I often get asked which oil is best to use in cooking and frying. Most people are turning to olive oil as the preferred vegetable oil, however, it is NOT suitable for cooking. Olive oil is not stable at high temperatures and actually becomes quite oxidative. If you must fry your food – either deep or shallow in a pan – the best oil is coconut oil. It is extremely stable and, being a saturated fat, can be used by the body. There are many health benefits of coconut oil including:
- Promoting heart health
- Promoting weight loss, when needed
- Supporting your immune system health
- Supporting a healthy metabolism
- Providing you with an immediate energy source
- Keeping your skin healthy and youthful looking
- Supporting the proper functioning of your thyroid gland
Part of what makes coconut oil such a healthful oil for cooking is that 50 percent of the fat content in coconut oil is a fat rarely found in nature called lauric acid. This is also one of the features that distinguishes coconut oil from other saturated fats.
Your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which has potent anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoa properties.
In addition, coconut oil is about 2/3 medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. These types of fatty acids also produce a host of health benefits.
Best of all, coconut oil is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage, which you cannot say for other oils. In fact, it’s so stable you can even use if for frying (although I don’t recommend frying your food for a number of health reasons).
If you would like to read more about oils and fats, please go to Dr Mercola’s site.