This weeks topic will be on cooking oils/fats. I’d like to drill down the importance of oils/fats because they can literally turn your most nutritious meal into a disaster. Or the reverse, amplify your already healthy food to even greater level of fuel for the body with mouth watering tastes, more energy, and bulletproof cells.
Generally speaking, you can categorize oils and fats into saturated fats(good) or trans fats(bad). Contrary to popular belief, you may have heard that saturated fats can cause heart disease but it is quite the opposite…Unless it is trans fats. It is almost mandatory to include saturated fats in the diet for a better heart, increased immune system and a leaner body.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/27/saturated-fat-cholesterol.
The Good and the BadÂ
Good
Grass fed butter – kerrygold
Ghee
Coconut oil
Lard from humanely raised pigs only – I’ll save the oils from my bacon, pig shoulder, ground lamb, roasted duck, and other grass fed meats after I bake them and then refrigerate. Probably my favorite and the one I use most often. When your vegetables start tasting like bacon, you become a happier person.
Avocado oil
Duck / goose fat – great for roasts
Olive oil – although some of these may still be processed.
Bad
Canola oil
Processed butter
Margarine
Vegetable oil
Soybean oil
Safflower or sunflower oil
Corn oil
*Avoid oils in spray cans as they’re known to be processed.
These trans fats become distorted when cooked because they have a very weak structural balance. When the body ingest these distorted oils, our systems become distorted as well, particularly the nervous system and endocrine system (hormonal function). They also create clogged arteries and poor gut health leading to digestive problems. Another negative side effect that’s goes unnoticed is high inflammation leading to decreased blood flow and high blood pressure.
**most restaurants will use trans fats as there cooking oil because it’s very cheap and can be cooked at extremely high temperatures. You have the right to know what’s going in your body. Most restaurants carry healthy oils. Tell them you’d like your food to be cooked in those oils**