Nutrition Tip - What is the Best Oils

What’s the Best Oil?

Coconut, olive, soybean, corn, flaxseed, sunflower….and the list goes on. Today you can find 20 different oils of different flavors and quality on grocery store shelves. It can be a confusing choice to make. The fat content, smoke point, and quality of the oils should play a big role in your choice of oils for cooking.

First off, you want to choose an oil that is higher in Omega 3’s and monounsaturated fats. Our food supply is loaded with low quality oils like corn and soybean that are high in omega-6 fatty acids. While these are necessary in our diets, we already consume so many of them and don’t need additional sources. Oils that are high in monounsaturated and omega-3 fats include flaxseed, olive, canola, and sunflower. You also want to watch out for the saturated fat content of the oil. High amounts of saturated fats in the diet have been linked to several chronic diseases like heart disease and should be limited in our diets. Tropical oils like palm, palm kernel, and coconut oils are all high in saturated fats.

The smoke point is another important consideration. If you are going to be cooking with an oil, you want to make sure the oil you choose has a higher smoke point. When oil starts to “burn” or smoke while cooking, it creates free radicals which can be harmful for our bodies. Oils with a low smoke point are not ideal for high heat cooking like sautéing and grilling. Higher smoke point oils like canola, almond, and sunflower oil are great for cooking. Oils with a low smoke point like flaxseed and olive are best used as dressings and dips.

The last thing to look for is the quality of the oils. Mass quantity oils like corn, soybean, and canola oil can often be low quality and genetically modified. Choose an organic, non-GMO oil that is higher quality. This will ensure the most nutrients and flavor in the oil.