Without any doubt, Extra virgin olive oil is one of the healthiest cooking oils available. It is made simply by crushing olives and extracting the juice. It is the only cooking oil that is made without the use of chemicals and industrial refining.
People who regularly eat extra-virgin olive oil in place of saturated fats have a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke—and lower cholesterol. That’s why it wins our healthiest oil battle.
While we think it’s the best, it’s not the best for high-heat cooking because of its lower smoke point. For high-heat cooking, a refined version of olive oil known as pure olive oil is also available in the market. It retains most of the benefits of extra virgin olive oil.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fat Breakout:
78% monounsaturated fats
8% polyunsaturated fats
14% saturated fats
Another healthy option is Canola oil, which is extracted from the crushed seeds of the canola plant. Canola has the smallest amount of saturated fat and the most heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any of the common cooking oils. It’s also a good source of vitamins E & K. With a high smoke point, light texture, and neutral flavor, it’s an excellent choice for sautéing, baking, and frying.
A couple of points to consider while buying canola oil is that the oil should be coldly compressed as hot compression may destroy its omega 3 content. And hexane, which is a toxic chemical should not have been used during the oil extraction process. Selecting an organic variant of canola oil would be your best bet.
Canola Oil Fat Breakout:
62% monounsaturated fats
31% polyunsaturated fats
7% saturated fats
Final word:
Apart from these two, other oils that come with the tag “healthy” are coconut oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, etc. and can be used for cooking.
The dietary reference intake (DRI) for fat in adults is 20% to 35% of total calories from fat. Fats add flavor to food, so select your cooking oil wisely, keep your daily intake with the recommended DRI and enjoy your fats.