What About Your Cooking Oils?

Have you ever thought about the oils you cook with? Until I started researching the Paleo diet, I didn't give them one thought. Everyone uses pretty much the same ones - canola or olive oil, right? Everyone on the Food Network does. So, you would think they were safe to use, but they're definitely NOT safe.

Why Vegetable Oils are Bad

Vegetable oils are unsaturated fats. They are liquid at room temperature and oxidize easily. If you were to leave them out, uncovered, in a week (maybe sooner) they would be rancid. If you were to do that same thing with a saturated fat, such as coconut oil, it would be perfectly fine. Unsaturated fats are susceptible to damage from not only air (like being left out), but also light and heat. Yes, it damages the fat when you cook it. 

When you eat unsaturated fats, like Canola Oil, your body won't recognize it as food. It will be treated like a toxin and will be stored in your fat cells instead of being digested like food. Too many toxins leads to inflammation. 

According to the University of Florida - 4.6% of the fatty acids in Canola oil are plastic due to the refining process.

Canola Oil

A few things I noticed when watching this video was:

70 Minute Chemical Solvent Wash

20 Minute Sodium Hydroxide Wash

Bleaching for Color

We're supposed to eat that? 

The chemical solvent used Canola extraction process is usually Hexane. According to EPA.gov, in addition to Canola Oil, it is used in Rubber Cement, Varnishes & Inks. It's also used in the processing of other oils, like peanut oil. I was most surprised to see this on the EPA site:

"No information is available on the reproductive or development effects of Hexane in humans."

Seriously bad! I didn't know what sodium hydroxide was, either. I found out that it's in floor stripping products, brick cleaners, drain cleaners, metal polishes and oven cleaners! I don't want to eat something that is used for cleaning out drains. 

Lastly, they didn't like the ugly color, so they BLEACHED it. Bleach is good for you, right? Cleans your insides.

*Olive Oil can be used for cold applications, like in salad dressings.

Transfats

Transfats are in man-made saturated fats like Crisco, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Country Crock and others. Transfats are know to wreak havoc in your body and are linked to cancer, diabetes, decreased immune function, reproduction problems and obesity. Obviously, this not a good food choice.

Heart Disease and other heart problems are the #1 cause of death in the US with most Americans eating unsaturated fats that claim to be heart healthy. If they're so healthy, why so many deaths?

So, what should we cook with instead?

Cook with saturated fats, of course! most Read this article on why Fat is GOOD for you. My favorites and most widely available  fats are Coconut Oil and Grassfed Butter. They are safe for high heat cooking and you don't have to go to a grocery store like Whole Foods to find them, even Walmart has coconut oil. 

Coconut Oil, It's a Good Thing

Coconut oil has antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal & antioxidant properties.

It's also a high source of Medium Chain Fatty Acids. Why is that good? The longer the chain is, the harder the fat is for the body to digest. Shorter chains are good for people with Diabetes or gallbladder problems, too. 

Grassfed Butter Benefits

Grassfed Butter contains the following: Vitamin A, Vitamin K2, Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Omega 3 fatty acids & Omega 6 fatty acids. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) helps the body combat cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis & food based allergies. It cannot be made by your body, it has to be ingested. The best sources for CLA are grassfed dairy and grassfed beef. If you can't afford grassfed beef, grassfed butter would be a great cooking fat to use (and if your body tolerates it, of course). Grassfed Butter is a super food!

Places to Buy

Look for unrefined Coconut oil. As you can see from the photo above, I did not buy unrefined. Sad face. I mainly use butter, so I'm ok with that. THE BEST coconut oil is made by Tropical Traditions, which you can only order online. Watch for sales. Like today, they are having their gallon size 50% off!  Regular grocery stores carry coconut oil, too, even Walmart.

Good grassfed butter brands are Kerrygold, Anchor and Organic Valley (be sure it's the grassfed kind). Do a search to see if your grocery store carries it. Chances are, it does.

The Bottom Line

Whether you are Paleo or not, you should switch out your cooking fats. It's a simple, easy change that will make a huge difference in your health! Next time you go grocery shopping, buy some coconut oil and grassfed butter!