As I am often asked, “What kind of oils should I use for cooking?”, I always respond with the oils they should NOT be using: any vegetable oils such as corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, or canola, to name a few. “Canola?”, “But I thought canola oil was good for you?”, they reply. Most people do not realize that there is no such thing as a canola bean and that canola actually stands for “Canadian oil”. It is derived from the rapeseed bean and is highly processed and obviously originated from Canada. I know it is full of monounsaturated fats and the popular omega-3’s, but the fact is that canola oil is so processed that your body will not respond well to it. As far as the other vegetable oils, they too are processed and become easily rancid which means more free radicals, which can be damaging. But the biggest reason why to avoid these oils is because of their high content of omega-6 fats. For those of you not aware, the American diet is considered too high in omega-6’s as compared to omega-3’s. The 6’s being more pro-inflammatory. “So what do you recommend?” Olive oil, coconut oil, ghee (clarified butter), raw butter (if you can get your hands on it, but organic pasteurized will also do), lard, or palm oil. Olive oil is the only monounsaturated oil in the group. The others are high in saturated fat, which most people are taught to be scared of. Saturated fats are not as bad as we are led to believe. Remember people, it is not just the diet that affects cardiovascular health, but lifestyle habits also play a major role. But for those who do have cardiac issues, olive oil is the best option, until now. I have recently been researching and experimenting with macadamia nut oil. That’s right those large Hawaiian nuts are also another option for a monounsaturated oil.
The brand I use (and is the only brand out in the market for now, at least as far as I know) is Mac Nut Oil. It’s from Australia and supposedly they are the biggest producers of macadamia nuts worldwide, Hawaii coming in second (this according to their website). They are not organic, but appear to go through a screening process, as mentioned in the website. It has more of a nutty flavor as compared to olive oil. I bought it from the Whole Foods Market in Chelsea. I have as yet to see it in the Manhasset store. You can also buy it online at www.macnutoil.com. To summarize, macadamia nut oil is a new alternative to olive oil for cooking such as sauting or browning. It has more antioxidants and is able to tolerate higher heat. You have to be careful when sauting with olive oil because it can oxidize and create trans fats and lipid peroxides (which is bad). Now do not misunderstand me, I am not condemning olive oil. Please still use it. It is also very healthful. But now you have the choice of 2 monounsaturated oils to choose from for your pantry.
