Don't be afraid of cooking with olive oil!

Are you confused on what oils are right for you? Did you know that some good oils can become bad for you when heated up? I am here to help you understand which oils are right for you; lets start with the basics …

GOOD OILS:

• Algae Oil

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Coconut Oil

• MCT Oil

• Avocado Oil

• Macadamia Oil

• Perilla Oil

• Walnut Oil

• Red Palm Oil

• Rice Bran Oil

• Sesame Oil

• Cod liver oil

OILS TO AVOID:

• Soy

• Grapeseed

• Corn Peanut

• Cottonseed

• Safflower

• Sunflower

• Canola

Good oils and fats can be bad too...

But how you may ask, well when heating oil for cooking the heating process can affect the oils’ biochemistry makeup, resulting in a chemical change. As I am sure some of you have heard to not heat an oil past its smoking point, but here's the problem, depending on the brand and type of oil the smoke points can vary. Now I am sure most of you have heard the classic, that extra virgin olive oil should not be used for cooking because it has a low smoke point. Sadly it is only valid for the cheaper olive oils that are mixed with seed oils, which should not be heated. There is a huge olive oil fraud market out there that most of us are unaware of. I had to learn from some reliable professionals myself to clear up the controversy on olive oil and its safety for cooking.

Now to answer the big question what should you be cooking with?

Virgin Coconut oil 350 Degree°F (Costco)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (SARAFINO) 410 Degree°F

Virgin Olive Oil (SARAFINO) 420 Degree°F

Avocado Oil 500 Degree°F (Chosen Foods from Costco)

**Please keep in mind that the smoking temperature can change depending on the band/quality of your oil.

Personal Olive Oil Recommendations:

• SARAFINO brand as you can find it in Fortinos and Whole Food in Canada (Ontario). I use this one personally

• Kasandrinos - online in the USA

• Grove and Vine - shipping in USA (podcast below in resources)

So for cooking I will usually use the Virgin Olive Oil as it won't impact the flavour much or I use Avocado oil. And then I have a Extra Virgin Olive Oil I use for dressings and to flavour my food (btw it can also be a great moisturizer to the skin).

Some of you are probably wondering about butter, lard, or ghee. I personally stay away from butter as I cannot handle the dairy products we get in Canada and I personally do not recommend them unless you are in France or Italy (story for another time on why).

Smoking points for other fats:

Butter 350 Degree°F

Lard 370 Degree°F

Ghee 485 Degree°F

I do want to mention that a recent study shows that saturated fats, like lard, actually increase appetite by delivering LPS’ to the brain’s hunger center. This sends a signal to your brain that your body’s not satiated. (study link)

I wanted to get the message out there to you all that OLIVE OIL is your friend and you don't need to be afraid to cook with it! YAY! Media is confusing and I get confused myself but this is why I am always doing my best to stay up to date with the research that is coming out, so that I can bring awareness to the general public on all the shit that is out there! Hope everyone enjoys their meals with devious olive oil now :)

Resources to check out:

There is a fantastic podcast to check out by The Genius Life on extra virgin olive oil.

Tom Miller talks about the olive oil fraud video

60 Minutes “Agro Mafia” European olive oil fraud video

Study Finds 82% of of Avocado Oil Rancid or Mixed With Other Oils so pick your oils from companies you trust is VERY important