The question I often get asked is : which is the best fats/oils to cook with?

This topic is very important to me, not only as a nutritionist but also as the primary cook in my house, who wants to choose the healthy option for my family and myself.

There is always a bit of confusion/controversy as to which fats are good for you. Believe me, over the years I have seen and done it all : “ghee is bad, margarine is good, canola oil is good, butter is bad, olive oil is good” etc. etc. I remember there was a time in my life when I would stay away from ghee as much as possible and my wise neighbor in India would tell me, “Don’t avoid ghee it is good for you, your body needs good fats for healthy joints”. 

As you must be aware, the fats and oils, such as ghee and coconut oil, that were (and still are by some) once considered bad are now coming back in popularity. I am sure some of us are still confused whether we should go back to them or listen to the mainstream advice to steer clear of them. 

Fats and their benefits:

Firstly, let me start by pointing out that fats are not totally bad.

While the main health concern related to fats is how they impact our cardiovascular health, it is important to note that not all fats are created equal. As macronutrients, good dietary fats are not only important for making our food tasty but are also crucial for the optimal functioning of our bodies .

Our bodies need good fats for a number of essential functions such as the absorption of nutrients, regulation of body temperature, hormone production, protection of organs, metabolism, brain function, and skin and bone health. Fats make us feel full and, therefore, if part of a balanced diet, can be very effective at limiting excess carbohydrate and blood-sugar spikes.

Given the benefits of fats for our body, avoiding fats completely or consuming packaged low-fat foods can impact our health negatively.  Commercially-prepared low-fat foods can mislead as “healthy” as they are often altered by adding more salt, starch, sugar and other ingredients . Because the balance of nutrients is disturbed in low-fat foods, such foods do not help with feeling full and overall lead to over-eating. Thus, naturally low-fat or fat-free consumption is more beneficial from foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and beans as they are more nutrient-dense.

There is often a misconception that fats are bad and are the sole cause of body weight gain, uncontrolled cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease and/or stroke. Avoidance of fats and the resulting over-consumption of refined carbohydrates is often ignored as a key factor contributing to disease progression. A balanced diet is therefore crucial rather than the avoidance of any one macronutrient.

The types of fats:

Most foods contain a mix of different kinds of fats. There are two main types of fats and the difference between these fats lies primarily in their state at room temperature (solid or liquid).

Saturated fats:

These fats are generally solid at room temperature and come from both animal and plant sources. Trans-fat is a type of saturated fat that the body cannot correctly metabolize and is therefore associated with inflammation, heart disease, insulin resistance, obesity, and other chronic conditions.

Traces of trans-fat are found naturally in animal (but not plant) fats. Higher amounts of trans-fat are present in fats produced as a result of hydrogenation, a chemical process which often uses plant oils as a starting point. While hydrogenation turns liquid oil into a more solid form to extend shelf-life or alter texture in the food industry, the problem with this process is that a proportion of this hydrogenated fat gets converted into trans-fat.

Fats produced from the process of hydrogenation (often referred as trans-fat or partially hydrogenated fats) are widely  used in the food industry for frying, baking pastries, processed/packaged snack foods, vegetable shortening, and margarine. When making dietary choices, we need to consider the inflammation potential of fats depending on the amount of trans-fat that they contain.

Although use of trans-fat in commercially-prepared foods is banned in some countries, some food products can be listed as having “zero trans fats” even if they contain up to 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. Even a small amount of trans-fat can have negative impacts on our health if consumed regularly so it is best to avoid them as much as possible by carefully reading the food labels. 

Unsaturated fats:

These fats are generally liquid at room temperature. There are two types of unsaturated fats-

Monounsaturated fats which are found in avocados, peanut butter , nuts, seeds, olives, and plant oils, such as olive, peanut, sesame, and canola oils.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in soybean, corn, safflower, walnuts, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, and trout. The two main types of polyunsaturated fats are omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids, which are both considered as “essential” since our body cannot produce them and so we need to get them from our diet. Both have health benefits especially when it comes to heart health, however, it is important to have a balance in their ratio. Ideally the ratio of these fatty acids should be 1:1 but we need to limit omega 6 levels because the modern diet is comprised of much higher levels of omega 6 which are prone to causing chronic inflammation.

So what is a healthy fat?

As Precision Nutrition likes to define, a healthy fat is one which is relatively unprocessed and is made from whole foods. When choosing a healthy fat, some of the points to consider include the quality, composition, extraction method, degree of processing and type of cooking method intended.

How and where is it obtained from?

Most seed or “vegetable” oils on the market are heavily processed using high heat, harsh industrial chemicals and toxic solvents as it is hard to remove oils from some plants. This process diminishes the nutrients and also leaves behind some harmful residue of the chemicals used. Additionally, these oils are susceptible to oxidation which is harmful to health. This is why cold-pressed or expeller-pressed oil is preferred as they use non-chemical processes. 

Nutrition Profile?

Know the type of fat you are consuming as different fats have varying amounts of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fats. Ideally, fats should come from a whole food, be less processed, and should have higher ratios of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids . Oils such as canola/rapeseed, safflower, cottonseed, corn, soybean, grapeseed, rice bran, and sunflower are high in omega-6 fatty acids so excessive use should be avoided.

What Is It Being Used For?

Are you using it for sauteing, deep frying, shallow frying, or in dressings/sauces, etc? Some oils that have low smoke point cannot tolerate high heat, lose nutrients in the process, can affect the taste of the food you are cooking, and can also form harmful compounds. Have a variety of fats and use them according to the type of cooking involved.

Deep Frying:

When it comes to deep frying, it is best not to use this type of cooking often. Fried foods are not only high in calories but often high in trans-fat as well since they are fried in processed vegetable or seed oils. These oils already contain trans-fat but the amount of it can increase with high-heat.

In addition most of these vegetable oils are high in inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids, which has shown to impact the health of our gut microbiome negatively. There is also some evidence that cooking at high temperatures can create a toxic substance called Acrylamide which has shown to cause cancer in animals.

An air fryer is also a good option instead of deep frying. However, practice caution as most air fryers on the market have non stick coating which can leech into our food and release various gases, chemicals, and fumes that can cause mild to severe toxicity. If you use an air fryer on a regular basis, it is important to get one that is free of non- stick coating and with a stainless steel or glass interior.

Overall, we should always try to use unrefined, cold-pressed oils and grass-fed¹ animal fats (butter, ghee etc.). Consume good-quality fats, preferably organic, and always practice moderation.

My personal approach: I like to use extra virgin olive oil for most of my cooking and occasionally use extra-virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, grass-fed ghee, or organic butter depending on the type of food I am cooking and the taste I am trying to achieve.

Are there any other aspects related to fats that I did not cover? Let me know your questions in the comments below!

1. compared to conventional animal products grass-fed animal products have higher amounts of omega 3s, vitamin A, E, B12, B6, selenium, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA),and other antioxidants.