couple of weeks ago I was working in my office and I had Healthline on the radio in the background. All of a sudden my ears perked up when I heard Dr. Bob Marshall saying that he is always horrified when he sees the oils at the store sitting in the light on the shelf, so that they are becoming oxidized and rancid before you even take a bottle home. He mentioned how oils are sensitive to light and sitting on the grocery store shelf causes them to already deteriorate in the bottle, producing free radicals.
He talked about the dangers of free radicals which form when oil starts to go rancid. I know that cancer prevention specialists tell us to avoid free radicals, so I decided to remember what Dr. Marshall said and see if anyone else confirms it.
A week later I was at the library and I saw a book by Dr. Andrew Weil on longevity. The great Dr. Andrew Weil on longevity - that was a book I could not pass up!
So I checked it out and took it home. I began to read and all of a sudden I saw that he was saying the same thing as Dr. Marshall had said. He confirmed that oil is sensitive to light and to air and quickly starts to go rancid. He also warned about the dangers of deteriorating oil and free radicals. He talked about the benefits of olive oil and coconut oil.
I did some more research online and here is some of what I found which I want to share with you.
Use olive oil for salads and low temperature cooking. Use coconut oil (or maybe even butter) for higher temperature cooking. Wonder why?
"Polyunsaturated oils are so vulnerable that even at room temperature and in subdued light oxidation occurs inside the bottle. All polyunsaturated vegetable oils sold at grocery stores have become rancid to some degree before you even bring them home. Because the oils have been highly refined and deodorized you can't smell or taste anything, but the free radicals are there, waiting to attack your body. "
Read the whole article by Dr. Bruce Fife.
Buy oil in small amounts. Oil, especially when exposed to light (like on the store shelf) and air, oxidizes and starts to go rancid, with dangerous free radicals.
Don't buy the gallon of oil. Buy your olive or coconut oil in small amounts, and use within a month. Store in a dark bottle or away from light. Keep the cap on, to keep out the air which will oxidize it and produce free radicals.
Read Dr. Fif'es article above and the article below by Dr. Mercola. A few minutes of your time may save your arteries.
Here's a great informative article and a 5 minute interview by Dr. Mercola about what oil to cook with.
Story at-a-glance
- Polyunsaturated vegetables oils such as canola, corn, and soy, create oxidized cholesterol in your arteries, which significantly increases your risk for coronary artery disease
- Even relatively healthful olive oil is subject to oxidation when heated, making it unsuitable for use in cooking
- Although saturated fats have been much maligned, the truth is they are NOT the cause of heart disease
- Organic coconut oil is your best option for a multipurpose cooking oil because it’s a healthful saturated fat that can withstand the heat of cooking without altering chemically
