The oil saga – which ones are good for you and which ones are bad for you – is like a lifelong toxic and confusing ass relationship! If you’re anywhere near my age (born 1982) or older, you know exactly what I’m talking about…particularly if you live in the US of A!
In our lifetimes, we’ve gone from Crisco/lard (grandma’s way) to real butter. Then we went from butter to margarine, cause butter was the root of all damn evil and the cause of all heart disease, high cholesterol and obesity – blah blah blah. At some point we went to canola oil, then we said hell no to that and went to the Greek goddess known as olive oil. Now we’re on avocado and coconut for the most part. Oh, and don’t forget somewhere along the lines, margarine became the devil as compared to our heavenly churned cream….BUTTER!
Not sure about you – but it’s been an exhausting ride to keep up with mono and poly unsaturated fats, saturated fats, smoke points, etc. And at the end of the day, I will say this…olive oil has never been arrested. It’s the staple of the Mediterranean diet that the Greeks and Italians live by (both which I happen to be), and is always on the top 3 lists of diets to follow. I’m also sure I don’t have to tell you that extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the Mac Daddy of them all, yet I went ahead and said it anyways!
Butter, while it had a few bad hair cuts at one phase of it’s life, is still a reigning champ in my eyes, and maybe because it’s like my favorite food? Honestly, organic – salted – butter – is legit one of my favorite things on planet Earth! It makes EVERYTHING taste better! It is pure and beautiful and the perfect compliment to any of my organic baking, organic veggies or a gorgeous grass-fed steak! Whether you eat dairy or not, please please please – EAT & BUY ORGANIC DAIRY ONLY!!!!!
Newer to the kitchen paparazzi scene – avocado oil, also seems to have a pretty good reputation on the streets, as it’s made from avocadoes…and everyone knows they are America’s latest and greatest obsession when it comes to food. Furthermore, avocado oil’s smoke point is higher than the average. Same with grapeseed oil. So those two are best used when you’re actually cooking on the stop top and need some type of sizzle or browning factor present in your dish. They are pricier, that’s for sure, yet I’m more of a “you get what you pay for” type of girl, and a bit snobbish about the quality of my food – therefore I’m used to spending more money on all of it!
Coconut oil is very popular in cooking and baking healthier dishes. It’s a paleo, AIP reintro, anti-inflammatory, keto friendly ingredient that’s also gained tons and tons of popularity in recent years. The fact that Costco carries a huge ass vat that’s like 5+ pounds tells you everything you need to know, anyways. Doesn’t it?!
For reals though, the best version you can buy comes in a glass jar and is labeled as organic, cold-pressed, unrefined virgin coconut oil. I personally prefer refined coconut oil to use in cooking and baking as it has a higher smoke point and tastes less coconut-y, but to each their own. Truth be told I do enjoy coconut flavor, yet I don’t want all of my veggies or a peanut butter dessert to taste like it. You feel me? Like there’s a time and a place for everything, and I’m oh so grateful they make two kinds! While unrefined is often seen as the healthier option, you really can’t go wrong here in general with the coconut oil situation. Unrefined coconut oil is easier to find and usually a bit cheaper, so that’s what most people use to cook, eat by the spoonful, rub on their face to stay young, or make their keto fat bombs!
The real reason I’m writing this particular article about oils is to discuss the oils that are commonly on the AVOID list, as they’re known to cause inflammation within the body. The list includes: corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil and cottonseed oil. Canola oil is a difficult one as it can sometimes be found on either list – good for you and bad for you oils. The problem with canola oil in 2021 is that almost all of it is made using genetically modified crops, which also makes it cheap and the most commonly used oil on the planet. It has a high smoke point, which makes it good for frying, yet many researchers will say that at high heats, canola oil gives off lots of nasty ass compounds and free radicals that aren’t good for us and lead to inflammation.
I personally do everything I can to avoid canola oil – especially when I’m really being conscious or on any kind of detox or cleanse or particularly clean eating phase. Sad part is – that shit is EVERYWHERE!
I was at the store last weekend looking at “healthier” brands of granola bars or snacks, solely to stalk ingredients, and almost every single one had canola oil as a top 3 ingredient. I simply shook my head and put down box after box after box.
I didn’t want to write a dissertation on omega-3 versus omega-6, so I didn’t. I tried to just give you a quick run down of oils to love and oils to avoid if you’re focusing on reducing inflammation in your body. And if you weren’t previously focused on that – even just a little bit, let me remind you that inflammation in the body can cause so may issues, not to mention it’s ability to diminish vital functions and lead you straight to deadly diseases.
Whatever you do, just buy better oils for your house! You don’t have to stalk every restaurant waiter like I do. Just control what you can control – which is what comes in your home! Make some transitions to higher quality ingredients. Shop differently with a more educated and informed eye. Do what you can to better the lives of your family members for generations to come. Introduce your kids to better ways, and they’ll in turn do the same with theirs!
*So you know, I often use Thrive Market to snag oils at a good price. I became a member early 2020 and they frequently have good sales on lots of the quality ingredients and brands I love. If you’re not yet a member, you can click the link here to join and get 25% off your first order…..SCORE! you can order on their website or download their app, and they even have monthly subscriptions you can do to get your costs down on the products you use the most!