Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Cook Healthy With Oil

Cooking oil has been added to recipes and used to cook food for years. All oils contain fat, which is necessary in your diet, but you should choose oils that contain monounsaturated fat. A tbsp. of oil contains 120 calories, and there are many kinds of cooking oil that have healthy benefits.


Instructions


1. Add extra virgin olive oil instead of butter to mashed potatoes, greens and other vegetables. Make salad dressing from three parts of extra virgin olive oil to one part of lemon juice. Extra virgin olive oil contains monounsaturated fat and Vitamin E. It can lower your blood pressure, improve your heart health, lower cholesterol, and fight breast and colon cancer. It is low in acid and has a delicate flavor.


2. Saute food with grapeseed oil. It is the best healthy oil to use for higher cooking temperatures since it has a higher smoke point. Grapeseed oil contains Vitamin E, Omega-6 fatty acids and antioxidants. It can raise HDL and lower LDL cholesterol and has a pleasant flavor.


3. Use canola oil for cooking and baking when you don't need extra flavor. The taste of canola oil is bland and won't interfere with your recipes. It contains Omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats that are good for your health.








4. Add a nutty taste to your food with sesame oil. Even in small amounts it adds a rich flavor, so you don't need to use much. This keeps your calorie count low.


5. Bake, cook and make salads with macadamia nut oil. It has a light nutty taste and contains healthy monounsaturated fats. It is good in salad, vegetables, meat and for baking, and it has a high smoke point.


6. Use soybean oil to cook food that doesn't need added flavor. It contains Omega-3 fatty acids and has a bland taste that doesn't interfere with the taste of your favorite foods. Use small amounts to avoid added calories.

Tags: fatty acids, virgin olive, contains Omega-3, contains Omega-3 fatty, cook food, extra virgin, extra virgin olive