Time to talk about the best and worst oils for your health...
We don’t know about you, but before we really started educating ourselves on healthy living, we had never really once thought about oils beyond olive oil being delicious to dip baguette into. We had considered the role sugar, carbs, fat, and calories played but the significance of oil never once crossed our minds. Once we finally started to learn about this, it really left an impact. Avoiding inflammatory oils is a key factor in feeling your best. Not to mention they are in almost all processed foods, so avoiding anything with refined oils will also help you steer clear of many other harmful ingredients.
If the idea of different oils being better/worse for you sounds weird and confusing, you’re not alone. Let’s start with what oils to avoid and why.
Here is a list of the top oils to avoid:
Canola
Corn
Soybean
Sunflower
Safflower
Vegetable
Grapeseed
Palm
So why are these oils so harmful? First off, these oils are very processed and can contain a lot of chemicals as they are usually made with GMOs which adds to the toxic load going into the body. Even organic versions, while better, are not the best choice.
Additionally, they are disproportionately high in omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids which causes them to be extremely inflammatory in the body. While omega 6s are important in our diet, our ancestors consumed a much more balanced ratio of omega 6s to omega 3s. In modern America, we consume about 80% of our fats from inflammatory omega 6 sources and 20% from anti inflammatory omega 3 sources. This disproportionate consumption of omega 6s has had a detrimental impact on the health of our population.
So why do companies use these oils so frequently? You probably guessed it - money! These types of oils are cheap and preserve the shelf-life of foods.
So now that we have covered what oils should be avoided, here are some amazing oils that are great sources of fat and are delicious. Our top favorites are:
1. Olive oil
Best for low temp or no heat cooking (ex salad dressing)
2. Coconut oil
Best for baking, higher heat cooking such as sauteing
3. Avocado oil
Versatile but safe for high heat cooking such as frying
4. Ghee
5. Grass fed butter
All of these oils are an amazing source of fat - which is so needed for our bodies to be the healthiest they can be!
Fun fact about olive oil: There is a lot of fake olive oil on the market that isn’t good quality and is cut with other oils. Pro tip: The olive oil at Costco has consistently been rated one of the purest options out there. Yes, really.
Fun fact about coconut oil: This oil has unfortunately gotten a bad rap. Many question its health due to its saturated fat content. However, the saturated fats in coconut oil are actually good for you as they are made up of MCTs (medium chain triglycerides). MCTs have actually been shown to help with weight and energy.
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