The Cooking Oil Guide

When it comes to throwing that fillet on the skillet, or frying up the tastiest stir fry this side of the moon, you're going to be using a little bit of oil in that hot, hot pan of yours.  I'm here today to tell you that not all oils are created equal, and while sure, any one of them might give you a nice browned fish or seared chicken, some might actually detract from the health factor that's inherently in the foods you're choosing.  Let's make sure you make the right choice when it comes to choosing an oil, OK?

In terms of your choices, they're actually quite varied.  Oils tend to be very high in calories due to their dense fat content, so as far as calories go, you definitely want to get the most bang for your buck.  So let's get started, and see which cooking oil might best suit your next meal:

Canola Oil:  When it comes to cooking in oil, you'd do well to avoid canola oil, despite it being cheap.  While it is very rich in polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids, it's an EXTREMELY processed oil that's formed through intense chemical processes.  It's basically an industrial product, and was actually initially intended for usage as a machine lubricant.  As you probably know by now, processed foods can do some serious harm to your body, and while I don't believe canola oil will destroy you single handedly, there are definitely quite a few healthier choices out there.

"Generic" Vegetable Oil (Soybean Oil):  Generic "vegetable oil" is kind of hard to define as one specific oil, but for the most part it's considered refined soybean oil.  When I say refined, that means, you guessed it, it's processed.  In fact, most generic vegetable oil is along the same lines as processed canola oil, in that the polyunsaturated fats it contains are in general too processed and "rancid" to actually be healthy for you.  They're not along the same lines as healthy polyunsaturated fats that come out of nuts, seeds, fish, and other similar foods.  Is vegetable oil unhealthy?  Not disgustingly so, but like I said for canola oil, there are better options out there.

Olive Oil:  Ah, here we go, the original "healthy" oil.  Olive oil is extremely good for you, in that it contains unprocessed, natural, healthful monounsaturated fats, and tons of antioxidants and polyphenols to boot.  Olive oil is great to fry in, especially extra virgin olive oil.  It has a remarkably delicious flavor that can be a fantastic addition to many dishes, and in my personal opinion is one of the best tasting oils out there.  The only downside to olive oil is that it has a relatively low smoke point, and therefore will burn in a pan over 350 F. With extra virgin olive oil, you can avoid this problem somewhat because it has a smoke point of a little over 400 F.

Sunflower Oil:  If you haven't tried sunflower oil before, I would definitely suggest doing so.  It's extremely good for you, very tasty, and very easy to cook with.  It's very high in vitamin E, and contains huge amounts of mono and polyunsaturated fats that are unprocessed (and therefore healthy for your body.)  There are three varieties of sunflower oil, high oleic acid, linoleic acid, and NuSun.  Depending on which type you get, you'll get different amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid ratios, but in general you can't go wrong with any of them.  If you have to choose though, go with the NuSun variety, as it is the least likely to form harmful trans fats when heated.

Peanut Oil:  This is a tasty oil if you enjoy nuts.  I love the taste of peanuts, and therefore a little nuttiness in my food is most welcome.  Peanut oil is another natural, healthy alternative to processed oils, and is very high in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated, omega-6 fatty acids.  It also has a very high smoke point which means it can be used in recipes requiring high heat.  For the most part, peanut oil is also cheaper than olive oil, so it's a more economic choice for the average health oriented person.  It will impart a little of the nutty flavor into the foods you're cooking, but in my opinion it's quite an enjoyable flavor.

Macadamia Nut Oil:  This is a very interesting cooking oil, and in some ways a very "exotic" option for frying your food.  It's an extremely healthy natural oil, with not only huge benefits from monounsaturated fats (like almost every oil here), but also from containing large amounts of antioxidants such as squaline.  It also contains high amounts of vitamin E, a necessary addition to any healthy diet.  It can also help lower cholesterol due to its healthy fat profile (well, so can almost every oil mentioned, but I had to say it somewhere, right?)

Coconut Oil:  This oil is a little bit different from all the rest, in that it DOESN'T contain many unsaturated fats, and in fact is comprised of almost 90% saturated fats.  Don't worry though, this doesn't mean the oil is unhealthy.  In fact, coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils out there.  It has a high composition of lauric acid, a powerful antioxidant that is also very heart healthy and supports your immune system.  Coconut oil, despite being high in saturated fat, can also help to LOWER bad cholesterol.  It's also quite tasty and can add an exotic flair to any stir fry.  Coconut oil is blatant proof that not all saturated fats are bad, and that they don't deserve the devilish reputation they've been given.

Hopefully that list gave you a little bit better idea of what exactly to look for when buying oil.  In all honesty, it's hard to go wrong when choosing a cooking oil, so don't stress.  Even canola oil, while processed, won't degrade your health, you just won't be getting some of the fantastic nutritional benefits available in other, more natural cooking oils.  Switch it up a little bit, try a new oil every time you get a chance, I guarantee they can really make your meals quite interesting, flavorful, and add a whole new layer of health benefits.

Keep that pan oiled, and those veggies sizzling.  Good Luck!

Don't Destroy your Salad

I love salads.  All my friends will vouch for me on that one.  There's nothing like finishing up a delicious entree then finishing off the meal with some greens.  I bet many of you will agree that salads are delicious.  And they're healthy too, right?  I mean all those vegetables in one place, it's like the holy grail of bodily nutrients.  But hold on.  I'm here to tell you that your salad might not be as healthy as you think.  You may be accidentally creating a meal that's got a lot of unseen unhealthy elements to it.  Here's a few tips to make sure that your salad is liberated and can do your body the good it deserves.

No Dressing:  Ah!  Madness!  No dressing on a salad?  That doesn't sound too good, does it?  Hold on a minute.  I eat my salads plain every single day, and I can promise you not one of them is ever dry, bland, or distasteful in any way, shape or form.  What's my secret?  I use very juicy vegetables!  Every one of my salads is piled high with juicy yellow peppers, red beans and chickpeas, cucumbers, and my favorite, tomatoes.  Mix those around a little bit and your salad will take on a natural dressing that is actually quite tasty.  And once you pop a bite into your mouth and crunch into a fresh and juicy grape tomato, you'd never know there was no dressing.  I suggest you guys give it a try!

But why do I prefer not to dress my salad?  Well I'll tell you a little something.  That pile of ranch on top of your salad probably has at least twice the calories as the actual salad itself, along with a lot of artificial ingredients, sugars, saturated fats, and things of the like.  In my opinion it's a LOT of calories you don't need.  In fact only two tablespoons of traditional ranch has about 150 calories, and I see lots of people put on two to three times that amount.  That's just ridiculous.  The natural flavors of the vegetables are masked, and any sort of nutrient benefit from the salad is being overshadowed by the shear caloric weight of the ranch.  This goes with all sorts of dressings, just read the nutrition labels.  Thousand Island, italian, you name it, a lot of it will most likely be more than you bargained for.

But don't despair you dressing addicts.  Salad dressing is not inherently bad, and there are a lot of very healthy alternatives.  Let's discuss a few, and how they can make your salad absolutely delicious without adding many calories or other undesirables.

Salsa:  Yes, that spicy, chunky, juicy, delicious tomato paste with peppers and beans.  Salsa is VERY low in calories (10-20 calories for two tablespoons) and VERY flavorful.  It can add a lot of character to any salad, and there are hundreds of varieties to choose from.  In fact you can usually have your salad as spicy or sweet as you like with salsa.  It's a great alternative that I highly suggest.  Just watch out for the sodium, it tends to be pretty high in salsa, but 1-2 servings won't kill you.

Mustard:  Same deal here, high amounts of flavor for low caloric density.  Dijon and yellow mustard both can really give those greens a big kick, and will only add a few extra calories to the dish.  It's all about amount of flavor for very little cost.  Try it out!

Healthy oils:  There's been studies that have proven that many nutrients in salad are FAT SOLUABLE.  So you can kiss those low fat, high fructose corn syrup dressings goodbye.  In fact low fat dressings can actually be worse for you than their traditional counterparts.  But if you want great flavor and a lot of healthy, unsaturated fats to fully absorb nutrients from your bowl of veggies, I suggest either olive oil, or balsamic vinaigrette.  Both are delcious and high in healthy fats which will do nothing but good for your body.  Don't go overboard on the olive oil though, it's still high in caloric density, so measure out your portions.

Meats:  I love me some salmon.  And chicken.  And shrimp.  And anything of the like.  And what an amazing way to make your salad more enjoyable!  Stick some lean protein in there, make sure it's fresh and moist, and I guarantee you will NOT miss dressing for one second.  That is if you decide to have it plain.  I would also suggest trying any of the above dressing styles with meat, especially if you're looking to get some more protein in your diet.  Again though, don't go overboard, and make sure that the meat is lean, fresh, and juicy.  My all time favorite is a salmon salad, though shrimp and chicken are close seconds.

Portioned Traditional Dressing:  Like I said before, the salad dressings you're used to aren't inherently bad!  The shear amount of them is sometimes what kills you.  If you want that ranch, go for it!  Absolutely!  But take the time to measure out the serving size.  Heck, try half the serving size, and see if you can get by on it.  Sometimes if you just take a little more time to appreciate the flavors of the food, you'll realize you didn't need so much dressing to begin with.

It's up to you, but I'd suggest experimenting.  Try it plain, like me, and load it up with some juicy veggies.  Then try some salsa, see if you like the kick.  Then try the mustard, then some healthy oil.  The same old thing gets boring anyway, right?

Dress lightly, love those greens, and good luck!