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There are many many reasons why the cook in your kitchen might choose a particular cooking oil over another, and weight loss is probably not at the top of the list. The variety available of flavor filled oils is staggering. The gamut runs from the most basic general-purpose olive oil and canola or corn oil, to the more exotic tasting sesame or walnut oils. Then we also have the palm and coconut oils as well as butter and margarine. Chefs tend to make their choices based on flavor not calories. However, if weight loss is important to you, which one(s) do you want to have hanging around in your pantry?
Calories in Cooking Oil
The actual caloric value of oil is reasonably consistent from bottle to bottle. On average, a tablespoon of oil, regardless of its type, contains approximately 120 calories.
Unhealthy Cooking Oils to Avoid
People making lifestyle changes to a healthier diet need to concern themselves with the kind of fat that their cooking oils contain. The one thing experts seem to agree on is that trans fats are bad, saturated fats should me minimized and the poly or mono unsaturated fats are the keepers.
Healthy Cooking Oils
From a healthy heart position, there are better choices of cooking oils such as canola, corn, flax and extra virgin olive oil. Even the sesame, saffron and sunflower oils are better choices than butter. Walnut oil is very high in the ranking for the best oils to use in cooking from a health perspective. A small drawback to using some of these different oils in cooking is that they may have very developed flavors and are an acquired taste. Also, their smoke point may be a detriment if you want to deep fry or even stir fry with them. Heating certain oils can diminish the omega-3 fatty acids values.
Best Cooking Oils for Weight Loss
For general purposes such as cooking or using in dressings, the healthiest choices are canola, corn or extra virgin olive oil. But if weight loss is your first and foremost concern, then skip the oils altogether and use a cooking spray instead. |
