There are dozens of oils on the market these days – from coconut and avocado oil, through to olive oil and vegetable oil. But have you ever wondered which is the right cooking oil to use?

As with anything to do with health, the answer is often ‘it depends’. The right oil for you may depend on your health goals, any dietary restrictions you may have, and your taste preferences. 

So let’s take a look at some of your options for healthy cooking oils and which oils it’s best not to cook with.

Which oils are the healthiest to cook with?

When it comes to healthy cooking oils, there are a couple of factors we want to consider:

1)   The smoke point – the temperature at which an oil starts to burn. This is also when beneficial nutrients and antioxidants are destroyed, and when delicate fatty acids can form harmful compounds

2)   Resistance to oxidisation – when an oil reacts with oxygen, it can form a variety of harmful compounds. This reaction can occur at room temperature, but the process speeds up if the oil is at a high temperature.
Therefore, we want to choose cooking oils that have oxidisation-resistance properties such as high antioxidant content or low polyunsaturated fat content.

3)   Health Benefits – along with how it holds up in high heats, we also want to opt for oils that have research supporting their health benefits.

With that in mind, let’s look at a few healthy oil options to consider.

This makes olive oil a good choice for most cooking methods, including pan-frying.

However, it may not be suitable for deep frying at a higher temperature.

Olive oil is also rich in heat-stable monounsaturated fats and is a great source of antioxidants. This makes it more resistant to oxidisation. 

What about the health benefits? Just some of them include:

• An excellent source of antioxidants – olive oil contains a variety of beneficial antioxidants, including oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol.

• Anti-inflammatory properties – both the antioxidants and the fatty acids in olive oil have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. This means it could be beneficial for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and heart disease.

• Protective against Alzheimer’s – studies suggest that a compound in olive oil may help to remove the plaques that build up in the brain with Alzheimer’s. Research has also found that extra-virgin olive oil supports brain function and reduces the formation of plaques.
  More research is needed to confirm these findings, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to incorporate into the diet!

• May reduce type 2 diabetes risk – several studies have found a link between olive oil and improvements in blood sugar and insulin sensitivity. A randomised controlled trial found an olive oil-rich diet reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by over 40%!

As we can see, olive oil has many benefits to offer as part of a balanced diet.

Coconut oil

One of the more controversial oils out there is coconut oil. So let’s take a look at the science behind this disputed option.

Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, which makes it resistant to oxidisation at high temperature. This makes it a good option for cooking. It also has a moderate-high smoke point, with unrefined coconut oil sitting at around 177 degrees Celcius and refined closer to 230 degrees.

When it comes to health benefits, there is a lot of debate around coconut oil. However, there are studies that suggest coconut oil may:

Avocado oil

Although it is a relative new-comer to the market, avocado oil has plenty to offer. 

Like olive oil, avocado oil is rich in monounsaturated fats. This makes it more resistant to oxidisation. Studies have also found that avocado oil is stable at high heat, and has a moderate to high smoke point depending on the source and variety of avocado used.

When it comes to health benefits, consuming avocado oil may:

• Protect heart health – Avocado oil has been found to have beneficial effects on cholesterol levels, reducing the ‘bad’ and increasing the ‘good. Studies suggest it may also reduce triglycerides and blood pressure.
  

• Help with joint pain – studies have found that extracts from avocado called avocado unsaponifiables may reduce pain and stiffness associated with arthritis. The findings show that this can be particularly useful for hip and knee osteoarthritis.

• Enhance absorption of nutrients – some nutrients require fat for maximum absorption. One example of this is carotenoid antioxidants. One study found that adding avocado oil to a salad with carotenoid-rich vegetables significantly increased the absorption of the antioxidants.

By combining avocado with other antioxidant-rich plant foods, you may be able to boost your antioxidant absorption!

Oils to avoid when cooking

There are some oils that you want to avoid when cooking.

This can be due to their low smoke point or high risk of oxidisation.

Although vegetable oils are refined and therefore have a higher smoke point, they are high in polyunsaturated fat, particularly omega-6. This makes them unsuitable for cooking, as the oil can easily become oxidised and rancid. 

The high omega-6 content can also be a problem when it comes to inflammation. If you’re looking to manage inflammation of any kind, opt for oils that don’t contain a lot of omega-6 fatty acids and increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids instead.

Black Seed Oil 

Black seed oil is extracted from seeds of the Nigella Sativa plant. It has been used as far back as the ancient Pharos of Egypt to support good health due to its unique profile of essential oils. 

It is commonly used today for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to help with joint pain and auto-immune related symptoms. 

The medicinal properties of black seed oil have been the focus of over 600 peer-reviewed studies. The health benefits are believed to from a chemical compound within the seeds oil called Thymoquinone.

Thymoquinone is a delicate essential oil that is damaged with heat exposure. The oil also contains Omega 3, 6 and 9 which make black seed oil a nutritional powerhouse, but unfortunately NOT suitable for cooking. 

The oil can be added to hot drinks or added to soups but it should not be cooked with as the temperatures are a lot higher.  A lot of people also take a teaspoon before their meal which saves the risk of any heat damage. 

Flaxseed & Hemp oil

Although both flaxseed and hemp oil have plenty to offer in terms of health benefits, they are not to be used in cooking. They have a low smoke point and oxidises easily thanks to the delicate omega-3 fatty acids. 

If you want to incorporate either oil, add it into smoothies, mix it into a dip or drizzle over salad. 

There are several good options when it comes to choosing a healthy cooking oil. It also depends on the taste of what you're cooking.

As great as coconut oil is it can sometimes leave an undesired coconut taste that doesn't go with some meals.