Comments on: Trans Fat: What the Food Industry Wants to Hide From You

By: Vin

Vin — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:28:32 +0000

Hi Gigg1es,

Yes, unrefined extra virgin oil is preferred because it’s less processed.

Saturated fat is more stable at higher temperatures which is why coconut oil is a good oil to cook with. I don’t see any problem frying with it and would definitely recommend it over olive oil. Although olive oil is a healthy oil to consume, it’s not as resistant to heat as coconut oil. Butter is reasonable option as well. Even better would be to use coconut oil or butter with lower cooking temperatures which would also help to preserve the nutritional quality of the food being cooked.

Given the highly processed, polyunsaturated, and omega-6 dominant nature of most vegetable oils, I agree that it’s a good idea to avoid them.

By: Gigg1es

Gigg1es — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:27:15 +0000

I’ve always heard that coconut oil was good to cook with but I never tried it. I will now though, I’m guessing the best to use is unrefined extra virgin? I was avoiding it because I don’t know if it would work as an oil for frying. Like for example, occasionally I like to make fried / tempura shrimp or a piece of fried chicken. When I used olive oil I noticed that whatever I was frying would get soaked in the oil and burn quicker. It didn’t have that crispy light feel that it does when I use canola or vegetable oil. Now I’m trying to stay away from canola and vegetable oil because I don’t like the things I’m reading about it.

By: Vin

Vin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:27:26 +0000

I think coconut oil is one of the best oils to cook with and it’s what I use myself. Since you specifically want to avoid it for some reason, I think palm oil would be a good alternative. You could also use butter or ghee from pasture raised cattle. What’s important is to use a fat that’s stable at high temperatures, and this means saturated fat. In line with this, and for the preservation of the nutrients in the food being cooked, it’s also preferable to cook at lower temperatures.

By: Gigg1es

Gigg1es — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:34:04 +0000

So can you recommend some good healthy cooking oils other than coconut and olive. I’d like to know if there’s an oil with a high heat point that I could use for occasionally frying foods. Thanks.

By: Vin

Vin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Hi ægil, thanks for your comments!

It’s great to see that you’re avoiding hydrogenated oils and are eating healthy sources of fat like coconut oil and butter. Hopefully that butter is from a pasture raised cow!

By: ægil

ægil — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:15:12 +0000

I never ate a peanut butter with hydrogenated oil since 2004.

I like saturated fats that I drink virgin coconut oil (3 tsp a day) and eat butter (<1 tsp).

By: ægil

ægil — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:10:54 +0000

My basic organic chemistry knowledge has helped me understand what is wrong with a type of fat.

This informative article has refreshed my mind about trans fats.

By: ægil

ægil — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:59:05 +0000

I rarely eat it too, but I like the oil separating ones!

By: Vin

Vin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:31:10 +0000

Thanks, Greg! Sorry for the misunderstanding. Yes, the food industry will always find an alternative any time the FDA steps in. Although palm oil obviously isn’t naturally found in peanut butter, it does at least seem like a safer alternative than trans fat depending on the processing techniques used to incorporate it. Unfortunately, I had trouble finding information on how the palm oil is actually added.

I rarely eat peanut butter, but if I ate it more, I’d certainly be more than happy to deal with the naturally occurring “inconvenience” of the oil separating!

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:07:35 +0000

You’re right. Palm oil is a naturally occurring saturated fat, like coconut. I was thinking about its use in the no-stir natural peanut butter products to impart thickening and eliminate the separation that is so common with those products.

Excellent article!