Using oil in cooking is common.
Cooking oil is basically purified fat that has been extracted from a plant. There are many types of cooking oils available in today's health-conscious society. Long gone are the days of frying your morning bacon with a lump of saturated animal fat. These days it's all about choosing the healthiest oil among the options, which include olive, canola, corn, sunflower, coconut, vegetable shortening and butter.
The ideal cooking oil should contain high levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats with almost no saturated or trans fats. Most cooking oils are not detrimental to your health, except for butter, palm oil and coconut oil, which contain high levels of trans fat or saturated fats. However, it is wise to use oil sparingly.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is one of the more popular healthy cooking oils, and for good reason: Olive oil has been proved to be good for your heart. In the Mediterranean, olive oil has been a cooking staple for generations, and the people of the Mediterranean have one of the lowest mortality rates linked to cardiovascular diseases. Olive oil contains the highest level of monounsaturated fat of any cooking oil. This type of fat is of great benefit to the cardiovascular system because it lowers LDL cholesterol--the bad kind--and increases HDL cholesterol--the good kind.
Canola Oil
Canola was first bred from rapeseed in the 1970s in Canada, and its oil is considered to be one of the healthiest for cooking. Canola oil is known for having the lowest level of saturated fat of any cooking oil; saturated fat can increase the levels of LDL cholesterol. On the other hand, canola oil is high in monounsaturated fat, which has the ability to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Canola oil also contains polyunsaturated fat, which has proved to be healthy for the skin.
Corn Oil
Corn is a cash crop that is used in the production of a wide variety of foods. Its oil is a good option for cooking because 60 percent of its fat content is made up of polyunsaturated fat, which helps lower LDL cholesterol.
Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is produced from sunflower seeds and contains more vitamin E than any other vegetable oil. Vitamin E functions as an antioxidant and helps decrease the risks of heart disease and cancer. This oil is recognized for its light taste and combination of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats with low levels of saturated fats. In addition, sunflower oil is known to keep food fresher and healthier longer; as a result, it is popular in the food industry in the production of snack foods such as chips.
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