Nutrition experts once recommended a low-fat diet for best health. Well, no more. While you shouldn't slather every dish with gobs of butter and tablespoons of oil, evidence now shows that a certain amount of quality fats is essential for your health.
"Fat can definitely be a good thing, and choosing the right fats can slash your risk of many diseases," note Liz Pearson and Mairlyn Smith, authors of healthy-eating guide Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health (Whitecap, 2007). But which healthy cooking oils should you choose, and how should you cook with them? Read on for the best and healthiest cooking oils, plus when and how to use them.
Choosing oils and your health
When it comes to nutrition, a good rule of thumb is "the more natural, the better" -- so choose whole grains over refined, fresh meats over processed, and freshly picked (or frozen) fruits over dried (and sugared) or canned (in syrup) options. The same goes for oils, which your body needs for a number of reasons, including proper brain function and better absorption of vitamins. "It's the type of fat you eat, not the quantity, that has the most significant impact on your health," say Pearson and Smith.
And this is where the latest health villain comes in -- trans fats. In his book, In Defense of Food (Penguin, 2008), journalist Michael Pollan suggests that when you're looking for the healthiest foods, choosing items your great-grandmother would recognize (including all the ingredients) is a good option. And hydrogenated oils, which are the primary sources of unhealthy trans fats, would definitely not fit into that category. Choose quality oils that have undergone the least amount of processing and you'll be making the best choice for your health.
As for how much you should eat, Pearson and Smith recommend three to six servings of healthy fats every day. One serving equals a teaspoon of oil, margarine or full-fat mayonnaise or salad dressing; if you're using low-fat mayonnaise or salad dressing, a serving is a tablespoon.
Which oils should you cook with?
Pearson and Smith recommend canola and olive oil for the bulk of your cooking needs, but you don't have to stop there. Each oil has its strengths and weaknesses and will impart its unique flavour to your cooking. Here are some tips for making the best and healthiest choices:
- Think about flavour. Olive oil is both healthy and delicious, but its strong taste makes it a bad choice for most baking and for many other dishes. Choose an oil with flavour that complements your meal.
- Choose quality. Inexpensive oil may be fine for a stir-fry, but for salad dressings and dips -- or when you want to use an oil on its own, such as for dipping bread into olive oil -- buy the best you can afford.
- Mix it up. Butter is delicious but by frying onions in a mixture of half butter and half olive oil instead of all butter, you'll be adding depth to the flavour while increasing the dish's proportion of healthy fats.
- Don't leave it out. A fat-free salad dressing may appear healthy, but it actually makes it harder for your body to absorb the vitamins in the vegetables. Instead, choose a salad dressing made from healthy oils; better yet, make your own so you know exactly what's in it.
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