Why you should choose carefully:

When oils are heated past their smoke point (especially if the oil is reused such as in fryers at restaurants), they release free radicals. Free radicals damage DNA, can be carcinogenic, and contribute to skin aging. This is why it is so important to carefully choose your cooking oils. This is also why it’s so important to eat a variety of antioxidants, as antioxidants neutralize free radicals. to preserve most of the health benefits of the oils, always buy cold pressed, virgin, unrefined whenever possible!

Avocado Oil (high heat)

My personal favorite. Avocado oil has a smoke point of up to 520°F and has a very mild flavor so you can use it for everything (even cookies)! Monounsaturated fats such as oleic acid or omega-9 makes it a heart healthy oil. It is overall a very healthy oil to cook with and has even been shown to be anti-inflammatory.

Virgin coconut oil (high heat)

Virgin, unrefined coconut oil is best as it is minimally processed but it does have a coconut flavor. If you are not a fan of coconut flavor, triple filtered coconut oil is a good option. There is controversy over the healthiness of coconut oil because it has a high saturated fat content. However, saturated fats are more stable for high heat such as frying. So, even though the smoke point of unrefined coconut oil is only 350°F, I would still recommend it for frying.

macadamia nut oil (medium heat)

Macadamia nut oil has a smoke point of around 400° F, making it a great oil for baking or light sautéing. It contains antioxidants and may be beneficial for heart health and digestive health.

extra virgin olive oil (low heat)

Olive oil has a smoke point of 325-465°F. Extra virgin (cold pressed) is on the low end and refined on the high end. Refined olive oil isn’t recommended due to the chemical solvent extraction process. Because of the low smoke point, extra virgin olive oil isn’t great for high heat cooking due to the release of free radicals. However, EVOO has a lot of health benefits when consumed raw! It also contains lots of phenols which act as antioxidants, reducing oxidative stress. So, use extra virgin olive oil for things like salad dressing or to finish off a dish after it’s been cooked.

walnut oil (low heat)

Walnut oil is high in antioxidants, may decrease inflammation, lower blood pressure, help improve blood sugar levels, and is anti-fungal (great for candida issues). (Source) It has a smoke point of around 320° F so is best to use for low temperature cooking or raw.

pumpkin seed oil (low heat)

Contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, is beneficial for heart health, and can help with symptoms of menopause. (Source)

What matters even more than the nutrition facts of our food? How about what is actually IN our foods?

Our food is so far away from what it is meant to be and there are so many opinions and documentaries about different ways we were “supposed” to eat. How about instead of focusing on some extreme diet, we just focus on what we put in our bodies?

Let’s focus on eating what we know is nourishing for our bodies. Whole foods.

Nutrition facts can look good if the item says zero sugar or low calorie when in reality, that same item can contain fake sugars or other not so good ingredients

Processed foods aren’t as nutritious as whole foods but my family still buys them for the convenience. In this case, look at the ingredients. The shorter the list, the better! If there is some ingredient you don’t know, google is your friend! There are some natural preservatives such as Tocopherol (vitamin E) that you may not recognize but in general it’s the ingredients that you don’t understand that are the most harmful to your health. Preservatives, MSG, food dyes, and fake sugars are big no-nos and are in more than you realize.

Get in the habit of reading every ingredient list whether it’s your dinner or your toothpaste! Basically, you should know everything that you are putting in or on your body. At least in the United States, our products aren’t regulated like you would think. Just because it is sold in stores doesn’t mean it is “safe.”

The Dirty Dozen List is published every year by the EWG and is a great guide if you can’t find or can’t afford organic.

*It is especially important for us to feed our son organic because his body is still developing and kids are more sensitive to a lot of these chemicals. Read my post on Feeding Baby for more info! They have the whole rest of their lives to get all the junk in their body let’s at least give them a healthy start! With that being said, if we are out to eat or at a friend’s house, we don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ve heard of the 80/20 rule and I’m a big fan especially for us natural mamas who can easily go down the rabbit hole! Nobody is perfect but we are all perfect for our kids! 💚

Ingredients to avoid always:

•Preservatives (TBHQ, BHA, and BHT)

•Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

•Artificial food dyes

•High fructose corn syrup

•Aspartame & other artificial sweeteners

•Propylene glycol

Unpopular opinion but I personally think that diet soda is worse for you than regular. If I’m going to treat myself to an occassional soda, I look for ones sweetened with cane sugar and containing NO artificial colors, flavors, or caramel color.

Please note that I am not a doctor and this should not be taken as a replacement for medical advice. Contact a nutritionist if you need more information on diet changes.

Follow me on Instagram @yourtruepeace for easy food ideas, lifestyle tips, and all the positive vibes!

With love, Amanda

The Healthiest Oils to Cook With