Cooking with fats

Why do we need fats anyway?

We have already discussed fats in our other posts “Is fat good or is fat bad” along with “foods with healthy fats” so trust me when I say that the right fats are actually good for you!

Another aspect to look at is on how you cook with them, because you don’t want to be damaging all your hard work in staying healthy do you?

Reducing the damage to fats and to YOU

When cooking with fats it’s important to realise that some fats can be damaged in the process which causes the release of “free radicals“. Whilst our bodies need free radicals at low or moderate concentrations to support the maturation of cellular structures, having them at excess over a long period of time can be detrimental to our health. (1)

Photo credit https://www.webnat.com/webinars/FreeRadicals.asp

🥑 Fats are vital — but so are micronutrients.

Download my FREE 10-Page Top 5 Supplements Guide to discover the essential nutrients for women over 40 — including dosages, food sources, and safety notes.

👉 Grab Your Free Guide

So what should we do?

Different fats have different amounts of “bonds” in their fatty acid molecules which are affected by heat (and can become oxidised or rancid which is damaging to our health) (2)

Saturated Fats = has only single bonds in the fatty acid molecules.
Monounsaturated Fats = have one double bond in the fatty acid molecules.
Polyunsaturated Fats = have two or more double bonds in the fatty acid molecules.

The most important factor when looking at the oil’s resistance to oxidation and rancidification, at high and low temperatures, is the relative degree of saturation of the fatty acids in it.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and the chemical structure of them means that each carbon molecule is linked or ‘saturated’ with hydrogen, so when this fat is heated the molecules remain stable.

This means they won’t become oxidised or rancid with heat.

Saturated fats such as butter, coconut oil, lard, tallow and ghee are better choices due to the fact that they can “cope” being cooked at temperatures above 180℃.

Fats with “double bonds” are chemically reactive and sensitive to heat – leading to damage when cooked with at high temperatures.

Oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats should be avoided for cooking.

Best Fats For Cooking

We are looking for fats and oils with a high smoke point. Those with a low smoke point can oxidise and breakdown under high heat leading to formation of the harmful free radicals.

Butter
Ghee
*Coconut Oil
*Avocado Oil
*Grapeseed Oil
*Sesame Oil
*Olive Oil

**Note. If oil creates smoke when you cook, the beneficial antioxidants within the oils are replaced with free radicals and are harmful to our health.

Worst Fats For Cooking

Avoid highly processed vegetables oils as often they are high in inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids, and also derived from genetically modified crops harmful to our health.

Nut oils
Vegetable Oils
Margarines

Best Avoided Fats

Trans fats are man-made from vegetable based oils which have been hydrogenated (chemically adding hydrogen to oils) to make them become solid at room temperature.

They are trying to mimic “saturated fats” in their chemical composition but the body can not process these.

Manufactured Trans fats (known as partially hydrogenated oil) can be found in various foods:

Baked foods – cakes, biscuits, pies etc
Microwave popcorn
Frozen Pizza
Fried foods – chips, fried chicken, doughnuts etc

Health Warning!

Eating a diet loaded with trans fats has shown to increase the risk of heart disease, strokes, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, some cancers and other illnesses (3)

Hopefully this has not been all doom and gloom!

The great thing is – dietary changes are one of THE things that we can CONTROL and put into place to improve our health.

Heart Healthy Recipes

This heart health recipe pack bundle comprises of 3 separate recipe packs.

Heart Health Recipe Pack – containing 9 different recipes suitable for those wanting to look after their heart health. This collection of heart healthy recipes includes
simple, delicious options for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner.

Try Our Heart Healthy Recipes - Click HERE