What Oil Is Good For Your Health?

Oil will make me fat.

I do not like eating Oil.

Oil is not good for you.

I know nothing about Oil.

Oil has no value or place in my diet.

I receive so many questions about oil as so many people are unaware of the importance of oil in our diet.

If any of the statements ring true for you then hopefully this article can help you to decide what oil is good for your health.

 

There are also a lot of oils out there that you should stay away from and I will tell you why.

Nutritional Facts

9 grams = 1 Calorie

Daily allowance = Men 70g and Women 40 g

Oils are the most efficient nutrient to provide your body with energy. We should be consuming about a third of our daily diet as oils or fatty acids.

Oils help build healthy cell membranes and help the nervous system send messages to the brain.

Helps the absorption of Vitamins A, D, E & K.

Oils help regulate hormones, lubricate skin, and cushion organs.

Oils add taste and texture to your food.

Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated & Saturated Fats

Oil falls into 3 major types depending on their level of fatty acids.

Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Oils remain liquid at room temperature.

Saturated Oil goes solid at room temperature and mainly comes from animal fat.

Foods high in Saturated Fats include Meat, Dairy Products, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil

Foods high in Monounsaturated Fats include Olive Oil, Nuts and Avocados

Foods high in Polyunsaturated Fats include Oily Fish, Nuts, Seeds, Plant Oil

Some Polyunsaturated Oils are not found in our body and are essential for good health. These include Omega 3 ALA (alpha-lineolenic acid) and Omega 6 (acid lineoleic) and it is important for us to eat the right food that include these fatty acids.

Omega 3 – Walnut, Seeds, Leafy Green Vegetables, Soybean, linseed or vegetable oil.

Omega 6 – Sunflower Oil and Olive Oil

Oily Fish such as Salmon, Mackerel or Sardines is important for us to eat to maintain a healthy heart.

Bad Cholesterol LDL vs Good Cholesterol HDL

Too much saturated fat raises LDL bad cholesterol and causes high blood pressure.

Consuming unsaturated fat raises HDL good cholesterol which helps lower blood pressure.

In general, we eat too much saturated fat and not enough unsaturated fat especially foods such as fish.

Healthy Oils

Eating foods rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils will help to improve heart health and help to control blood sugar levels.

Oils rich in Monounsaturated Fats include

Olive Oil

Canola Oil

Peanut Oil

Safflower Oil

Sesame Oil

Soy Oil

Corn Oil

Sunflower Oil

Unhealthy Oil

Cooking Oils made from plants generally have a higher percentage of saturated fats and should be used in moderation.

Coconut Oil

Palm Oil

Palm Kernel Oil

Oils used in processed food are also bad for you and you will find them in

Snacks

Cakes

Biscuits

Crisps

Chips

Most packaged food

Best Oils For Cooking

Choosing the right oil to cook with can be very complexed. Hopefully, I can help you to choose the right oil for you.

When you start to fry or cook the molecular structure of oils changes, so it is important to choose the right oil for the job in hand.

Oxidization occurs when a fat or oil mixes with oxygen and produces a chemical called aldehydes and lipid peroxide. When lipids go rancid, they become oxidized.

Consuming or inhaling aldehydes, even small amounts have been linked to increased heart disease and cancer.

Oils rich in polyunsaturated such as corn oil or sunflower oil generate extremely high levels of aldehyde.

Saturated fats generally do not go through this molecular oxidization so are better to cook with such as Lard or Goose Fat.

Best Oils For Salads

Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil is best used in a salad and has such healthy properties as abundant in monounsaturated oils and vitamins.

Avocado Oil

Full of Vitamin E and unsaturated fats plus protein and potassium.

Almond Oil

Sweet Almond Oil is rich in vitamin E and a few drops in your salad can keep you skin, hair, and nails healthy.

Flaxseed Oil

Contains Omega 3 (ALA) fatty acid which is important for our heart.

Walnut Oil

Lots of minerals such as Zinc, Selenium, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Phosphorous. Vitamin C & E is also present in this wonderfully tasty oil.

Grapeseed Oil

Rich in Vitamin C, E and Beta Carotene. Light in flavour so great for salads.

Safflower Oil

High in unsaturated oils so is great for the heart.

Coconut Oil

Increased good cholesterol and helps reduce the risk of heart disease. Contains lauric acid which is antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antiviral properties.

Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet is low in carbohydrates and high in fats. It has been proven that this diet can help you to lose weight and help to increase your health.

Some of these health benefits include lessened risk of diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.

The aim of this diet is to enable your body to become a highly efficient fat burning machine. It turns fat to ketones in the liver which becomes the predominant energy source for your brain.

Ketogenic diets have been shown to produce massive reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels.

Foods that you can eat on a ketogenic diet include

Meat

Fish

Eggs

Butter and Cream

Cheese

Nuts and Seeds

Healthy Oils

Avocados

Low – carb vegetables

Most people who have been on a keto diet have been known to lose 2.2 times more weight than those on a calorie-controlled diet.

Conclusion

Oil is important for our bodies and we need different types of these fats to maintain good health.

Fats are highly calorific but there are so many facts that you need to bear in mind when thinking about the oil choice for cooking or salads.

In the main we should be careful with the amount of fat that we eat other than the ketogenic diet which has been proven to be good for our health and weight loss. However, this is since carbohydrates are kept to a minimum for this diet to work.

Overall, my advice is to eat oil in its natural state and consume more fish. Avoid processed foods as the molecular make up of oil is changed to enable food to last longer.

Keep your oils in dark bottles and out of sunlight.

If you wish me to give you more information or you have any comments, then please let me know below.