Let’s talk oils!! This is one area where a few easy swaps can make a HUGE difference in your health.
There is so much misinformation on this topic. “Butter or margarine?” “Is coconut oil good or bad?”
Well I am here to set it straight! To start off, did you know that most cooking oils go through an insane amount of processing with chemical solvents, beach, de-waxers, and more, before they end up on store shelves. If you watch this video on how canola oil is made, you will see exactly what I mean.
You may have noticed in that video they use a “solvent” to extract the oil. What they don’t tell you, is that the solvent used is frequently hexane, a neurotoxin. According to Vani Hari (well known as the Food Babe),
“Hexane is a cheap byproduct from gasoline production, that’s a serious occupational hazard and toxic air pollutant. It’s been shown that some hexane residue can remain in the oil, and the FDA doesn’t require food manufacturers to test for residues. Residue tests done by the Cornucopia Institute in 2009 found hexane residues in soybean oil.”
Here is a more in-depth list on oils I recommend avoiding.
CANOLA OIL
- Despite being marketed as “heart healthy” it is highly processed
more susceptible to oxidation - Sprayed heavily with Glyphosate, a known carcinogen
- Almost all canola crop in North America are a GMO (engineered to be resistant to herbicides)
Also, According to the Weston A. Price Foundation:
“Like all modern vegetable oils, canola oil goes through the process of caustic refining, bleaching and degumming–all of which involve high temperatures or chemicals of questionable safety. And because canola oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which easily become rancid and foul-smelling when subjected to oxygen and high temperatures, it must be deodorized. The standard deodorization process removes a large portion of the omega-3 fatty acids by turning them into trans fatty acids…research at the University of Florida at Gainesville, found trans levels as high as 4.6 percent in commercial liquid oil… they are not listed on the label”.
VEGETABLE OIL
- Sounds healthy doesn’t it? This is typically a blend of several different types of oils that have been highly processed + refined, which negates any of the potential vegetable oil benefits
- Despite being marketed as “heart healthy” it is highly processed more susceptible to oxidation
- Sprayed heavily with Glyphosate, a known carcinogen.
- High in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids + low in omega-3 fatty acids
- Frequently a GMO
corn oil
- Highly refined + hexane extracted
- High in omega-6 fatty acids that are unstable when exposed to heat
- Frequently a GMO
soybean oil
- In most products labeled as “Vegetable Oil”
- 94% of U.S. soybean crop is genetically modified
- High in omega-6 fatty acids
The Only Cooking Oils In My Kitchen
for high heat
- coconut oil
- avocado oil
- extra-virgin sesame oil
- grass-fed butter
- ghee (clarified butter)
for raw use or very low cooking temperatures
- extra-virgin olive oil
- hemp oil
- walnut oil
- flaxseed oil
What to Look for When Buying Oil
- organic (automatically meals non-GMO)
- cold-pressed
- dark glass bottle (oils leech the plastic + can oxidize if exposed to light)
- extra virgin (this means it was the from the first press + was exposed to the least amount of heat + pressure)
What questions do you have on this topic?! If you know anyone still using canola, soy, or corn oils, please share this post with them! Let’s spread the word on the healthier options available.
Rossella's Farmacy 