Refined Oils

Refined Oils

So, what are refined oils and why should we be avoiding them?

Did you know, that the man who invented the first electrocardiograph machine (used to detect clogged arteries in an effort to predict heart disease) in 1903 was advised to change his field of specialty to something more needed (and therefore more profitable).  He actually had difficulty finding patients that would benefit from his machine!  Yet today, heart disease is one of the biggest medical problems we face.  And how is it that our consumption of healthy fats like butter & animal fat has decreased, while the rate of heart disease has increased?  And what has increased very dramatically, is the use of refined oils & processed sugars & foods.

Sure, it could be a co-incidence.  But lets look at refined oils for a moment.  These are oils such as

Vegetable Oil

Canola Oil

Margarine

Soybean Oil

Corn Oil

Grapeseed Oil

and any oil which is highly refined or labelled as 'hydrogenated'.

The refining process involves using a chemical solvent (most commonly hexane) to extract the oil. Hexane is produced by the refining of crude petroleum oil.  It is used in the formulation of glues for shoes, leather products & roofing (!).

The oil is then subjected to extremely high temperatures in order to evaporate the chemical solvent.   It is also bleached in order to remove off-coloured materials in the oil and then deodorised (yep, deodorising food!) to remove volatile compounds which would cause off-odours and tastes in the finished product, in other words, 'mask' what they have done to the oil.

This process produces trans fatty acids which studies have shown can increase our risk of coronary heart disease. (Ref: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/014067369390350P) and produces free radicals, known to cause numerous problems for the human body.  And ironically, the Vitamin E which is normally there to offset that, has been killed off by the refining process.

So which oils should we be looking at?

Coconut Oil - an excellent choice for most applications, the only real limitation being in baking.  Deserves a whole new post which I will put together soon!

Butter - pure butter with no added oils. Great choice for baking, can be used for frying but will brown and can burn quite easily as the heat increases.

* A note on Margarine - it is made from the highly refined & damaged oils listed above.  It is then mixed with nickel oxide & pumped with hydrogen atoms that create very dangerous trans fatty acids.

Animal Fats - next time you are doing a roast, keep the drippings! Pour them into a little dish while still hot, then keep them in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

Cold Pressed Olive Oil - high in Vitamin E and antioxidants and relatively stable to heat, light and oxygen.

Macadamia oil - tolerates heat well, but is richly flavoured

Other unrefined, cold-pressed nut & seed oils

Oils are also very susceptible to becoming rancid, particularly oils which have undergone the refining process, as they are sensitive to heat, light & exposure to oxygen.  All oils you choose to purchase, refined or not, should be ideally bought in a dark bottle and stored in a cool, dry place.

It is also important to remember while choosing an oil for use in your cooking and baking, you are also choosing these oils when you buy packaged products containing them.  Reading packaged item labels should show which oils they contain so that you can make an informed decision.