Both of these fats have health risks. Some guidelines for healthier cooking: Use olive or canola oil instead of butter or margarine. Choose soft margarine (tub or liquid) over harder stick forms.
The healthiest oils are those that are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as vegetable oil and olive oil. These types of fats can help lower your risk of heart disease when used instead of saturated fats.
Butter contains 11g fat per tablespoon, 7g of which are saturated fats. Remember, the recommended daily upper limit in an 8700kJ day is just 24g saturated fat. Canola oil contains more fat, but only 1g saturated fat per tablespoon. Instead, canola oil has mainly monounsaturated fats which are good for heart health.
Olive oil is best used when you're looking to eat healthier. Olive oil has significantly less saturated fat than butter.
Butter works better for baking or making pastries. While olive oil is ideal for cooking, frying or marinade. Both can be consumed as is. The burn point for olive oil is about 219 degree Celsius, while butter burns at about 150 degree.
Heart-healthy oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, and sunflower oils contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Sunflower and canola oil are some the best choices for sautéing and stir-frying. They contain heart-healthy fats, have a mild flavour and are not expensive. Other good choices for high-heat cooking include light olive oil, sesame oil and rice bran oil. Use spray oils as much as possible to limit adding extra calories.
Choose plant-based oils rich in unsaturated fat.
The heart association suggests the following cooking oils, which meet its health standards: canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean and sunflower, as well as specialty oils like avocado, grape-seed and sesame.
Olive oil and avocado oil are good choices for deep frying. Peanut and palm oils are less suitable, either for health or environmental reasons.
“Fish and chips need to be cooked in an oil with an animal fat base,” said Susman. “Frytol is the number one brand. If you want to use a vegetable oil for health reasons then you might as well go and eat a poke bowl.”
Monounsaturated Fats
According to MayoClinic.com, consuming MUFAs improves your blood cholesterol levels, reduces your risk of heart disease and may help stabilize blood sugar levels. Foods high in monounsaturated fats include olive, canola, sunflower and sesame oils, avocados, pecans, almonds, salmon and herring.
7. Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.
It's also important to consider the saturated fats in oils since they can cause cholesterol build-up. For example, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil contain saturated fat that can increase so-called “bad” cholesterol.
Olive oil has a lower smoke point-the point at which an oil literally begins to smoke (olive oil's is between 365° and 420°F)-than some other oils. When you heat olive oil to its smoke point, the beneficial compounds in oil start to degrade, and potentially health-harming compounds form.
First of all, it can be expensive. Plus, it has a relatively low smoke point, which, according to food scientist Harold McGee, is the "temperature at which a fat breaks down into visible gaseous products." That breakdown can ruin the taste of foods.
The healthiest type is extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO). It can help lower your blood pressure and fight inflammation. It lowers your risk of heart disease by improving the health of your blood vessels and preventing blood clots. EVOO is also loaded with antioxidants, which ward off cell damage.
There are certain drinks that can help maintain an ideal cholesterol level. Some of the best drinks for cholesterol management include green tea, pomegranate juice, citrus juice, soy milk, plant-based smoothies, and red wine.
Eat a balanced diet that's high in heart-healthy fruits, vegetables, and fish. Exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes a day. Stop smoking, cause that's really bad news for your arteries. If your cholesterol is high, ask your doctor whether you should take cholesterol-lowering medication.
Luckily, there are so-called “good fats” – unsaturated fats – that can give your body energy and support the growth of cells without clogging your arteries. “Avocados contain omega-3 fatty acids, which is the fat that is heart-healthy,” Kim explains.
We use a blend including canola and sunflower oils to cook with. Like all vegetable oils, it's cholesterol free and has 85% less trans-fat than our previous blend.
Find out more about hoki, also known as blue grenadier, from southern Australia and New Zealand waters.