Fats play an integral role in your overall health, but not all fats are created equal. Ideally, you want to consume healthy fats that boost satiety factor, nutrient absorption, heart health, and more. Cooking oils are excellent sources of fats, but some may be more harmful than you realize. Additionally, some oils cannot handle high heat cooking and counteract the nutrients and benefits you get from other nutritious foods.
How do you know which oil is the best to cook with? Well, different oils have different smoke points, making some better for cooking at higher temperatures. The Cleveland Clinic states that the more refined an oil is, the higher the smoke point it has. Unfortunately, these refined oils are not always the healthiest for you. In fact, a higher smoke point oil cooked at a higher temperature can produce toxic fumes and free radicals, both of which can harm your body. That’s why we’ve created a small cheat sheet about which oils to avoid for cooking.
Vegetable Oil
Over the years, a lot of doctors have recommended vegetable oils to patients to improve cholesterol levels and overall heart health. Newer studies continue to find that vegetable oils are not as healthy for your heart as people originally thought they were. A 2016 study found that vegetable oil consumption increased, not decreased, the risk of heart disease. During the study, men and women were randomly assigned one of two diets: one group replaced all fats with vegetable oil and one group consumed a diet high in saturated fat from margarines, shortenings, and animal fats. At the end of the study, researchers noted that those following the vegetable oil diet had lower cholesterol levels. That said, the results didn’t hold after a year. For every 30 mg/dL drop in cholesterol, there was an increased risk of death by 22%.
Soybean Oil
Made from the seeds of the soybean plant, soybean oil commonly exists in many foods, including condiments and salad dressings. Soybean oil is hydrogenated, meaning you should avoid it at all costs. Researchers found that soybean oil consumption increased the risk of anxiety, autism, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurological disorders. One study from 2020 compared mice that were fed three different diets: soybean oil, soybean oil with low in linoleic acid, and coconut oil. Researchers noted that soybean oil had significant effects on the hypothalamus, the portion of the brain responsible for metabolism, hormone release, and body temperature regulation. The mice that consumed soybean oil experienced several genes that did not function correctly; plus, another 100 genes were negatively affected.
Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is typically high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and is highly refined, unless otherwise specified. A few brands offer high-oleic sunflower oils, which are cold-pressed and offer monounsaturated fatty acids. Those varieties, while heat-stable and more nutritious, are much more expensive and harder to come buy. You would be better off buying extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil instead.
Canola Oil
Roughly 60 to 65% of canola oil, or rapeseed oil, is naturally rich in monounsaturated fatty acids. That sounds appealing and usually fools a lot of shoppers, but there is some bad news. Canola oil is almost always chemically extracted and very refined. Similar to soybeans, an estimated 90% of canola plants in the United States and Canada are genetically modified to the point where they can withstand herbicides that are harmful to the environment. Cold-pressed canola oil is very hard to find, so it’s best not to get this type of oil at all.
Grapeseed Oil
Grapeseed oil is about 70% polyunsaturated fatty acids, most of which are omega-6s. Although grapeseed oil sounds healthy, it is just another oil that is highly refined. It doesn’t offer unique health benefits, nor does it exhibit a unique flavor profile. Once again, if you can obtain cold-pressed or expeller-pressed varieties, then do not opt for this oil because all of the other varieties do not benefit your health. Even if you get those healthier versions, grapeseed oil is not great for high heat applications because of its high amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Cottonseed Oil
According to a 2014 report, the cotton plant contained natural toxins, specifically gossypol. High concentrations of free gossypol may cause acute clinical signs of gossypol poisoning. Some of these symptoms include impaired body weight gain, respiratory distress, apathy, weakness, anorexia, and death after several days. Gossypol can also impair immune function, as well as cause issues in both the male and female reproductive systems. Cottonseed oil is also high in saturated fat and only contains a small amount of monounsaturated fat.
