BEST cooking oil for lupus ppl

any ideas which cooking oils are best and why ?

Hi Greengal,

I am a huge fan of olive oil. I love the flavor it brings to food and it is very, very good for you. I also make my own ghee (clarified butter) which I use in Middle Eastern cooking. When made right and with the right kind of butter, ghee is absolutely magical. I use canola oil for my baking needs. I stay away from saturated fats, coconut oil and peanut oil. They seem to intensify the inflammation from Lupus (at least for me).

Laura

Any oils that are heated become toxic. The best oil for you is organic extra virgin olive oil. It too however, should not be heated. If you just use a little bit of oil in a pan and add water to it and use a low flame, you should be ok. Also do not set your oven higher than 350 degrees when using oils. You can also dry fry or use some vegetable broth or chicken broth.

Here is an excerpt:

By Dr. Mercola

Anytime you cook a food, you run the risk of creating heat-induced damage. The oils you choose to cook with must be stable enough to resist chemical changes when heated to high temperatures, or you run the risk of damaging your health. One of the ways vegetable oils can inflict damage is by converting your good cholesterol into bad cholesterol—by oxidizing it.

When you cook with polyunsaturated vegetable oils (such as canola, corn, and soy oils), oxidized cholesterol is introduced into your system. As the oil is heated and mixed with oxygen, it goes rancid. Rancid oil is oxidized oil and should NOT be consumed—it leads directly to vascular disease.

Trans-fats are introduced when these oils are hydrogenated, which increases your risk of chronic diseases like breast cancer and heart disease. But the problems don’t end there.

The majority of these vegetable oils (at least in the U.S.) are made from genetically engineered crops, and they’re heavily processed on top of that. So not only are the polyunsaturated fats being oxidized, but these oils also contain other toxins, such as glyphosate and Bt toxin found in genetically engineered corn and soy. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup, which is used in very large amounts on all of these crops. So there are a number of reasons for avoiding vegetable oils, but the fact that they’re oxidized is clearly a high-priority one.

Not to add fuel to the fire (haha) - but it seems currrent research and thinking on this topic indicates that lard and butter (for cooking/frying) are actually healthier alternatives to vegetable oils.  This is in the context of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acid ratios.  And of course, the less you consume of any of these fats, the better.

I recommend Extra Virgin Olive Oil...Costco, Santini, World Market or Trader Joes. It is good for everything and doesn't feel the effects of heat until 350 degrees. If you are cooking in a wok then you will have to go to something like Grapeseed or
peanut oil. I prefer grapeseed, it is great for the heart. The main thing is that you stay away from the simple oils such as corn because they are carcinogenic after 300 degrees. Canola has some of the staying power of olive oil, but people who have Celiac Sprue are sometimes sensitive to it. Good Luck and I hope this helps.