# What cooking oil people using for healthy meals, Virgin oil, coconut oil, sun flower??



## DavidDon (Oct 10, 2017)

Hi Guys, i wanted to make some healthy meals and i wanted to know what cooking oil people are using. If they are using Olive oil or Coconut oil or Sunflower oil etc. Thanks


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## anna1 (Mar 22, 2014)

DavidDon said:


> Hi Guys, i wanted to make some healthy meals and i wanted to know what cooking oil people are using. If they are using Olive oil or Coconut oil or Sunflower oil etc. Thanks


 I only use olive oil for cooking .

Well , I ' m greek and we have it in abundance . .. 

have never used coconut oil in food , only as a body moisturizer haha


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

You don't want to fry in extra virgin olive oil, but rather use a cheaper refined olive oil. The latter has a higher smoke point, and the potentially beneficial extra compounds in EVOO are destroyed by the heat so you're just wasting your money. Add EVOO to cold foods, or onto hot food after it has been cooked.

I currently fry in refined olive oil. Rapeseed oil is another good option that from a couple of things I've heard recently may actually be healthier but I need to look into it more.

This link will probably be of interest:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33675975


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

Rapeseed oil for cooking. EVOO as a dressing.


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## Tharayman (Apr 5, 2013)

Olive oil -virgin or not, does not tolerate heat very well!

Look into coconut oil or avocado oil. Those are among the top players when it comes to taking heat and not being degraded. They do not taste bad either


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Tharayman said:


> Olive oil -virgin or not, does not tolerate heat very well!


 My link above demonstrates this isn't actually true.


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## Tharayman (Apr 5, 2013)

So perhaps not as bad as we have been told. But still miles behind coconut oil that is pretty much 100% saturated?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Tharayman said:


> So perhaps not as bad as we have been told. But still miles behind coconut oil that is pretty much 100% saturated?


 No, because as discussed in the link both mono-unsaturated and saturated fats are fine, with just polyunsaturated fat being the issue.


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## Jakemaguire (Feb 17, 2016)

Olive oil, rapeseed oil, coconut oil and carnitno oil i cook with these and drink them apart from coconut. but do most cooking with olive oil. i also use walnut oil but only for drinking


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## Tharayman (Apr 5, 2013)

Ultrasonic said:


> No, because as discussed in the link both mono-unsaturated and saturated fats are fine, with just polyunsaturated fat being the issue.


 Yeah... And if you googled olive oil you would learn that it consists of approximately 11% PUFA`s... Quite a bit more than for example coconut oil, but about the same level as avocado oil.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Tharayman said:


> Yeah... And if you googled olive oil you would learn that it consists of approximately 11% PUFA`s... Quite a bit more than for example coconut oil, but about the same level as avocado oil.


 I knew that already, it's in my link...

I understand where you're coming from but it's nothing like 'miles better' in my book, and this is purely from the point of view of heat damage related health concerns. This needs to be balanced against concerns re. CHD and diabetes from saturated fat consumption, which is why personally I'll be sticking with olive oil or possibly rapeseed oil.


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## Denied (Sep 25, 2008)

@Ultrasonic what's your thoughts on nut oils, could never remember which olive oil to use, with all the cold pressed, extra virgin, etc so just pretty much stick with nut.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Denied said:


> @Ultrasonic what's your thoughts on nut oils, could never remember which olive oil to use, with all the cold pressed, extra virgin, etc so just pretty much stick with nut.


 I have to be honest, the last time I tried to properly get my head round what actually is healthiest when it comes to oils I ended up being faced with enough apparently contradictory info that I never really got to the bottom of it. So, I'm not sure. DTLV is probably a better bet here if you can tag him (I can't on my phone or I would).


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

@dtlv


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Sorry the following post is a little rambling. My laptop is dying and keeps freezing and I keep losing chunks of text that I've just typed. Is hard to edit it all together well.

Anyway, here's some crib notes on fats:

*Smoke Points*

When an oil hits its smoke point it basically becomes a health disaster, so you definitely don't want to ever cook with an oil that is smoking - unless you want to ingest free radicals and oxidized carcinogens by the bucket load.

Technically you can cook with any oil provided it doesn't ever reach it's smoke point, but some oils smoke much lower than others so probably aren't the best choice, especially for pan or deep frying which typically reaches about 375f / 185c.

With this in mind the best oil to fry with hands down avocado oil as it has the highest smoke point of any cooking oil at around 520f.

Other good oils are refined nut oils of all kinds, palm oil, refined high oleic acid sun flower oil and canola oil, all typically with smoke points over 400f.

EVOO is borderline for frying. High quality EVOO has a low acidity and a higher smoke point usually at around 410f if I recall which is ok. Low quality olive oil though will probably smoke a bit at a decent frying temperature.

Coconut oil is actually also borderline, having a smoking point between 360 and 380f, even though it's a popular frying oil. I've recommended and used it this way in the past but don't any more.

Bad choices for frying are flax, hemp seed and unrefined nut oils. Unrefined oils in general all have low smoke points and so, while many may be healthy and good to use cold, they aren't good choices to fry with.

Butter, vegetable shortening and lard also all smoke at higher-end normal frying temperatures so are questionable unless mixed with an oil with a higher smoking point or only used to fry slowly at low temps.

*Health Benefits of SAT, MONO and PUFAs*

In regards to the health benefits of oils/fats, high monounsaturated oils (EVOO, avocado) probably make for the best oils to add to foods to bulk out fat calories. Monounsaturated fats are not really associated with any negative effects on insulin sensitivity or blood lipids.

High saturated fats are slightly complicated, with a distinction between long chain and medium and short chain sat fats being important. Long chain sat fats are the ones that wreck your blood lipids and insulin sensitivity. Short and medium chain sat fats have less impact on lipids (although MCTs still actually do), and short chain sat fats in particular have beneficial effects on health with little negative. Long chain sat fats typically are meat fats, whereas short and medium chain fats are more common as sat fats from nuts and seeds and make up a portion of the total sat fats found in dairy.

Overall, sat fat is fine in moderation, and indeed needed for optimal synthesis of hormones, but most evidence suggests are not good for more than 10-15% of total calories, leading to unfavorable effects on lipids, heart disease and insulin sensitivity. There's a lot of stuff written where people try to disprove this, but the evidence overall is actually enormous, both in association and establish mode of action. You have to get extremely selective with data to make sat fats look like they are off the hook, especially long chain sat fats at high doses.

Polyunsaturated fats are also a little complicated, as the balance of omega 3 and omega 6 affects the health risk/benefit associated with the quantity. When omega 6 is excessive and omega 3 insufficient then there's a definite risk of inflammation at moderate and high intakes of PUFA, but when omega 3 and 6 are balanced (omega 6 no more than 3-5 times more than omega 3) then the risk disappears, even at higher doses, and PUFAs become beneficial in fact. Not cooking oils typically but fish oils of course have the best omega balance of all fats.

Peanuts, a popular source of fat for bulking with peanut butter, therefore actually aren't really a good choice as a healthy oil with their PUFA content being entirely omega 6, with a best only a tiny trace of omega 3 unless artificially added. A much better nut butter is walnut butter, with an omega 3/6 ratio of around 1/5.

With this in mind, considering the omega 3/6 balance is important for considering how healthy an oil is, and avoiding oils that have a huge percentage of omega 6 but little omega 3.

Finally of course always avoid transfats as much as possible. Arguably too you should avoid homogenated milk because homogenization (where they high pressure blast the milk to produce a uniform consistency of fat in the milk) causes fairly high levels of fat oxidation, and this is hard to process by the liver and has a bunch of negative health associations. Avoiding homogenized milk though is sometimes pretty hard to do.

With everything considered therefore I'd suggest the following oils as the main oils to use:

* In Higher Quantities, good for cooking:*

Avocado oil

*In Higher Quantities, not good for cooking:*

EVOO, flax seed oil

*In Moderate Quantities:*

Safflower oil, canola oil, walnut oil, mustard oil, soybean oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, high oleic acid sun flower oil, coconut oil, butter, fish oils.


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## Abc987 (Sep 26, 2013)

If you're looking to add cals then olive oil. If you want to reduce cals use fry light sprays


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Following on from dtlv's informative post, the following link gives figures for omega 6:3 ratios for various foods:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratio_of_fatty_acids_in_different_foods

Edit: one thing that surprised me is that sardines apparently contain more omega 6 than 3, but as @bish83 has now pointed out this is due to the fish being 'in oil' which is presumably the source of the omega 6.


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## IronJohnDoe (Oct 17, 2013)

anna1 said:


> I only use olive oil for cooking .
> 
> Well , I ' m greek and we have it in abundance . ..
> 
> have never used coconut oil in food , only as a body moisturizer haha


 Olive oil for me too. Specially now that I am visiting at home in Italy and my parents get it straight from the source in simple glass bottles with no labels.

The beauty of the country side.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

As this thread has been bumped I'll just mention that I came across the following fairly new report recently, although I haven't had chance to read it yet:

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2017/06/15/CIR.0000000000000510


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## anna1 (Mar 22, 2014)

If we are talking about health , why would you even fry anything ?

( although I love frying tiny cheese pies with honey and sesame on top  )

Its olive oil for me all the way but I dont think you guys in the UK ever get true virgin olive oil

x


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## StretchyBell (Nov 25, 2017)

I hope no one where is cooking with coconut oil. It's INCREDIBLE fatty and full of cholesterol.

I know for fact of the detrimental health impacts of it. I used to own a coconut farm in South Asia.


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## Bish83 (Nov 18, 2009)

Coconut oil, it keeps better than butter and goes well with a lot more food options than lard. Also has a higher smoking point than some of the "healthier" oils.

Definitely not adverse to other oils for certain dishes or a change in rice flavour etc.


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## Bish83 (Nov 18, 2009)

@Ultrasonic wouldn't it because the sardines were in a high omega 6 oil? Might be the fish diet, I'm just thinking out loud so to speak


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## unclezillion (Sep 17, 2017)

this may help you make informed decisions


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Bish83 said:


> @Ultrasonic wouldn't it because the sardines were in a high omega 6 oil?


 Yes - the figures are in the Wikipedia link I commented on. However I've actually seen conflicting information elsewhere now so I'm not sure what the true situation might be, or what might make it vary.


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## Jordan08 (Feb 17, 2014)

Tharayman said:


> Olive oil -virgin or not, does not tolerate heat very well!
> 
> Look into* coconut oil *or avocado oil. Those are among the top players when it comes to taking heat and not being degraded. They do not taste bad either


 Not true i believe.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Ultrasonic said:


> Yes - the figures are in the Wikipedia link I commented on. However I've actually seen conflicting information elsewhere now so I'm not sure what the true situation might be, or what might make it vary.


 Doh! I've just realised the Wikipedia data was for sardines 'in oil', which is presumably the source of the omega 6. Buying sardines in tomato sauce as I tend to would remove this potential issue  .

Edit: I realise now this is what you were referring to @bish83. I'd misunderstood your post initially. Thanks for clearing this up.


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

dtlv said:


> Sorry the following post is a little rambling. My laptop is dying and keeps freezing and I keep losing chunks of text that I've just typed. Is hard to edit it all together well.
> 
> Anyway, here's some crib notes on fats:
> 
> ...


 What oil would you recommend to add to food after its cooked as a dressing or even add to a shake


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Jonk891 said:


> What oil would you recommend to add to food after its cooked as a dressing or even add to a shake


 EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) usually - you can buy so many levels of flavor and products infused with other tastes. Hemp seed oil is good if you like a nutty kind of taste and want extra Omega 3's, as is Flax if you prefer a milder taste. Walnut oil also good.

In truth though if all you are adding is a little drizzle you can use anything you like the taste of - if there's going to be a health issue related to fatty acid type it's only going to come if you massively rely on one type of fat in large quantities.


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

dtlv said:


> EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) usually - you can buy so many levels of flavor and products infused with other tastes. Hemp seed oil is good if you like a nutty kind of taste and want extra Omega 3's, as is Flax if you prefer a milder taste. Walnut oil also good.
> 
> In truth though if all you are adding is a little drizzle you can use anything you like the taste of - if there's going to be a health issue related to fatty acid type it's only going to come if you massively rely on one type of fat in large quantities.


 I was looking for one to consume for health benefits such as EVOO for the benefits it's supposed to have on lowering bad cholesterol


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Jonk891 said:


> I was looking for one to consume for health benefits such as EVOO for the benefits it's supposed to have on lowering bad cholesterol


 Do have a reading for high LDL?

Replacing SAT fat with monounsaturated fats and/or PUFAs (with decent omega 3/6 ratio) can help (making EVOO a great choice) but it does depend upon why you have elevated LDL. If it's due to previously high SAT fat intake and excess body fat/long term calorie excess then such a switch will likely help, but if the issue is genetic as it is for about 30% of the population then the best solution in addition to achieving and maintaining a healthy body composition is to switch to a low fat diet altogether.


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## Jordan08 (Feb 17, 2014)

dtlv said:


> Do have a reading for high LDL?
> 
> Replacing SAT fat with monounsaturated fats and/or PUFAs (with decent omega 3/6 ratio) can help (making EVOO a great choice) but it does depend upon why you have elevated LDL. If it's due to previously high SAT fat intake and excess body fat/long term calorie excess then such a switch will likely help, but if the issue is genetic as it is for about 30% of the population then the best solution in addition to achieving and maintaining a healthy body composition is to switch to a low fat diet altogether.


 How do you rate mustard oil for cooking?


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

dtlv said:


> Do have a reading for high LDL?
> 
> Replacing SAT fat with monounsaturated fats and/or PUFAs (with decent omega 3/6 ratio) can help (making EVOO a great choice) but it does depend upon why you have elevated LDL. If it's due to previously high SAT fat intake and excess body fat/long term calorie excess then such a switch will likely help, but if the issue is genetic as it is for about 30% of the population then the best solution in addition to achieving and maintaining a healthy body composition is to switch to a low fat diet altogether.


 They are within range but at the higher end of normal. I take 2g of omega 3 daily but was thinking of adding a 1-2 table spoons od EVOO to my shake along with cardio to see if if drops it down


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Jatin Bhatia said:


> How do you rate mustard oil for cooking?


 It's a relatively low SAT fat oil, and has an association with lowering LDL . It also has some antibacterial and antimicrobial properties similarly to coconut oil which make it good for use on skin. There is some question about antimicrobial fats having the potential to cause damage to the healthy bacteria of the stomach, but that's not properly researched yet. Hopefully there'll be asome decent enough data to provide an answer to that question in the not too distant future.

No idea about it's smoking point or suitability for cooking, would have to google that.

One thing I do know though is that it contains a particular MUFA (erucic acid) that has some links with heart damage in animal studies and, for that reason, it's actually banned here in the US as a food additive or for sale in food stores, although you can still get it in some specialty Asian food stores anyway.

IMO though the ban is a little silly as there has never been a single recorded case of mustard oil causing heart damage in humans, and the animal studies used extremely high doses not of the oil itself but erucic acid, the offending MUFA.

I think it's probably fine in moderation to be honest.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Jonk891 said:


> They are within range but at the higher end of normal. I take 2g of omega 3 daily but was thinking of adding a 1-2 table spoons od EVOO to my shake along with cardio to see if if drops it down


 That might help but also simultaneously try to keep animal fats lower - best use of the EVOO is to replace animal fats (if they are high) rather than in addition (with the exception of swapping it for oily fish, which you definitely want to keep in diet if you consume any).


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

dtlv said:


> That might help but also simultaneously try to keep animal fats lower - best use of the EVOO is to replace animal fats (if they are high) rather than in addition (with the exception of swapping it for oily fish, which you definitely want to keep in diet if you consume any).


 I eat oily fish at leat 3 times a week plus the omega 3 caps. My animal fat is kind of high 400-600g of chicken daily red meat 2x a week sometimes 3


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Jonk891 said:


> They are within range but at the higher end of normal. I take 2g of omega 3 daily but was thinking of adding a 1-2 table spoons od EVOO to my shake along with cardio to see if if drops it down


 Have you considered adding ground flax seeds (not flax oil) to your shakes instead? There is some evidence for the addition of ground flax having health benefits (most strikingly on BP but not just this), whereas as dtlv has said with oils/fats in general it's more a question of substitution than addition. Ground flax (linseed is actually the UK name) also gives a thicker consistency to shakes that you might like.

There are a number of videos on flax on the the following YouTube channel but here is one:


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> Have you considered adding ground flax seeds (not flax oil) to your shakes instead? There is some evidence for the addition of ground flax having health benefits (most strikingly on BP but not just this), whereas as dtlv has said with oils/fats in general it's more a question of substitution than addition. Ground flax (linseed is actually the UK name) also gives a thicker consistency to shakes that you might like.
> 
> There are a number of videos on flax on the the following YouTube channel but here is one:


 I've always avoided flax, im sure I read studies years ago that it can have a negative effect on the prostate. I may be wrong but something put me off using it


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Jonk891 said:


> I've always avoided flax, im sure I read studies years ago that it can have a negative effect on the prostate. I may be wrong but something put me off using it


 The only things I've seen relating to the prostate have been positive, specifically in terms of being better with regards to prostate cancer. I'll let you do a spot of Googling if you're interested...

(I have 10g of ground flax per day in my morning porridge.)


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

For info. here is one summary re. prostate cancer (although I haven't spent time checking the references):

https://www.oncologynutrition.org/erfc/healthy-nutrition-now/flaxseed-prostate-cancer-risk/

A related concern that sometimes comes up is a possible negative affect of phytoestrogens on testosterone levels but I believe the general consensus now is that this isn't a concern:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19524224


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> For info. here is one summary re. prostate cancer (although I haven't spent time checking the references):
> 
> https://www.oncologynutrition.org/erfc/healthy-nutrition-now/flaxseed-prostate-cancer-risk/
> 
> ...


 There's a lot of article's on daily use decreasing testosterone levels


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Jonk891 said:


> There's a lot of article's on daily use decreasing testosterone levels


 See my last link above.

Edit: although I suppose if it's a lignan related effect perhaps my link doesn't totally put flax in the clear... It is possible a positive effect for people with prostate cancer could come from a reduction in testosterone after all. I should maybe spend a bit more time looking at this properly at some point...


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Jonk891 said:


> There's a lot of article's on daily use decreasing testosterone levels


 I assume you're natty BTW? If not you have nothing to worry about of course.


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> I assume you're natty BTW? If not you have nothing to worry about of course.


 I do use but only once a year sometimes ill get two in


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> See my last link above.
> 
> Edit: although I suppose if it's a lignan related effect perhaps my link doesn't totally put flax in the clear... It is possible a positive effect for people with prostate cancer could come from a reduction in testosterone after all. I should maybe spend a bit more time looking at this properly at some point...


 Ill have to have a good read myself. Sounds like they would be beneficial to those who blast and cruise


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## 5IM0N (Dec 8, 2017)

Ultrasonic said:


> Yes - the figures are in the Wikipedia link I commented on. However I've actually seen conflicting information elsewhere now so I'm not sure what the true situation might be, or what might make it vary.


 I stopped using sunflower oil for cooking, but I started using lard. Yes I know the argument about lard. But it has a lot of things going for it: it's high in monounsaturated fat other than that avocado and coconut oil.

most of the official advice on fat (such as they given by NHS) is based on outdated research going back decades that fat raises cholesterol and causes heart attacks, weight gain, etc. I personally believe that low fat foods are contributing to the obesity crisis rather than helping to reduce it


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## 5IM0N (Dec 8, 2017)

dtlv said:


> It's a relatively low SAT fat oil, and has an association with lowering LDL . It also has some antibacterial and antimicrobial properties similarly to coconut oil which make it good for use on skin. There is some question about antimicrobial fats having the potential to cause damage to the healthy bacteria of the stomach, but that's not properly researched yet. Hopefully there'll be asome decent enough data to provide an answer to that question in the not too distant future.
> 
> No idea about it's smoking point or suitability for cooking, would have to google that.
> 
> ...


 Being banned in the USA isn't a good indicator though since most of what passes for "food" in the USA is banned here in the UK and EU. (Chlorinated chicken, use of antibiotics in meat production)


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## Darkslider (Jul 19, 2016)

What are people's views on sesame seed oil? I've got a bottle in the cupboard I bought after reading on here it contains lecithin perhaps? Don't cook in it much though as it's very calorific compared to fry light or similar and I'm almost always cutting these days.


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

@dtlv

I didn't realise how cheap avocado oil was. Would it be more beneficial to use it in my protein shakes for the cholesterol reducing benefits instead of extra virgin olive oil


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## AnnaLis (Dec 11, 2017)

If you're looking to add cals then olive oil. If you want to reduce cals use fry light sprays


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## Jonk891 (Dec 17, 2016)

AnnaLis said:


> If you're looking to add cals then olive oil. If you want to reduce cals use fry light sprays


 Im looking more for the health benefits of monounsaturated fats


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

5IM0N said:


> Being banned in the USA isn't a good indicator though since most of what passes for "food" in the USA is banned here in the UK and EU. (Chlorinated chicken, use of antibiotics in meat production)


 Agreed. What's curious though is that the EU operates on a 'precautionary system' for restricting or banning food additives or ingredients - basically if there's some controversy about an ingredient and health then they ban as a precaution and then put the emphasis on manufacturers to demonstrate safety before lifting the ban. The US has the opposite policy of not banning until clear medical issues are consistently demonstrated that indicate a need to withdraw the ingredient or ban the process.

Curiously in this case the US seem to have gone precautionary, even in the face of really weak evidence. Is kind of odd.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Jonk891 said:


> @dtlv
> 
> I didn't realise how cheap avocado oil was. Would it be more beneficial to use it in my protein shakes for the cholesterol reducing benefits instead of extra virgin olive oil


 Avocado oil and EVOO show almost exactly the same LDL lowering effects, but olive oil also increases HDL somewhat while Avocado Oil shows no meaningful effect. This would generally make EVOO a better choice but still leaves Avocado Oil as a good option for improving lipid profiles. The best choice therefore depends on whether HDL is too low as well as LDL too high or if HDL levels are decent and it's just that LDL needs to lower.


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