Do you whip up delicious meals without measuring a single thing? The oil you use in your kitchen can make or break your otherwise wonderful dish. Did you know that some oils are harmful?

Did you know that fried chicken and French fries often use hydrogenated oils, which increase your risk of diabetes, heart attack, obesity and cancer? Some partially hydrogenated oils are even derived from soybean oil, discussed below. What’s in your kitchen?

GOOD -

High in monounsaturated fats

Olive oil is an excellent source of antioxidants, polyphenols and essential fatty acids. It supports cardiovascular health and blood pressure.

Coconut oil. I’m referring to the unheated, unrefined, virgin coconut oil which is healthy raw or baked. Don’t use super high heat. Please avoid hydrogenated coconut oil, which is manmade and contains trans fats. Almond oil is a good source of natural vitamin E. It has even less saturated fat than olive oil. Almond contains monounsaturated fat (like olive oil). Almond oil goes rancid easily, so store it in a dark cabinet.

High in omega 3 fatty acids

Hemp oil. Unrefined oil has a good amount of gamma linolenic acid, which is considered a healthy omega 6 that may relieve PMS and skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis.

Flax is a fragile oil that shouldn’t be heated. It’s good to make salad dressings with. Refrigerate the oil. Too much may be goitrogenic (suppress iodine absorption) so avoid consuming high-dose supplements for extended period of time. A little oil on your salad should be fine though.

Tea seed. This is one of my favorite oils because you can use it at high temperatures, the flavor is mild and it contains antioxidants like vitamin E. It has both omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Do not confuse tea seed oil with the essential oil of tea tree, which cannot be ingested.

BAD -

High in saturated fats or trans fats

Canola oil (Rapeseed). Some of you think this is a healthy oil because it’s very low in saturated fat and like olive oil, it’s high in monounsaturated fat. However, hexane is used as a chemical solvent to extract canola oil from the seeds, and pesticides are sometimes used. Bleaching, too. It’s used for baking or stir-fry.

Margarine. This is a man-made chemical. Do I need to say anything else?

High in omega 6, which can increase inflammation

Corn oil. It’s hard to find a non-GMO version of this, unless it specifically says organic. Plus, it may be bleached. Corn oil increases oxidized or bad cholesterol.

Soybean oil. This is another oil that’s heavily refined and often genetically modified. Did you know that plants are somewhat toxic to humans? Soybean oil, milk and tofu contains a lectin called PHG, or phytohemagglutinin. PHG may interfere with digestion, affect memory and make your blood cells stick together. People use soybean oil for stir-fry because of the high smoke point. Read your supplement bottles because soybean oil is used in many dietary supplements.