Cooking Oil Guide – How to Cook with the Right Oils?

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

The Complete Guide to Cooking Oils

There’s nothing quite like freshly roasted veggies drizzled in olive oil or a pan-fried steak crisped on the edges by a generously-oiled sauté pan.

Not all oils are created equal, however. Some are better for cooking, others are best enjoyed at room temperature, and some should be avoided at all costs.

Read on to discover how to cook with the right oils, and how choosing your variety wisely can help reduce your risk for certain diseases.

What Are Cooking Oils and How Are They Produced?

Cooking oils are the fatty liquid extracted from various plants, fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Olive oil in particular has been produced for thousands of years across the Mediterranean, where ancients used crushing mechanisms to squeeze the oil from the fruit.

Today, our love for oils continues, albeit with a more efficient production process.

Depending on whether an oil is cold-pressed or not (we’ll explain what this means soon), it is usually extracted using either solvent extraction (which involves introducing a substance that will dissolve the oil from the fruit) or a grinding and pressing mechanism that presses the oil from the fruit or nut in a more natural way.

Types of Fats Found in Cooking Oils

While the oils lining your grocery store shelves are typically viewed as simply “vegetable fats”, there’s actually quite a bit more involved. Every type of oil consists of different types of fats that play a crucial role in whether they make a good cooking oil or not.

All fats have a similar chemical structure consisting of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms in a chain. The crucial difference between each fat and how it stands up to cooking with high heat depends upon the length and shape of the carbon chain and the number of hydrogen atoms connected to the carbon atoms.

Below we break down the three different fats found in oils for a look at what’s really happening when you cook with them.

Monounsaturated Fats

Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) are the fats found in abundance in olive oils, nuts, avocados, and other fatty plant foods. This is the main fat that is mentioned when you hear people discuss the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in olive oil and nuts.

MUFAs contain a melting point in between saturated and polyunsaturated fats, meaning that they remain liquid at room temperature but begin to solidify when chilled or refrigerated. This structure also makes them slightly more stable than polyunsaturated fats when exposed to heat.

Polyunsaturated Fats

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are also found in plant-based oils, but are found in a higher concentration in oils like peanut, corn, soy, sunflower, and canola oils.

The structure of PUFAs makes them less stable when exposed to heat. And while a small amount of PUFAs are necessary in our diets, too many of them (especially after they’ve been heated) can cause inflammation and set the stage for developing diseases like cancer.

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are found in small concentrations in plant oils (the exception being coconut, which is mostly saturated fat) and in abundance in animal cooking fats like lard and tallow.

Saturated fats are the number one choice for cooking due to their ability to resist heat damage. While saturated fats have been demonized in the past, modern research shows they are actually an essential part of our diet and have a multitude of benefits, such as increasing good cholesterol and improving blood pressure.

What Makes a Good vs. Bad Cooking Oil?

Now, let’s dive a little deeper into the chemical bonds of what makes an oil a good choice for cooking.

In general, the more double bonds a fat contains, the less stable it will be when exposed to heat. This is why polyunsaturated fats, which contain at least two double bonds, are not great for cooking, while saturated and monounsaturated contain one or zero.

Other factors play a role in how much heat is needed to make these oils unstable as well.

• Smoke Point. The smoke point of an oil is the temperature at which an oil starts to break down and form compounds that can be extremely damaging to your health. When it comes to high heat cooking, you want to choose an oil with a higher smoke point.

• Oxidative Stability. Oxidative stability refers to an oil’s ability to resist oxidation, which is the process that causes fat molecules in oil to form free radicals. Free radicals can cause a whole host of health problems, including heart disease, aging, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and even inflammatory disease like arthritis. This is mainly due to their ability to severely damage your DNA.

This is why it’s extremely important to choose an oil with a high oxidative stability. This largely depends on its chemical makeup, its smoke point (high is better), and its antioxidant content, which can help protect it from oxidation.

Health Effects of Overheated Oils

Once an oil starts to break down, it creates compounds that can be extremely damaging to your health. One of these compounds, acrolein, is one of the chemicals found in cigarette smoke and has been linked to ulcers and hemorrhages in the gut lining.

Aside from acrolein, other compounds such as free radicals can form in oxidized oils and cause DNA damage and disease.  Studies have shown compounds in heated oil can also cause altered glucose metabolism, increased risk of heart disease, and an increased risk of cancer, especially when heated repeatedly.

Worst Oils to Cook With

Now that you know the basic structure of oils and the general things to look for in a quality oil, let’s check out the worst oils for cooking. You’ll typically want to avoid many of these altogether, as many aren’t Paleo (aside from sunflower and walnut oils).

These oils are mostly polyunsaturated fats with lower smoke points and low amounts of antioxidants, making them unstable under heat.

Overall, you want to look for a higher smoke point of closer to 400ºF for cooking; most of these oils are far below this.

Corn, Peanut, and Soy Oils

Smoke Point: 320ºF

Corn, peanut and soy oils are bad news, even for consumption without heating. Studies have shown these oils, which are rich in unstable polyunsaturated fats, can actually increase your risk of dying from heart disease.

These oils naturally have a low smoke point and are easily oxidized, which can trigger the formation of free radicals and other dangerous compounds. Plus, most corn and soy oils hail from genetically modified plants.

Canola Oil

Smoke Point: 350ºF

Canola oil is another oil that should be avoided. Most come from GMO ingredients, along with a lower smoke point and high susceptibility to oxidation.

Safflower Oil

Smoke Point: 225ºF

Safflower oil has a very low smoke point and a high amount of PUFAs, making it easily susceptible to forming free radicals.

Sunflower Oil

Smoke Point: 225ºF

Sunflower oil also has a low smoke point and is mostly PUFAs, which contributes to inflammation and other negative health effects.

Walnut Oil

Smoke Point: 320ºF

While walnut oil is actually a healthy oil due to its higher concentration of monounsaturated fats, it still has a lower smoke point. Because of this, it’s best to use walnut oil under gentle heat or enjoy raw on salads.

Best Oils to Cook With

These oils are the best to cook with due to having high smoke points, a high resistance to oxidation, and high antioxidant levels.

Coconut Oil

Smoke Point: 350ºF

Coconut oil is almost pure saturated fat, making it one of the best oils around to cook with. While it has a medium smoke point, the lack of double bonds makes it stable under high heat.

Animal Fats (Lard and Tallow)

Smoke Point: 370ºF

While animal fats aren’t technically oils, they are excellent for cooking. The saturated fatty acids help resist oxidation and heat damage, leading to higher smoke points.

Macadamia Nut Oil

Smoke Point: 390ºF

Macadamia nut oil has an excellent balance between monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, making it more stable under heat due to having fewer double bonds.

Olive Oil

Smoke Point: 405ºF

Olive oil is made up of mostly monounsaturated fats, making it a relatively stable oil in the face of heat.  In addition, extra virgin olive oil contains many antioxidants, including vitamin E, which help it resist oxidation.

Avocado Oil

Smoke Point: 520ºF

Avocado oil is the best choice for high heat cooking, with the highest smoke point of 520ºF. That’s because it is mostly made up of monounsaturated fat, which helps it resist forming free radicals when heated.

How to Properly Store Oils

The way you store your oils can have a significant impact on retaining their smoke points, minimizing oxidation and avoiding rancidity.

As a general rule, you want to store oils in a cool, dark place. Exposure to heat and light (especially sunlight) can cause an oil to go rancid faster.

The Bottom Line

It’s important to be aware of the varying smoke points of oils before cooking with them. Fortunately, oils made from Paleo foods tend to be the best to cook with. This makes it easy to choose the right oil to roast and fry without hesitation.

Want to learn how to cook with the right oils? Watch this video – Is Your Cooking Oil Making You Fat and Sick? 2 Ways to Choose a Paleo Oil

Written by Megan Patiry

Author Bio:

Megan is an inquisitive nutrition and wellness writer harboring an editorial love affair with the decadent and the nutritious. She is a dedicated researcher in all areas of ancestral health, a certified specialist in fitness nutrition, personal trainer, and professional almond milk latte addict.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

How to Choose the Best Natural Lube for Better Sex?

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Skip the commercial jelly and try one of these natural lube options for better, steamier (and healthier!) sex.

You try to avoid synthetic ingredients in your food, cosmetics and skin products—but have you ever considered the ingredients in the personal lubricants you use on your most sensitive tissues?

Pick up a bottle of K-Y Jelly and read the ingredients. Glycerin, parabens, and alcohol abound, acting as serious skin irritants for some. For women prone to yeast infections, glycerin can increase the likelihood of contracting one (to be fair, some oil-based lubricants, like baby oil, can do the same).

Most commercially flavored and scented lubes rely on artificial ingredients. As anyone who’s ever tried a flavored lube can attest, that strawberry/chocolate/vanilla flavored lube certainly doesn’t taste like strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla.

If clean and natural products are important to you, there are a number of personal lubricants on the market that fit the bill.

But we’re here to let you in on a secret: A handful of Paleo-friendly oils work just as good, if not better, for many people. They’re also considerably cheaper and more versatile. You can get jars and bottles of the stuff for the same price as tiny vials of traditional lubes.

Bottom line: Not all oils are created equal. Some can help you achieve mind-blowing orgasms, and some can harm the balance of women’s healthy vaginal bacteria or irritate skin.

Just as ingesting processed vegetable oil is far inferior to olive oil, it’s important to keep in mind that not all oils are the same. There are some that can help you achieve mind-blowing orgasms, and some that will potentially harm the balance of women’s healthy vaginal bacteria, irritate sensitive skin, or leave behind a sticky, unappealing residue.

It’s also important to note that oils and oil-based lubricants are not for everyone. If you’re prone to yeast infections, you should avoid most oil-based lubricants altogether, as they may increase the likelihood of one.

Never use an oil-based lubricant or oils in conjunction with condoms, as they can break down latex and lessen the efficacy of the pregnancy and STD preventers.

Also avoid using oils with sex toys—they’re difficult to clean fully when used with oil.

Some oils—like mineral oil and sesame oil—can decrease sperm motility, so avoid oil lubricants if you’re trying to get pregnant. Finally, test all oils on less sensitive areas of your body prior to sex to ensure you don’t have an adverse reaction.

Here’s a guide to the best and worst oils to use in the bedroom. Have fun!

The Bad

Mineral Oil/Petroleum Jelly

Mineral oil, a distillation product of petroleum commonly called baby oil, and its relative petroleum jelly, commonly called Vaseline, make poor lubricants. Physically, they may get the job done, but the risk to your vaginal health is high.

A study conducted by a team of University of California researchers found that women who used petroleum jelly intra-vaginally were 2.2 times more likely to test positive for vaginosis, or bacterial overgrowth in the vagina, associated with unusual discharge, irritation and burning.

Not fun! Women who used mineral oil were also considerably more likely to test positive for Candida, a fungus that can lead to yeast infections.

Vegetable, Canola and Other Refined and Hydrogenated Oils

The refining and hydrogenating processes are pretty gnarly, and the logic behind avoiding them on the Paleo diet extends to bodily use. They’re also prone to leaving a residue on your body, staining linens, and smelling generally unpleasant during sex. As OB-GYN Jen Gunter observes, “fully hydrogenated oils for sex sounds, uh, well, unsexy.”

Olive Oil

Olive oil is the least harmful of the “worst” oils, but compared to coconut oil and almond oil, it falls short. It (and other cold-pressed oils like avocado oil) is generally safe to use as a lube, but can prove more residue-laden, sticky, and… well… no one likes to smell like a wok during sex.

The Good

Sweet Almond Oil

Sexologist Betty Dodson and her partner Carlin Ross sing the praises of sweet almond oil as lube. First of all, it feels amazing, and second, it’s safe, moisturizing and smells pleasant. It leaves behind no residue and won’t ruin your sheets. The only other oil that beats it is…

Virgin Coconut Oil

Everything that can be said for sweet almond oil is true of coconut oil, and then some. Unlike some other oils, coconut oil can actually prevent and treat yeast infections. As this study suggests, coconut oil is an effective treatment for even resistant strains of fungal infections. It’s relatively thick, making sex feel amazing, but absorbs well into skin and therefore won’t leave you feeling sticky or oily.

Unlike artificial sweeteners and scents, it smells and tastes naturally sweet and a bit tropical. Compared to commercial lube products, it’s dirt cheap, and it also works well for pre-sex moisturizing massages and more. Yeah, there really isn’t anything coconut oil can’t do.

Want to know what can be the best natural lube for better sex? Watch this video – How to make a DIY Non Toxic Lubricant for the Bedroom

Written by Courtney Hamilton

Author Bio:

Courtney Hamilton is a writer and editor who has covered everything from food to politics. When she’s not dreaming up Paleo-friendly eats and conversations, you can find her trying to get her preschooler to eat his veggies.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

How to Protect Yourself from Stroke and Heart Attack?

 

Click Here to Find Out How You Can Completely Clean Out the Plaque Build-Up in Your Arteries

Protect Yourself from Stroke and Heart Attack – This Nut Boosts Good Cholesterol While Slashing the Bad

It tastes great raw, toasted, seasoned, and smoked; it can make milk, butter, oil, and flour, and it now turns out that it can benefit your cholesterol profile too.

Researchers from Penn State University have just published a study in the Journal of Nutrition that shows how it lowers your bad cholesterol while increasing your good cholesterol.

Like that wasn’t enough, it also boosts the level of productivity at which your good cholesterol removes bad cholesterol from your bloodstream.

LDL is normally considered bad cholesterol, as it has the potential to clog your arteries. HDL, on the other hand, removes this LDL cholesterol from your body, and is therefore considered good cholesterol.

The Penn State researchers asked 24 of their 48 participants to eat a handful of almonds daily for six weeks.

The other 24 volunteers ate a similar diet for the same amount of time, but ate a banana muffin daily instead of the almonds.

After the six weeks, the scientists swapped the two groups, with the almond consumers now eating a banana muffin and vice versa.

At the beginning and end of each diet period, they measured the level and function of the 48 participants’ cholesterol.

Compared with the muffin diet, the almond diet increased HDL function by 6% and the presence of α-1 HDL by an impressive 19%.

α-1 HDL is the most important sign that your HDL cholesterol is working well to remove bad cholesterol from your body.

As HDL cholesterol particles collect LDL cholesterol from around your bloodstream to transport to your liver (from which it is processed for excretion), those HDL particles become bigger, much like a garbage bag becoming bigger as you fill it up.

The largest garbage bags, or HDL particles, are clearly the most effective at removing the garbage, or LDL cholesterol particles in this case.

α-1 HDL particles are the largest and most productive HDL particles, which is why the researchers concluded that almonds were a great tool for making your HDL cholesterol more productive.

Protect Yourself from Stroke and Heart Attack – But eating almonds is not enough to completely clear out clogged arteries. For that, you need to cut out this ONE ingredient, you didn’t even realize you were consuming…

Protect Yourself from Stroke and Heart Attack – Why Women Have Higher Heart Attack Risk After Menopause

Scientists have long been baffled by the fact that women have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than men before menopause, even though they have a higher risk than men after menopause.

Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen may have solved this riddle.

And they point out one thing that every single woman must do to save herself from stroke and heart attack. Do this right now before it’s too late.

The researchers recruited 17 women: 12 of them between ages 59 and 70 and the other five between ages 21 and 28.

They took a biopsy from their thigh muscles to examine their muscle tissue, the small blood vessels called capillaries in their muscles, and some muscle proteins.

The seniors had fewer capillaries in their muscles and lower muscle protein levels than the young participants did.

In the second part of the study, they put the seniors on an eight-week spinning program, with three sessions per week at moderate to high intensity.

Before and after their training, the scientists measured several fitness parameters and took another thigh muscle biopsy after the training to compare with the first biopsy.

The postmenopausal women could not increase the number of capillaries in their muscle tissue by anywhere near as much as had previously been found in young women and men of all ages.

Despite this, their fitness did improve by 15 percent and the amount of muscle proteins in their muscles increased.

Muscle tissue capillaries are important because they move sugar and lipids into our muscles that would otherwise simply accumulate in fat cells. They also help transport oxygen and nutrients to our muscles that increase the productivity of our exercise programs.

This means that women should start exercising before and during menopause to give them a head start on muscle function and muscle capillaries when they enter menopause.

If you’re a woman going through menopause, you will want to take these simple steps to make the process easy and painless…

And regardless of your gender, you’ll want to protect yourself from stroke and heart attack by cutting out this ONE ingredient you didn’t even know you were consuming…

Protect Yourself from Stroke and Heart Attack – When Exercising Causes Heart Attack and Death

Is exercise actually good for you? Silly question.

Of course it is.

But too much of a good thing can be… well… bad.

And that’s the case with one particular popular exercise. Do too much of it and your risk of heart attack will start heading skyward.

So now you have a reason not to overdo this exercise.

A study conducted by German researchers focused for nearly a decade on the exercise habits of more than 1,000 people who were in their 60s.

Researchers split participants up in three groups:

1) Those who did 60 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise 4 times a week.

2) Those who did 60 minutes of exercise more than 4 times a week.

3) Those who exercised occasionally or rarely.

Not surprisingly, those who did little or no exercise had the highest risk of developing a cardiac event.

More surprisingly, however, the healthiest group was the one in which people participated in moderate exercise—and not intense exercise.

In fact, the over-exercised participants had double the risk of heart attack and stroke compared to the moderate exercising group.

So, for best cardiovascular health, do moderate workouts a few times a week, rather than heavy exercises every day.

Here is a simple exercise routine:

• Warm up for 3 minutes

• Exercise as hard and fast as you can (running, biking, swimming or whatever) for 30 seconds to raise your heart rate

• Rest for 90 seconds while moving to keep warm

• Repeat the high intensity exercise and rest cycle about seven more times

Do this exercise routine 3–4 times/week for optimal heart health. All it takes is 15–20 minutes per day.

Do you want to protect yourself from stroke and heart attack? Watch this video – 15 Foods That Reduce Your Heart Attack Risk According to Doctors

Even better, here are three easy exercises guaranteed to bring your blood pressure down to a healthy level—starting today…

And if you want to protect yourself from stroke and heart attack and your cholesterol is too high, discover how you can normalize it—in 30 days or less—by cutting out this ONE ingredient you didn’t even know you were consuming…

This post is from the Oxidized Cholesterol Strategy Program. It was created by Scott Davis. Because he once suffered from high cholesterol, so much so that he even had a severe heart attack. This is what essentially led him to finding healthier alternatives to conventional medication. Oxidized Cholesterol Strategy is a unique online program that provides you with all the information you need to regain control of your cholesterol levels and health, as a whole.

To find out more about this program, go to Protect Yourself from Stroke and Heart Attack.