The Ugly Truth About Vegetable Oils

Many kitchens have cupboards filled with old bottles of oils for cooking that should really just be thrown away. Many oils that were considered 20, 10 or even 2 years ago and that were stamped and advertised as being 'heart healthy' vegetable oil, better than butter, are now starting to show up on the 'Do not eat' lists.

Sources of 'fat' has always been and probably will always be a source of great confusion. With 'low-fat', 'no-fat', 'good-fat', 'bad-fat' and other similar phrasing, it is difficult to know what to buy.

Processed vegetable oils are advertised as low in cholesterol and saturated fats (which many specialists tell us to cut down on), but are they always a better alternative?

There are current research links that an increased consumption of vegetable oils like canola and corn oil are actually contributors of certain diseases like cancers, mental diseases and digestive diseases.

Part of this comes from how they are grown and processed and part of comes from the high heats that they are exposed to during cooking. The sad truth in America is that most oils that are commonly used like canola and corn come from genetically modified plants. Not only are they genetically modified, but labelling laws on food in the US in particular do NOT require companies to put all the information about where the food comes from and what is in it.

Vegetables oils for instance, during processing so that they are palatable, they are often deodorized with chemicals so that they are more edible. They are also processed so much that most, if not all, of the nutritional value are removed so that they do not go rancid on your shelf. Ever wonder why that out of date canola oil still looks and smells alright?

There will likely always be controversy about what kinds of oils are healthy and what ones are not, but it is becoming more and more clear that the 3 winners are 1) Butter (always from grass fed cows), Coconut oil (for sustainable sources), and Olive oil (that is extra virgin, first cold pressed, and low acid).