Cooking For a Healthy Lifestyle

Many people are trying to reduce their intake of fats and oils. Advertisements for cholesterol-lowering drugs, low-fat and fat-free products are everywhere you look. But did you know that you can cook healthfully with oils? Now we can buy a wide range of once uncommon plant and nut oils that add texture, flavor, and nutrition to the foods we already cook. By choosing fats and cooking oils, like palm oil, that help our diet, we don’t have to choose between good taste and good health!

Choosing Good Fats

Although we sometimes say we are following a “low-fat” or a “reduced-fat” diet, it’s important to remember that not all fats are the same. Not all fats are even bad for you. There are three main categories of fats: saturated fats, trans fats, and unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats are the ones we most often think about when trying to avoid a fatty diet. They are found in animal products like dairy products and meat. If a fat is saturated, it will be solid at room temperature – even the butterfat in milk. Saturated fats should be eaten sparingly, especially since animal products contain cholesterol.

Trans fats are not naturally occurring fats; all trans fats start as unsaturated fats and are processed to create trans fats. These fats are also solid at room temperature. Vegetable shortening is a trans fat in which many foods are fried. Trans fats should be eaten very sparingly, if at all. Many manufacturers are phasing trans fats out of their processed foods.

Unsaturated fats are described as either mono-unsaturated (like the fats in nuts, avocados, and canola oil) or poly-unsaturated (like the fats in salmon and sunflower seeds). These fats are liquid at room temperature. Most cooking oils, like corn oil, peanut oil, and sesame oil, are unsaturated fats.

Choosing unsaturated fats instead of saturated and trans fats is an easy way to make a healthy choice that may even help lower your cholesterol.

Cholesterol: LDL, HDL, and Diet

Cholesterol is not the same as fat. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that can resemble fat, but it functions very differently. Some cholesterol is produced by your liver, and this is the same cholesterol that is naturally present in all animal products. Your body needs cholesterol to perform its daily functions, and your muscles need cholesterol to maintain their flexibility. But not all cholesterol is the same.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol, is commonly known as the “bad” cholesterol. If you have too much LDL cholesterol in your blood, it can lead to heart disease and atherosclerosis. Adding more fiber to your diet by choosing whole-grain products, eating beans and other legumes, and avoiding saturated and trans fats (like butter, lard, and shortening) are all good ways to lower your LDL cholesterol.

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, may actually protect against heart disease. HDL cholesterol is found in foods like fish, beans, onions, apples, and grapes — but it is also found in foods you might have stayed away from due to their high fat content, like peanuts and avocados! Many cooking oils are actually high in HDL cholesterol and may be beneficial to your health: palm oil, olive oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, and canola oil are all good choices.

The most common oils in the supermarket, sold as “vegetable oil” or “cooking oil,” are canola, safflower, and soybean and blends of these oils. These oils have a universal flavor that works well for cooking and baking most foods. But a wide range of cooking oils that have flavors of their own are gaining in popularity. Olive oil can impart a delicate flavor to vegetables and to savory baked goods. Peanut oil’s high smoking point and robust taste are good for frying meats. Palm oil lends itself well to Chinese cooking, and you only need a few drops to season your dish perfectly.

Eating well doesn’t mean you have to give up flavor. Using more flavor-rich oils and high-HDL foods can help you make every healthy meal a delicious one.