This seems to be the question of the month for me so I thought it was time to blog it. What kind of oils do I cook with? There are three main oils that I use. They are the pure oils, not genetically altered, not heat treated, not partially hydrogenated. They each have qualities that actually promote health (crazy concept for food) and that even taste good. Are you ready? Here you go: Olive Oil ; you all know this one. It is a great antioxidant and has been around forever. It grows naturally and doesn't have to be genetically grown. It is used great in Italian foods and stir frys. I don't use it to bake with unless in pizza dough or focaccia. The more "Virgin" quality the better and all oils that say "expeller pressed" are best. This means that they have not been heat processed so the healthy properties have not been cooked out. Grapeseed Oil; Also full of antioxidants. It has a very mild taste so you can use it in anything. It is great in salad dressings and baked goods. Costco now sells this in a big bottles for a good price. This is my all purpose oil. Coconut Oil; My personal favorite. You want to get the unrefined coconut oil. It will look like a solid on the shelf but will turn liquid with only very little temperature change. It may even be a liquid on your shelf if your cupboard is a little warmer. I use this for my sweet items; sweet muffins, breads, cookies, etc. I put it on my griddle for french toast and it was delicious! If you didn't read my post on the health benefits of coconut oil, go back. Look under the nutrition label below or go to May 1st entry. I use this solely as our lotion now. I was skeptical at first that I would break out like a 14 year old, but I am zit free. It feels great and sinks right in, leaving you without an oily appearance. I smell delicious and it is even great on my hair. I simply can't get enough of this oil. I love the fact that I am not putting chemicals on my skin as our skin is the biggest organ we have.
All of these oils are broken down in the body easily because they are not partially hydrogenated or altered. The body knows what to do with them. Sure, they are still calories but calories are not created equal. We need fat but we also need the right fats. Fats help to trigger the mind that you are full. If you have ever done the cabbage soup diet, you know that you can eat fruit all day and never get full. This is why. For those of you who use Canola oil as your staple, Canola oil is not the friendly type. I know, it was a few years ago, but that was because the Canadian government told us it was. This oil is from Canada grown on the rapeseed plant. It is not good for you and in fact can be quite harmful. It is genetically grown and heat treated and bleached. I do have this in my supply and if I am going to fry some fry bread or corn tortillas, I use this some time but, rarely. You can google Canola Oil and find all kinds of articles about it. This oil has not been around too long so the long term affects are just coming out. Coconut oil, Olive Oil and Grapeseed oil have been around since the beginning of time. The results are in and these oils are meant for us to use. Just as the Lord intended it.
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24 comments:
I love grapeseed oil, and use this for a good amount of my cooking. Another great thing about grapeseed oil is it has a higher flashpoint, which means you can get it hotter before the composition is altered. If possible it is always a good idea to add any oil you can to things you cook after heating (this is not always possible) but even the healthiest of oils change when they hit a certain temperature, and are not as beneficial. For anything like a soup or sauce you can make it boil etc., then add the oils after it has cooled a bit. Also you can cook things at a lower temperature for a longer duration. A safe range for olive oil should not exceed 350 degrees. I am excited to read more on the coconut oil and try it out with my baked goods.
So you use grapeseed in your bread? Also i've heard Palm oil (spectrum brand) is another healthy alternative which serves as a shortening. Have you found coconut oil in larger quantities? That's a hard one for me while baking, you pour the oil next to your cooler egg and it turns lumpy!
We are loving coconut oil. So the veggie spray is under the April archive and the title is "go green"
Palm oil is supposed to be another good oil but I haven't researched enough about it yet to post. As far as the coconut oil, I usually set it on my warm stove or melt it real quick and mix that in before I put the egg in. sometimes you need a little extra.
Our boys have really dry skin (ichthyosis) and we started using the unrefined coconut oil and it has helped tremendously! The boys put it on and it goes on so smoothly - we all use it! Good bye Lubriderm and Cetaphil!
I love all this great info! Thanks for spreading the word. This is something I've never really thought too much about before and now I'm excited to try these new oils out.
Hi, do you remember me? We used to visit tech together years ago. Anyway I just wanted to say that I really like coconut oil as well and I have found it at Lee Lee's Oriental supermarket for way way way cheaper than anywhere else. Its located at Dobson and Warner. Maybe you already knew but just in case I thought I'd share!
ok the one I have is called simply natural 100% coconut oil and it says its organically grown. and it says it solidifies at 75 degrees. Its a 500ml and i cant remember the exact price but i think it was so cheap like $2 or something. I go there to get stuff for making curry dishes so I don't waste the gas for just one item. It doesn't say unrefined on it. Mine is a liquid right now because it's so hot so I can see coconut floaties. I don't know what that means exactly. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the tip about coconut oil. I'm definitely going to give that a try. What do you mean by "genetically grown"? Do you mean genetically modified?
YES, GENETICALLY MODIFIED
Thanks Shari, I have been wanting to try coconut oil and had never heard of grapeseed oil. I am so glad you have this blog and really appreciate how you share your knowledge with us!
Oh yeah, did you know that there is an olive press and oil company in Queen Creek? I guess they have a really cool store out by Schnepf.
Hi! My name is Kristin Esplin & I am from Farmington,Ut (located about 15 minutes North of downtown SLC). I'm curious if you have seen the new trail mix offered at Costco? It has mixed nuts, dried fruit,& claims to offer all of the healthy oils. Is this really so? I understand that, as a general rule, it is best to stay clear of toasted nuts,because they lose their nutritional value, so I currently eat raw almonds,which offer the HEALTHY MUFAS. However, these toasted pistachios and almonds claim to be processed differently which makes them much more healthy. I would love to know what YOU think of this new trail mix.
Kristin,
I love Costco because they are trying so hard to offer so much organic products and healthy oil. I agree that raw nuts are always best but you still can get some good nutrition in roasted nuts. I will look at this product but as long as the ingredients contain only the good oils and stay clear of any other ingredients other than salt, sea salt the better, than I say go for it. I just bought some of the pistachios and loved them! Dry roasted is different than smoked since "smoking" nuts require carcinogens. I will look into even more. Thanks for the email!
I came across your blog largely by accident. My brother started using coconut oil several years ago and excitedly told me to look into it. What I found is that many well-intentioned people are being led astray by misunderstanding, misrepresentation, and people who want to sell a product. Coconut oil is a saturated fat - plain and simple. It may not be as bad as Beef fat or butterfat, but it does contribute to increased blood serum cholesterol which increases the risk of Coronary Heart Disease. There are now decades of studies backing this up. I also found one study that said if you want to fatten up hogs (or farmed fish) for market, the best things to use are beef tallow or coconut oil! Sure, it is a great moisturizer, but it is not a good food to eat in any quantity. Stick to Olive oil.
Also, the Canola oil "warnings" are bogus - see snopes.com and mayoclinic.com for debunking. Clearly you're well-meaning, but you're being duped.
By the way - what I forgot to ask in my previous comment: What makes you trust the people that say what they do about coconut oil (and canola oil, etc.)? Why do you find them more trustworthy and believable than the hundreds of studies over several decades saying the opposite?
It is true that over time studies change, ie, we all thought canola oil was the thing to do. However, it is not just the oil but how it is processed. First of all, the molecular chains of coconut oil differ than the other oils and are broken down in the body. Yes, it is still a fat and will make you fat and unhealthy if you eat it in large quanities. But, when we do use fat, this is a better fat. Olive oil is also good. Coconut oil has great healing qualities for skin. Canola oil is not a good oil. Check how it is processed, grown and what it really is, rapeseed. Coconut oil has been around for centuries, it is not a hybrid nor genetically engineered. We all must do our own research, I stick with believing those who are knowlegable about natural products, chemistry and who are no way affiliated with the FDA or government as they are all paid to state their opinions. Snopes is not a completely reliable source. So, please make sure you check many, many various sources and when all else fails, time tells the truth. Coconut oil and Olive oil have been around forever and have been studied forever. Canola oil hasn't. Always stick to foods in their pure form. Only buy oils that have been expeller pressed, organic and unrefined. There is a huge difference. Your opinions are your own. Hopefully you have done your research other than snopes. I rely on Dr. Blaylock, Dr. Weil, Dr. mercola and many other very knowlegeable Dr.s along with many other studies. Most people in the holistic and homeopathic communities will steer you clear from Canola oil. I agree that we will fatten up if we eat large quanities. I have never said you should "eat" it. Just use it for cooking when needed. Also, coconut oil that has been refined or processed is a different story. No, I do not sell it, I do not make any profit from talking about it. I have not been duped. Thanks for your concern.
One more note, When frying something, I don't use a refined oil but an oil meant for a higher heat as stated on the bottles such as grapeseed oil that is not genetically engineered. In regards to the snopes article, check who the source is... The candian council who produces the oil. They are the ones who sell it. When in doubt , use what the Lord gave us on this earth without it being changed, reengineered or stripped. The wonderful coconut is as it was in the beginning. Of course, we may all have our own opinions and no one needs to take my blog for gospel truth.
Snopes was just the easiest reference, the Mayo Clinic website (not beholden to any corporation) also has information.
Why are you so anti-GMO? We have been eating genetically modified food for *centuries.* Any type of hybridization is a GMO.
You say you don't trust people who get paid for their work? What do you think Dr. Weil, Mercola and others are doing? They're selling books and products, too. So, why are they trustworthy? When you choose to just believe a few people, you choose to be misled by them, too.
I am not opposed to alternative medicine - we use herbs and homeopathy, etc...but there are lots of untrue claims made about thsoe types of products - coconut oil being one of the main ones (mangosteen, noni, and others are similar).
I don't want to hijack your blog, so I'll just say that, yes, I am doing my own research. most people don't really understand what "research" really is and so get taken in by spurious claims. I am summarizing what I've found and will point you to it when I get there.
rbyers,
I am glad you are doing your own research. But, it is your own. We all have that right.I agree too that we just can't simply trust someones book or ideas because they said it, at least in the secular world. We need to take the research, add to it with our own and make our own decisions. I believe and feel deeply that coconut oil is right for me and my family. You don't. That's OK. The Dr.'s I mentioned sell products that they developed and believe in through their research. It is different than being paid by lobbyist to say something like the FDA and Canadian oil companies do. But, I don't look at just those Dr.s. In the end, we do what we feel is right. We then can relay our beliefs in our blogs and in our communities. Those reading can take what they want from it. You are free to tell the world about your love for Canola oil on your site. I will never believe that the rapeseed plant will be better than a coconut. Never. Medicine men have used it for centuries to heal, not the rapeseed plant.
One more thing, I am curious about your feelings on this. Because the oil is bleached and heat treated, do you not believe that this causes the oil to be dangerous to our bodies? I would love to hear any research you have on this. Honestly, no sarcasm involved.
OK, I am not done yet. In your research, I would also love to hear about what you have found that indicates nutritional properties in the rapeseed plant that is at all beneficial to the body. The coconut contains many ingredients that are actually good for you, ie, lauric acid which is actually in mothers milk. They use coconut oil in baby formula for this reason, not rapeseed. If you just study the fat, you are not getting the whole picture. There is so much more to oils. Of course, the olive also has some great antioxidant properties. I have never heard of any antioxidant or healthy properties of the canola oil.
I had planned to just let this go where we stopped and then send you a link to my research summary when I had it finished - didn't want to dominate your blog with an extended discussion or turn it into an argument. However, since you posted multiple questions...
First, I neglected to mention in my first response that I was glad to hear that you acknowledge that coconut oil is a saturated fat. Others (my brother, a neighbor and some websites) make incredible claims about coconut not being saturated and/or that no matter how much you eat your body doesn't store it as fat and that there are no negatives to it. My brother spreads it on his bread like butter in addition to cooking, etc... and it's that use of it in that quantities that I worry about. There are some positives I've read about it that you didn't mention, e.g., Coconut also contains selenium, a mineral which is supposed to be a mood-lifter, too. Yes, Coconut oil is digested better than other saturated fats (e.g., butterfat) and yes, it has lauric acid.
In the negative column, however, it has a large percentage of myristic acid which some studies have shown contributes to LDL cholesterol production more than other fatty acids. It should be noted that your body handles coconut (the flesh) differently than the oil, in regards to cholesterol and Coronary heart disease (CHD). I have references to the original papers for all of these things that I plan to put in my summary.
In the end, we end up eating some saturated fat in our diets and, hey, coconut oil is one of the better saturated fats if you have to use one. Given the crazy claims I've heard elsewhere, it was hard to tell exactly how extensively you use coconut oil and whether you sought to limit it or not. You are much more reasonable than the other claimants I've encountered.
My "love" of canola oil? I don't believe I ever said that. If I had to say I "loved" any oil it would have to be Spanish Extra Virgin Olive oil (from Fresh and Easy). Great stuff and has a little bite to it that the Italian doesn't have. My love is not of canola oil, but of people reasoning things out rather than believing false claims and hype (especially if they got it from an email - which I'm not saying you did) from people who believe something strongly with no actual facts behind it. I use Canola oil occasionally, but primarily use olive oil. Would prefer safflower oil if I could find it, but it doesn't seem readily available.
My searching has primarily been focused on fats, cholesterol and CHD and only very preliminary on the canola oil/rapeseed issue. I'll look deeper and tell you what I find, since you asked.
I agree with your distrust of corporations and corporate councils (why I went to Mayoclinic.org instead of the canadian canola council). I generally question anyone who's trying to sell me something, and that includes the "alternative" things out there. Yes, there are good ones, but there are an incredible number of snake oil salesmen, too. For example, the label "organic" in broad terms is largely meaningless right now. For example, in some farming applications, you can call something "organic" as long as it hasn't had any pesticides used on it for 36 hours before it is picked and packed. Some farmers then arrange their fields so their "organic" produce is downwind of their non-organic produce so that during those last hours they don't spray pesticide directly on the "organic" produce, but it gets the downwind overspray from the other field. Then it's labeled "organic."
I sort of agree and sort of disagree with your distrust of the FDA. Yes, there are lobbyists, but there are also low-paid government scientists who have conducted research and surveyed other peoples' independent research. It's a completely different situation than, say, an industry council. The other thing is the bottom line recommendation of the FDA regarding diet - eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, reduce total fat intake to a resaonable level and provide your fat primarily of monounsaturated fats. What's to distrust there?
rbyers,
First of all, I like comments from those who do have actual research behind them and don't just repeat a snopes article so thanks for that. I enjoyed your information. I do agree with you on many things and totally agree that there is good and bad on both sides. I still side with the expeller pressed coconut oil over canola just because of how it is processed since the canola oil in the expeller form is harder to come by and also the taste. I would like info from you as you research so feel free to email me at goodman-7@cox.net. I know info always changes as research expands and I am always open to reevaluating. Thanks for taking the time and feel free to share what you have. I was a bit snippy at first as I don't feel I am "duped" by articles since I research heavily. I know we both understand eachother's view points and hope to share info in the future!
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