What Fats and Oils are the Healthiest

The best fats for health and weight loss are traditional natural fats and oils that have not been damaged by processing or heating. These fats have medium-chain triglycerides (MTC), which actually help the body shed excess fat and cholesterol. Very few oils and fats contain MTC. These are oils that have been squeezed or cold-pressed to get the oil, without any high heat treatments.

Virgin olive oil is one of them. It is fine if you use it uncooked, unfortunately the problem with olive oil is that it can be damaged (oxidized) by the heat of cooking, making it similar to the other vegetable oils in the body when cooked at a high heat.

Butter and cream from organic grass fed cows, are excellent sources of good fat. They are stable and good for cooking. Lard (pork fat), tallow (beef fat) and poultry fat are also good, if they come from organic sources. Unfortunately this can be expensive to use and hard to find in many areas.

Organic palm oil is also very stable and good for cooking. It also is one of the best sources of vitamin E. But, it has a strong flavor that many find hard to get used to. (I like to use this oil for cooking fish, since fish also has a strong flavor.) Because of the flavor (and color) of organic palm oil, it has less cooking uses.

The best source of MTC’s seems to be coconut oil. It can be kept at room temperature for over a year and not get rancid. It can be cooked at high temperatures. In the body, it digests rapidly and is used quickly for energy. It seems to do the opposite of most fats, raising the metabolic rate, increasing the immune functions, and stabilizing blood glucose levels.

Coconut oil can be over-processed, making it lose some of its benefits, so the best source is virgin coconut oil (VCO), which has not been chemically treated or processed. This is a great oil to use for almost all cooking and eating purposes, including frying and baking. For more information on the benefits of coconut oil, see our best selling e-book, “Coconut Oil Diet Secrets,” at Coconut-oil-diet.com or check out some of the information on our resources page at the end of this book.

This is an excerpt from the free e-book PlanThe Enzyme Health Diet Plan by Dianne Ronnow, found at Enzyme-Health.com. Copyright © 2005 by Dianne Ronnow. All rights reserved.

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of the author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter. It is published with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services. For specific medical advice or diagnosis, please consult a competent professional healthcare provider.