Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/542735
Health and Wellness Magazine • 25 CANOLA OIL: derived from rape seed and a neutral flavored, everyday medium-temperature cooking oil. VEGETABLE OIL: a neutral, medium- temperature oil, but it has more saturated fat than canola. P E A N U T O I L : a n e u t r a l , h i g h - temperature cooking oil good for stir fries and frying; people with peanut allergies can usually eat it. AVOCADO OIL: mild tasting with a high smoke point. Second best are the polyunsaturated fats. They help lower triglycerides and blood pressure and are anti-inflammatory. Christen says better oils in this category are ones derived from walnuts, sesame, and flaxseed. Third in the hierarchy are saturated fats, which should be eaten sporadically. They include fats such as butter, lard, palm oil and coconut oil, although experts disagree about coconut and its relatively recent "health-food" status. Christen says minimize consumption. "It's not a panacea. Coconut oil is 90 percent saturated fat, whereas butter is 65 percent saturated fat." However, Gabriel and O'Connor point to research supporting coconut oil's immune-enhancing properties and medium-chain triglyceride structure that makes it easier to burn as energy and harder to store as fat. O'Connor uses it as an every-day oil, especially for high-temperature cooking. "If you are addressing problems via a therapeutic diet, you may need to do a low-fat, no-saturated diet. If you are healthy, there's room for variety of fats," O'Connor says. The experts agree trans fats should be cut from your diet, and the Food and Drug Administration in June set a 2018 deadline for the food industry to remove all trans fats from products. Even labels with zero trans fats often have them hidden as "shortening," "partially-hydrogenated oil," or "hydrogenated oil" on ingredient lists. Finally, storage is key. Keep them tightly sealed in a cool, dark place away from heat. To extend the life of rarely used flavored oils refrigerate them.