With so many different oils on the supermarket shelf it really does get a little confusing. So what’s the best paleo oil to cook with?
All this stuff can get super scientific and if you hadn’t noticed we aren’t scientists (haha). So we will explain it in merrymaker language and please do remember that studies are continually changing so let us know if you find anything different or new!
The paleo lifestyle says a big fat YES to oils like the beautiful coconut oil which is full of good saturated fat! The paleo lifestyle says a serious NO to processed, GMO, polyunsaturated vegetable oils, we’re looking at you vegetable oil, canola oil and margarine!
Lets get straight in to it! These are the oils we cook with…
High temperature cooking:
- Coconut oil (read more about our favourite oil)
- Avocado oil
- We also cook with animal fats and grass fed butter and ghee.
We use the above because they can handle the heat, they have a high smoking point and their chemical properties don’t go all funky toxic on us (i.e. free radicals causing inflammation).
Medium temperature cooking:
- Olive oil
- Sesame oil
- Macadamia oil
- Walnut oil
- Almond oil
We love olive and nut oils but when too hot they do crazy ass things and can become toxic. So only use on low to medium heats or stir through at the end of cooking. They are also great for salad dressings. YUM!
Stay away from these oils:
- Canola oil aka rapeseed oil
- Corn oil
- Peanut oil
- Vegetable oil
- Sunflower oil
- Safflower oil
- Soybean oil
- Margarine
These oils can lead to a bunch of health issues, they’re packed with omega 6s (bad) and when heated go rancid (ewww). We pretty much grew up on these oils and margarine which frustrates us a hell of a lot! But yay for no longer consuming them!
Here’s a little infographic to make it easy to remember!
This is from Dr Joseph Mecola in 2003…
“When you cook with polyunsaturated vegetable oils (such as canola, corn, and soy oils), oxidised cholesterol introduced in to your system. As the oil is heated and mixed with oxygen, it goes rancid. Rancid oil is oxidised oil and should NOT be consumed—it leads directly to vascular disease.”