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To Cook or Not To Cook?

Our last article covered why regular vegetable and cooking oils were dangerous to human health. Many people do not realize that the biggest reason for this is that they are cooked at high heat. Most nuts, seeds, and grains used to produce cooking oils have been exposed to harsh chemical solvents and high heat processing. By the time the oils are done being heated and purified of their natural phytochemicals (the healthy chemicals found in the foods which give them their distinctive smell, ie. olive oil.) they are left in a rancid state.

To combat the smell of the rancidity, cooking oil companies add deodorizers and metals to the oils to make them more pleasant to the consumer. These amber colored oils are stripped of their natural plant enzymes, killed at high heat, and then toxic solvents and metals are added to make them pleasant to consumers. In their raw state, plant oils smell like the foods they come from and each have a distinct color and texture.

The naturally occurring phytochemicals and enzymes they contain in their raw state are essential. Our bodies use these compounds to utilize the oils for food, fuel and repair. In the process of removing them, cooking oil companies use hexane, chlorine, lead, and other heavy metals to produce a commercially pleasing product which will sit on store shelves for weeks or years before it actually smells rancid.

What Not to Cook With

You may wonder, then, if we are to avoid all cooking oils on supermarket shelves, then what can we use to cook with? Let's start answering that by addressing what not to cook with. First, check the label, if it does not say "use for high heat cooking" or "heat stable" do not use it to cook with. Oils and fatty acids not to be used in cooking include hemp oil, omega-3 oils, fish oil, and any oil which the label says to store it in the refrigerator. Olive oil, almond oil, avocado oil, and other nut oils should be consumed raw or added at the end of cooking to keep them from turning rancid from heat exposure.

The reason we do not want to heat these oils is that, once heated they become rancid. They become no better for our health than cheap vegetable shortening. Indications of rancidity includes smelling rancid, and also changing color from their natural (usually green) color to amber or clear, or getting hot enough to smoke or change color in the pan.

What to Cook With

There are a few oils we can still cook with. After all, oil and fat in food make it delicious and satisfying. And we all know that satisfying food will fill us up and cause us to eat less.

Butter; while butter has gotten a bad rap, it's not as bad as once thought. People around the world make butter from animal milk and cream. In some parts of the world, such as Sudan, the dessert, and a few tribes in Africa, butter is a staple part of the diet. Camel butter is stored for long distance travel for high energy. Cow butter is often used as the main dietary fat at meal times. Pure organic butter without added ingredients is the only choice. Dangerous hormones and antibiotics lurk in non-organic butter. Butter produced from grass and range fed cattle is actually very high in omega-3 fatty acids. Although it is expensive, it is still heat stable. Butter is good for baking, and medium to low-heat applications.

Palm oil, actually a shortening, non-hydrogenated palm oil is high heat stable and can actually be used for deep frying, pan frying, and many other applications. It is a medium chain fatty acid, which means it causes the body to increase its metabolism and helps the thyroid function optimally. If you're on a diet, medium chain fatty acids are your food of choice.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is non-refined which means it contains many of the vital nutrients you need in your diet. It, too, is a medium chain fatty acid. In its refined state it gets a sour, rancid flavor, unrefined and uncooked, it has a mild coconut flavor and is creamy. In addition to medium and low heat cooking (never let it smoke), it is beneficial to the skin and acts as a sunscreen when applied topically. It is the anti-aging secret of the tropics for both the inside and outside, and since it is a medium chain fatty acid, it boosts the metabolism and helps normalize blood sugar levels.

Animal fat, save the oil when you cook meats and store it up, the oil in meat does not get rancid quickly and is preferable to shortening and store-bought deodorized lard. While not the best oil or fat to consume, it's still healthier than refined vegetable oils. Go easy on it. Store it in the fridge for up to a week and use to stir-fry veggies or to give soups a satisfying flavor.

Other unrefined low-heat cooking oils: Macadamia-nut, Sunflower, Safflower, Hazelnut, Sesame

Unrefined oils that should never be heated: Pumpkinseed, Walnut, Flax are just a few.

Fats and oils are essential to good health. Just remember to avoid refined cooking oils and shortenings since these rancid oils can cause serious health problems. As with all foods, consume everything in moderation. Fats and oils contain high calories, a little bit of fat or oil goes a long way in the diet. Unlike carbohydrates, however, the body cannot store dietary fats or oils. When consumed the body must use them right away as fuel and for repairs. A large part of the fat in our diets actually acts as antioxidant and scavenges for free radicals, toxins, and binds with bad cholesterol and plague to help flush it out of the body.

Carbohydrates, on the other hand, must be turned into body fat or sugar before they become a usable fuel source in the body. Therefore, consuming sugar and carbohydrates actually makes people fatter and they must be consumed in moderation. Fuel your diet, weight loss, and good health with essential fatty acids.