Cooking Oil Myths and Truths

Last night before bed, we were watching TV and a commercial came on that caught my eye. Normally I pay no attention to ads, but my Yearbook class is studying advertising techniques, so maybe I'm just more aware of commercials at the moment. Anyhow, the ad was for Mazola corn oil. In a nutshell, they claimed that Mazola was "better" for you than olive oil. Wow. It's amazing what the media can falsify, and it saddens me because many people believe what they see...why would they think otherwise? Lets talk about corn oil for a minute...

First off, corn oil (and other vegetable oils) contain genetically modified organisms and are also highly processed, refined, and oxidized. The processing in an oil such as Mazola is ridiculous. These oils are degummed, bleached, heated, deodorized, filtered and saturates are removed to make the oils more "liquid." Of course by this time, all of the nutrients are gone and you are left with pesticides and toxins. Then, when you cook with polyunsaturated vegetable oils (such as canola or corn), oxidized cholesterol is introduced into your system and when mixed with oxygen, it goes rancid.

Unfortunately many people cook with vegetable oils on a regular basis, assuming that 'vegetable' makes it healthy, which is completely untrue. The same goes for Pam and similar cooking sprays. Even the sprays that claim they are olive oil or 100% natural. Have you ever read the side of one of these labels? Many list propellant, which, if you do your research, you'll realize is actually petroleum gas, propane, and butane. Others contain artificial (and unknown) ingredients. Do you really want that in your body?


So what can you cook with? Here are some healthy oils that are better alternatives:
-organic, unrefined coconut oil
-organic, extra virgin olive oil
-butter or ghee (NOT margarine)

If you need a 'spray,' buy a Misto (Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Amazon) that you can fill yourself, or put some oil on a paper towel and spread on your baking sheet. If you have any questions on the above 3 alternatives, I'd be happy to answer them!