Types of Oils

Trying to understand different types of oils can leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed. The nutritional depth of oils and the different processing procedures involved is abundant and varied.

The knowledge I've gained over the years about oils came from taking nutrition classes from a nutritional clinic called Wholistic Nutrition Service, a nutrition consultation business that had some fabulous Certified Nutritionists teaching the classes. A bit of a summary regarding what I learned about oils follows.

The Right Fat

While you don't want to consume excess fat that is saturated, your body still needs fat for optimum health. Getting your fatty acids from sources that are polyunsaturated like fish, vegetable oils and nuts is recommended by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but it's best to limit them to 30 percent of your entire caloric intake daily.

To adequately absorb fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K, as well as cartenoids, you need good quality fat. Good essential fatty acids like linoleic (omega 6) and linolenic acid (omega 3) are abundant in vegetable oil.

Types of Oil

Monosaturates - These oils are generally liquid at room temperature and will partially congeal when they are refrigerated. This type of oil is known for raising HDL levels, which are the good fats that work to prevent plaque accumulation on the walls of the arteries.

Polyunsaturates- These oils are abundant in Omega 6 fatty acids and will never solidify even in refrigerators. They are found in soybean and safflower oil.

Saturates - These fats are found in coconut oil and butter, as well as lard, and will solidify in refrigeration. It's common for nutritionists to advocate keeping saturated oils at a minimum, while balancing polyunsaturates and monosaturates more equally.

Processing Oil

Oils are derived from their sources by way of a process called extraction. It's important to be aware of how an oil has been extracted so that you know how nutritionally sound it is. Many extraction procedures are harmful to the nutritive value of oils.

Cold Pressing - This method of oil extraction is by far one of the better ways to obtain oil. The reason for that is the fact that the oil doesn't get exposed to heat and air

Expeller - This method is done by mechanical pressure as opposed to heat and chemicals to obtain the oil.

Vacuum - A light free atmosphere, as well as a non-oxygen environment, are combined with this process. Temperatures do not exceed 70 degrees when this procedure is implemented.

Solvent - If a natural oil is what you're after, you won't want one that has been processed by a solvent extraction. This procedure involves using chemicals to obtain the oil and quickly destroys the nutritional value of the oil, and the chemicals used are harsh on your body.