the REN DAO Wellness Center Blog

When we eat a balanced diet of whole foods, we will be consuming a wide range of healthy nutrients and oils in there right proportions. Whole foods means good nutrition.

Sources of healthy dietary oils include:

• Whole food sources (whole grains, leafy green and richly colored vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts, etc.).
• Healthy animal and fish products raised in environmentally safe conditions and having undergone the least amount of processing necessary to make safe to consume.

Oils that we add to foods or use for cooking must be extracted from there whole food sources. How healthy they are depends on how they are extracted and processed. The term ‘Cold Pressed’ or “Expelled” should refer to oils produced by mechanically separating the oil from raw materials at low temperatures or without excessive heat and without chemicals. Cold pressing does not extract all of the oils from the raw materials. To extract the remaining oil and to increase yields, processing with chemicals and heat are used. Further processing including filtering, bleaching, deodorizing, (and more) is used to create a commercial food grade oil. This “white oil”, (a term used to describe highly processed, clear, tasteless consumer oils), can lack the nutritive value and health benefits of the unprocessed oil. On the other hand, cold pressed oils can spoil or go rancid quickly and therefore should be consumed fresh and handled and stored properly (in dark containers and away from heat).

Oils we add to foods for flavor or as a dressing, are usually not suitable for baking or cooking. General cooking oils may not be suitable for high heat cooking or frying. You need to select the oil that matches the food you are preparing. Spectrum Organics, a company that makes healthy oils, provides information on how and why oils are processed and a chart comparing healthy processed oils and unhealthy ones. Their cooking guideline is also helpful for understanding which oils to choose and when.

Olive oil is probably one of the healthiest everyday oils we will use. Different types of olive oil are available on the market. The Olive Oil Source will help you understand what you are buying.