Cooking Oil: Which One Is Best?

I'm not much of a cook. Not that I can't cook - I just don't particularly enjoy it; I cook so that I'm not hungry anymore. My husband, on the other hand, is a fantastic cook, and takes great pleasure in everything and anything that is culinary related. So, over time I've gradually picked up a mild interest in cooking too, which is why I find myself reading articles like "What's the Healthiest Oil to Cook With?"

What is the answer to this burning question you might ask? Well it depends on what you mean by "healthy." If you're going to go by calories, then all vegetables oils are basically the same: 120 calories per tablespoon serving. But if you're going to look at heart health, then not all oils are created equal.

All olive oils (and canola oil) are good for your heart because they help reduce unhealthy "LDL" cholesterol (a substance that in excess can lead to heart attacks) and boost healthy "HDL" cholesterol (a substance that can decrease your chance of getting a heart attack); but extra-virgin olive oil has an edge.

It might be the priciest oil of the lot, but new research suggests that this particular olive oil is the best, because it hasn't gone through any chemical processing (the only processing it's gone through is a mechanical pressing of the olives), which means that it's still rich in the natural antioxidant, polyphenol.

This article provides information on why antioxidants are so good, but basically what they do is remove molecules from our body that we don't need, and thus make our cells, and therefore our bodies, healthier and happier.

So, next time you're cooking (I know that might not be too often), consider splurging on extra-virgin olive oil. Your body will thank you for it.