Sources of cooking fats and oils
Knowing the reference of cooking fats and oils is american samoa important as knowing how they are made .
Saturated fats are by and large found in animal products such as butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, lard and fatso meats. They are besides found in some vegetable products, such as coconut, handle and palm kernel oil .
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. They can raise your cholesterol .
Unsaturated fats come from both animal and plant products. There are two types :
Reading: Understanding cooking fats and oils
- Monounsaturated fats come from seeds or nuts such as avocado, olive, peanut and canola oils.
Monounsaturated fat, in the right amounts, may reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol). They are liquid at room temperature.
- Polyunsaturated fats come from vegetables, seeds or nuts such as corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed and sesame seed oils.
Polyunsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol, if you use them in place of saturated fats. They are liquid at room temperature.
- Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats. They include flaxseed, flaxseed oil, soybean, soybean oil, canola oil, walnuts and fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, trout). They help to lower triglycerides.
Trans fats are made when vegetable oils are processed ( or hydrogenated ) into shortening and cling margarine. Sources of trans fats include nosh foods, baked goods and fried foods made with “ partially hydrogenated vegetable oil ” or “ vegetable bowdlerize. ”
Try to limit foods made with these ingredients. Trans fats can raise your cholesterol .
While some fats are healthier than others, terminus ad quem added fats and oils to three to six teaspoons each day. Include fats used in fudge, bake, salads, and spreads on bread .
How to choose cooking fats and oils
There are so many cooking fats and oils on the market—choosing which one to use can be unmanageable ! Which ones are most sanitary for you when used in temperance ?
- Choose liquid oils that are high in monounsaturated fat. Choose canola, olive and peanut oils.
- Choose soft (tub) or liquid margarines such as Benecol®, Smart Balance® or Take Control®. Look for margarines that contain no trans fats and do not list “hydrogenated oils” or “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredient list.
The following chart lists the sum of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in one tablespoon of respective fats and oils. In general, the lower the saturated fat and the higher the monounsaturated fatty content, the more sanitary the fat or oil will be .
Fat or oil
Fat grams
Monounsaturated fat grams
Saturated fat grams
Polyunsaturated fat grams
Almond oil
14 grams
10 grams
1 grams
3 grams
Olive oil
14 grams
10 grams
2 grams
2 grams
Avocado oil
14 grams
10 grams
2 grams
2 grams
Canola oil
14 grams
8 grams
1 grams
4 grams
Peanut oil
14 grams
7 grams
2 grams
5 grams
Lard (pork fat)
13 grams
6 grams
5 grams
2 grams
Chicken fat
13 grams
6 grams
4 grams
3 grams
Sesame oil
14 grams
6 grams
2 grams
6 grams
Beef tallow
13 grams
5 grams
7 grams
1 grams
Palm oil
14 grams
5 grams
7 grams
2 grams
Cocoa butter
14 grams
5 grams
8 grams
1 grams
Corn oil
14 grams
4 grams
2 grams
8 grams
Butter
13 grams
4 grams
8 grams
1 grams
Soybean oil
14 grams
4 grams
2 grams
8 grams
Sunflower oil
14 grams
3 grams
2 grams
9 grams
Flaxseed oil
14 grams
3 grams
1 grams
10 grams
Cottonseed oil
14 grams
3 grams
4 grams
7 grams
Walnut oil
14 grams
3 grams
2 grams
9 grams
Grapeseed oil
14 grams
2 grams
2 grams
10 grams
Safflower oil
14 grams
2 grams
1 grams
11 grams
Palm kernel oil
14 grams
2 grams
12 grams
0 grams
Coconut oil
14 grams
1 grams
12 grams
1 grams
Sources : USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference ( Release 14 ), the National Sunflower Association and the Flax Council of Canada. note : Numbers were rounded .
Choosing margarine
The more liquid the margarine is, the less hydrogenated it is with less trans fatty acids .
Margarine is a better choice than butter .
easy margarines are better than hard ones. Buy trans nonfat margarines if possible .