A Guide to Choosing Healthy Fats & Oils

​I have friends text me all the time while shopping in the grocery store asking, "Is ____ oil healthy?"  When it comes to choosing fats and oils, as a general rule, the more processing it requires to be produced, the less healthy it is.   But, there are a lot of products out there claiming to be healthy, when in fact, the opposite it true. No wonder it's confusing!  So, I put together an easy reference guide to choosing fats & oils.  

Print the Guide to Fats & Oils

​Guide to Choosing Fats & Oils

The benefits of healthy fats are numerous.  Good fats are a wonderful source of long-burning fuel for your muscles, particularly the heart.  Your brain is mostly fat; it keeps your thinking clear, helps regulate healthy hormone levels, and puts you in a good mood.  Fats allow you to absorb nutrients from food, especially vitamins A, D, E, and K.  Fats are important for maintaining healthy blood lipid levels and for healthy liver and gallbladder function.  Healthy fats make your complexion glow.  Fats keep you feeling full after a meal. Eating healthy fats will not make you fat – just healthier and more beautiful!​
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​Healthy Fats & Oils:

Top of the Line:   cold pressed or expeller pressed, unrefined, extra virgin, and organic.

For high heat cooking, use the fats that are the most stable, which include: 
•Coconut oil 
•Butter         
•Ghee
•Cocoa butter         
•Tallow/suet (beef fat from a healthy cow)  
•Palm oil   
•Lard/bacon fat (pork fat from a healthy pig)      
•Duck fat  
                                                 
For low/no heat cooking, use:       
•Avocado oil 
•Macadamia nut oil
•Olive oil  
•Sesame oil   
•Walnut oil           
•Flax oil           
•Rice Bran oil             
•Peanut oil

Healthy Fat from Food Sources:  Remember, food quality is key!  
•Avocados     
•Nuts and seeds (not roasted in unhealthy oil)      
•Organic, raw, full-fat dairy      
•Fatty fish like wild-caught salmon and sardines       
•Egg yolks from pasture-raised chickens            
•Fish oil supplements like cod liver oil & krill oil (read more below)            
•Grass-fed beef, lamb, and other wild game

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If it's not REAL butter, don't eat it!

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​Unhealthy fats & oils:

The fats to avoid contain excessive Omega 6 fats and PUFA’s.   
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An imbalance of too many Omega 6 fats and Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acids causes oxidation, which causes inflammation and disease.  (That's why anti-oxidants are good for you!)  A good general rule is to avoid consuming the oils that require processing on a large scale.

Fats to AVOID COMPLETELY are:
•Safflower oil    
•Canola/Rapeseed oil        
•Margarine            
•Sunflower oil               
•Corn oil      
•Vegetable shortening      
•Soybean oil                
•Grapeseed oil           
•Cottonseed oil

Trans Fats:  It is extremely important to avoid ALL oils and foods that have been hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. These are trans fats that our bodies cannot digest. Consumption of these types of fats are directly associated with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, reduced immune function, infertility, and obesity.

​What makes a fat healthy or unhealthy?

What matters is the balance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fats.

The fats to avoid above contain mostly Omega 6 fats. Too many Omega 6 fats cause oxidation, which causes inflammation, which causes disease.  (That's why anti-oxidants are good for you.)
(Read my post about Inflammation.)
(Read my post about anti-oxidants.)

The standard American diet (with refined foods, inflammatory fats, and fast foods) is extremely high in Omega 6 fats and doesn't contain nearly enough Omega 3 fats. Some estimates put the ratio at 30:1 or even 40:1 (Omega 6 : Omega 3), and that's not good for your health!  Our bodies do need both types, and many experts agree that a ratio of 3:1 or even 1:1 is ideal.    

What should you do?  
​Read labels!  Omega 6 fats are in many processed foods.  Ask when you go to a restaurant. They usually use canola or soybean oil--YUCK!!!  If you have any unhealthy fats in your pantry, throw them away. Avoid all the pro-inflammatory fats (these are the one's that cause heart disease because they cause oxidization) and enjoy the healthy ones.  

To further improve your ratio of Omega 6:3 fats, supplementing with a high quality fish oil is a good way to get in more anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fats.

• The top of the line is Rosita Extra-Virgin Cod Liver Oil, a rich source of vitamins A, D, and Omega fats. It is Norwegian cod liver oil that is fresh, raw & handcrafted from wild livers using a very rare ancient extraction technique which uses nature to separate the oil from its liver. No chemicals, solvents and mechanical devices are ever used during the extraction process. The oil is completely unrefined and produced under the total absence of heat, a process that protects its nutritional value.

• For a fish oil pill, Radiant Life Pure Krill Oil capsules are the way to go. They are a lovely source of omega-3s in the form of EPA and DHA, as well as vitamins A, D and a host of antioxidants.  Unlike the fatty acids found in other fish oils, the omega-3s in Radiant Life Krill Oil are present in a bioavailable phospholipid form, which allows them to be easily absorbed by the body and highly effective at nourishing the cells. 

It's ironic, but many low-quality fish oils contain other added oils, like soybean oil (an Omega 6 oil!)  Throw those out!!!​

(Disclaimer: Always consult with your personal physician before trying new supplements.)

My family's favorite butter is Kerrygold brand, It's from grass-fed cows!

​More info about healthy fats & oils:

See my other articles about lovely, healthy fats:

• ​Everything Olive Oil
• Cooking with Bacon Fat
• Raw Milk & Dairy - The Health Benefits
• Tropical Fats for Health & Beauty:  ​Cacao Butter, Palm Oil, & Coconut Oil
• ​The Health BENEFITS of Saturated Fats

​Info Sources:​

• Chris Kresser, L.Ac.
• ​Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle, By Diane Sanfilippo
• Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, By Sally Fallon, Mary Enig
• Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss by Mark Hyman

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