Healthy living
Healthy eating
The connoisseur’s way with oils
Drizzle, pour or splash – oil is essential for a healthy body. But which one should you use for what?
Olive oil
Drizzle benefits: Forget spinach, the real nutritional star of the cartoon Popeye should have been Olive Oyl. It protects against heart disease by keeping 'bad' (LDL) cholesterol levels in check, raising the quantity of good (HDL) cholesterol. And olive oil contains more monounsaturated fatty acids than any other natural oil. It's so easy on the digestion that it even has a beneficial, calming effect on stomach ulcers.
Mind the fat: Heat this oil to smoking point (about 200ºC) and it turns nasty. All those lovely monounsaturated fatty acids become trans fats, the most dangerous kind of all.
Oil slick: “The good news is that it’s difficult to heat olive oil to such a high level as to render it dangerous, but heating will diminish its benefits,” says registered nutritionist Carina Norris. So use it on salads, add to cooked mashed potato or drizzle over risotto. And if you’re wondering whether to opt for standard, virgin or extra virgin olive oil, go for extra if you can. Although there isn’t a huge amount of nutritional difference between the different types (extra virgin contains more antioxidants), the main difference is in the superior flavour.
Sunflower oil
Drizzle benefits: You can heat this oil to 246ºC before it smokes, making it ideal for frying.
Mind the fat: It’s low in saturated fats, which is good, but also low in monounsaturates and high in polyunsaturates, which isn’t so good. Polyunsaturates, which lower both our ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol levels, are found in many foods so we tend to get enough of them while monounsaturates, which lower the ‘bad’ without decreasing the ‘good’, are less common but are better for our cholesterol levels, and so are far more important.
Oil slick: Reserve this oil for frying – but be aware that normal frying renders food less nutritious than stir-frying, steaming or grilling. “The higher the temperature and the longer the food stays at that heat, the more nutrients you lose,” says Norris.
Avocado oil
Drizzle benefits: “Like its Mediterranean cousin olive oil, this oil is rich in monounsaturated fats but it’s even lower in saturated fats – an added bonus,” says Norris. But it’s not just good for eating, you can use it on your skin too. It’s soaked with vitamin E and helps soften the skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
Mind the fat: Like most vegetable fats, this delicious oil oxidises when exposed to bright light - and changing its chemical composition can make it taste bad. Keep your oil hidden in a dark place.
Oil slick: Avo oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil, so is a good bet for cooking. And its flavour is more delicate than that of olive oil so you needn’t worry about it overpowering a dish.
Pumpkin seed oil
Drizzle benefits: Aside from being rich in omega-3 and 6, this nutty little number also contains helpful quantities of zinc too, essential for a healthy immune and reproductive system. Preliminary studies on animals have found pumpkin seeds to help alleviate the inflammation caused by arthritis too.
Mind the fat: Heating this oil doesn’t impair its flavour but it will impair its nutritional value.
Oil slick: Pumpkin seed oil has a distinctive dark-green colour making it ideal as a finishing touch to a risotto or mashed potato – simply drizzle on in a circular motion to create a great-looking dish.
Grapeseed oil
Drizzle benefits: Ideal for low-fat diets because it creates a film more easily than other oils – spreading itself more thinly over a salad, for example. Grapeseed oil is less volatile than many other vegetable oils and so can be used for frying. It’s also used in a lot of cosmetic products and is an excellent skin moisturiser.
Mind the fat: It’s not high in monounsaturated fats, so isn’t as heart-healthy as olive or avocado oil, for example.
Oil slick: Flavour is grapeseed oil’s downfall – it doesn’t have much. So add herbs to your bottle (rosemary, thyme, garlic or chilli) to give it extra kick.
Nut oils
Drizzle benefits: All nut-based oils are low in saturated fats. Choose walnut for extra omega-3; almond and hazelnut for added vitamin E (great for skin and hair), and a good helping of monounsaturated fats.
Mind the fat: Heating nut oils can alter their flavour, so chefs tend to use these delicious – and expensive! – liquids as you would a herb or spice.
Oil slick: Drizzle on top of vegetables for a nutty finish; on toast with cinnamon and a sprinkle of sugar; or in a salad.
Flaxseed (or linseed) oil
Drizzle benefits: "Linseed oil is a rich source of the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, which can help prevent heart attacks and stroke," says Norris. The oil is also an excellent source of omega-6 fatty acids and its alpha-linolenic acid helps prevent stroke and skin problems such as acne.
Mind the fat: Don’t swap your sardines for seeds just yet..Although flaxseeds contain six times more omega-3 than the equivalent quantity of most fish oils, the omega-3s in flaxseeds is in a form that’s much harder for the body to use than that in fish oil.
And be aware that this oil just can’t stand the heat – it can even change its chemical structure when exposed even to warm room temperatures. Keep it in the fridge and use it only on salads. For added benefit, sprinkle a handful of seeds in your porridge or cereal
Oil slick: Don’t be fooled into thinking that a bottle of linseed oil from your local DIY shop is the same as that from your healthfood supermarket – it’s either heat-treated or has chemicals added, so won’t be nearly as tasty on your salad!
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.