Choosing the right cooking oil can be difficult with so many options lining supermarket shelves. In addition to the health benefits of various oils, you have to consider their flavor, price, smoking points, and whether you're frying or sauteing. Nutritionists, however, examine the effects of cooking oils on heart health when they label them "good" or "bad." Generally, a good cooking oil has more mono- and polyunsaturated fat. The fats in good cooking oil help you absorb vitamins from your diet. A bad cooking oil has trans fat and more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. The fats in bad cooking oil will increase your cholesterol.
Olive Oil
Olive oil a highly aromatic monounsaturated fat that contains healthy antioxidants and can lower your LDL cholesterol. Olive oil is extracted from tree-ripened olives, and ranges in color from deep amber yellow to green. Olive oils are graded according to their level of acidity and the process used to extract oil. "Virgin" olive oil has been cold-pressed, or made using no heat or chemicals, and contains low acid levels. Consuming about 2 tablespoons of olive oil daily can reduce your risk of heart disease. Use olive oil to saute food, or use it instead of butter on your bread, pasta and vegetables.
Canola Oil
Canola oil is considered one of the healthiest cooking oils, according to the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at Oklahoma State University. Canola oil has the lowest saturated fat, and like olive oil has high amounts of unsaturated fat. It can help lower cholesterol, and canola oil has also proven beneficial in blood clot formation and in reducing your risk of heart attack and stroke. Oklahoma State University says canola oil is also the best source of omega-3 fats among cooking oils. Omega-3s are essential fatty acids that your body needs but can't make on its own. Canola oil comes from pressed canola seeds harvested in pods.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is the second most-traded edible oil and accounts for 25 percent of the world's fats and oil supply, according to the journal "AgroFOOD." It is the subject of much controversy, because palm oil's saturated fat content makes it difficult to label as anything but bad, even though it also contains fairly high unsaturated fat and copious amounts of vitamins E and A. The USDA says palm oil results in "unfavorable levels of LDL cholesterol" and a protein that attaches to fat particles and carries bad cholesterol through your bloodstream.
Lard
Lard is rendered animal fat, usually from a pig. Some lard is made from ducks and geese. In addition to cooking and baking, lard has industrial uses, such as soap-making and biofuel manufacturing. Chefs love it, because it makes pie crust flaky and adds a hearty flavor to fried food, but public health authorities, such as the USDA and CDC, advise against its use. Lard is very high in saturated fat, which can contribute to high blood pressure.
Other Oils
If you are shopping around for other good cooking oils to add to your kitchen arsenal, consider safflower, sunflower and flaxseed oils, which have many of benefits of olive and canola oils.
Oils to avoid include coconut oil, palm kernel oil and vegetable shortening. Their high calories, along with high saturated fat and hydrogenated oil contents, mean you should use them sparingly.
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