Diving Into the Pool of Oils
Jan. 31, 2013Editorial by Leanne Haight
OK, this one is a real thinker. It is technical, and I have debated myself extensively on whether or not to dial it down. But, this is very important subject matter, and I think the path to thorough understanding is via the why’s and how’s. Even here – in a 3 page editorial, justice will hardly be done to those. I invite you to sit back, read with your thinking cap on, and then continue on with your own research... and, hey, maybe you’ll even try some new oils for fun & your health. I know I did! My new favorite is avocado oil for sure.
So, what is it you want in a cooking oil? Do you think about it? Do you have one oil you go to for everything, or do you have a cupboard full of them- one for this thing, one for that? I bet most of us look to oils for a few basic things, 1- for taste, or lack thereof, 2- for a desired level of “substance” in our food preparation, 3- for health benefits (of course!), and 4- in this day, for sustainability. Can one oil be all that? Let’s take a look and see, first with taste.
In oil’s most natural form- within actual fruit, vegetable, or seed, it carries the taste of its parent. The more it is drawn out, i.e. the more it is processed and refined, the more it loses its taste, as well as color and other substances. Easy enough to envision: The clearer, less colored/fragrant oil is, the more it has been processed and refined. So, what is involved in the refining process- don’t we just have to squeeze really hard and use some filters to achieve the glistening substance? Not exactly. The process of refining cooking oils involves everything from pressing and crushing, to the use of heat, as well as solvents, surfactants, and even bleach. In order to get that crystal clear substance, uniform in color, odor and taste, the oils experience a rigorous (some might say traumatic!) process. In addition to the crushing and pressing, the extraction processing often involves high temperatures- up 500 degrees or more, degumming, deodorizing, neutralizing, and then filtering and bottling for your consumption! Did you know that the main solvent used in the conventional refining process is hexane which is a product of crude oil (deep within the earth oil) production? Yes indeed, it “works” for everything from commercial glues to bathing seeds & pulp for cooking oil extraction. Likewise, phosphoric acid- a harsh chemical commonly used as rust remover/killer, is used to neutralize the oil, making it colorless, odorless, tasteless, dare I say health-less. Organic oils are not treated with these chemicals, but many of the rest of them definitely are. So, that’s taste- the more robust and flavorful, the less the oil has been refined and processed. The oils that Azure carries are carefully extracted with the lowest temperatures possible, and without the use of harmful chemicals. Now, on we go to substance...
Let’s think of oil’s substance as its makeup and its stability. In order to understand substance, however, we have to understand exactly what oil is. Oil is fat - one and the same they are. Technically, oils are liquid at room temperature, and fats are solid, but that’s the difference. They are made up of varying combinations of fatty acids which are of two basic types: Saturated and unsaturated. Bear with me, this is a little complicated, but is important to wade through so we can comprehend the overall picture. The use of the word “saturated” has to do with the molecular structure of the fatty acids - how the carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms are bonded together, etc. Saturation of what, you ask? It is the density/saturation of hydrogen atoms in the molecular chain. Saturated fats are completely saturated with hydrogen- meaning the carbon atoms are totally surrounded by hydrogen (no double bonds). Unsaturated fats have at least one double bond between the carbon atoms, meaning they are missing the hydrogen there. Mono- unsaturated fats have ONE double bond somewhere in the chain, and poly-unsaturated have more than one, and maybe many. But, what does that mean? It has to do with a couple things (at least)- the stability of the fat, and the energy that is produced when metabolizing the fat. A quick way to remember it: The more double bonds, the less chemically stable.
Let’s get tangible here, and translate that information into the characteristics of the three main (umbrella) fatty acids - saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), and polyunsaturated (PUFA). Saturated fats are the most stable in terms of degradation when exposed to heat, oxygen, and light. Saturated fats are animal fats and some tropical oils/fats like coconut and palm. They are most able to withstand high temperatures and have a longer shelf life. Monounsaturated fats are not as chemically stable, but fairly hearty. They are good for lower temperature cooking and baking, and are great for raw dishes. Think olive, peanut, canola, almond, and avocado oils to name a few. Polyunsaturated fats are the least stable, and go rancid very quickly when exposed. That does not mean they aren’t nutritious when fresh- they are! That’s where your Omega 3’s & Omega 6’s come from- think flax, walnut, grapeseed, and many fish oils. Keep in mind, EVERY oil is a COMBINATION of each type of fatty acid. Here’s a quick look at just a few oils/fats to give an idea (percentages are rough and can vary to some degree):
|
|
SFA |
MUFA |
PUFA |
|
Olive Oil |
14% |
73% |
11% |
|
Canola Oil |
7% |
61% |
32% |
|
Flax Oil |
9% |
19% |
72% |
|
Coconut Oil |
92% |
6% |
2% |
|
Butter |
63% |
26% |
4% |
Still speaking of substance here, this is the point at which many like to talk about the “smoke point” of oils- the temperature at which oil “flashes” and begins to break down, and how that defines which oil is good for what type of cooking, etc. It is a bit of a controversial subject, and I think it is one that needs more unbiased study to be understood. Suffice it to say that the more fragile the oil- the quicker it will degrade when heated or exposed to oxygen and light. When oils degrade, their molecular chains break down, and free radicals are released… excessive free radicals in the body are extremely unhealthy and can lead to a plethora of maladies. As pointed out above, saturated fats are the most chemically stable, while polyunsaturated fats are the least- keep them in the fridge 
between uses in fact- with the tops securely fastened! One other thing to note is the effect that refining has on an oil’s ability to withstand heat. The more refined the oil is, the better it can withstand the heat (keep in mind, “refining” is not necesarily a bad word when it is done organically with care). As an example, unrefined safflower oil begins to degrade at quite a low temperature actually- low 200’s (not much above the boiling temp of water), whereas the refined safflower oil can withstand temperatures up into the low 500’s.
This is the foundation for getting to the next piece - the health benefits of oils. Let’s start by saying that each of the fatty acids has a vital role to play in the body. They are highly nutrient dense, and also facilitate the absorption of lipid-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). Here again, this IS a place where we could diverge into some serious debate and controversy… how many of us have grown up to believe that saturated fats are evil and should be avoided at all costs? Conversely, how many of us have embraced the philosophy of Weston Price? So … what do we know?
Saturated fats are used throughout the body for energy, hormone production, cellular membrane stabili
zation, and for padding around our organs, among other things. The main types of saturated fatty acids are palmitic (in palm oil and meats), stearic (meats and cocoa butter), myristic (milk and dairy products), lauric (coconut oil, palm kernel & breast milk), AND butyric (butter). Monounsaturated fats are widely believed to help reduce LDL cholesterol levels (the bad cholesterol), thereby improving overall cardiovascular health. They are your omega 9’s, also known as oleic acid. Polyunsaturated fats also help the cardiovascular system, as well as provide the Omega 3’s & 6’s we need- which are the two fatty acids our bodies cannot synthesize; we must get them through our diet, and they are therefore called “essential” fatty acids. We’ll pause here just a second to go over those two in more depth.
Both omega 3 (linolenic acid) & omega 6 (linoleic acid) are critical to our health. Currently, the debate is about how much of each. Omega 3’s are plentiful in cold water fish, flax, chia seed, walnuts, etc., while omega 6’s are found in many vegetable oils. Just like the rest of fats, there is always a combination or ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 in an oil. This is important to note because for one, omega 6’s, although vital, tend to cause inflammation in the body when consumed in excess, whereas omega 3’s do the opposite; they actually help reduce inflammation in the body. Both have many more vital functions in the body, but we have limited space and time here. The point I want to
accentuate is that there is a generally agreed upon healthy ratio of omega 6’s to omega 3’s roughly 4 to 1. That is, for every four omega 6’s, you need one omega 3 (pre-ag development, we were closer to a 1:1 ratio!). The problem we are facing in western society today, however, is that our ratio of omega 6’s is MUCH greater than that because of specific, concentrated plant-based oils/foods we are eating a lot of (soy, corn, etc.). It seems that our current ratio is somewhere in the neighborhood of 13 or 14 maybe as high as 16 omega 6’s to 1 omega 3. For a real life understanding, look at the fatty acid makeup of grass-fed versus grain fed cows. Grass fed animals are getting
several times more omega 3’s from the chloroplast in the grass, while the grain fed (think feed lots) are fatting up on omega 6’s (soy and corn grains). The diet of the animals we consume- or the by-products of those animals (butter, milk, etc.), DOES affect their fatty acid ratios overall.
Here’s a quick sample table of oils and their (rough) ratios of omega 6’s to omega 3’s (remember, only the polyunsaturated fatty acids have the omega 3’s & 6’s)
|
|
Omega 6: Omega 3 |
|
Hemp Seed Oil |
3:1 |
|
Canola Oil |
3:1 |
|
Sunflower Oil |
40:1 |
|
Rice Bran Oil |
21:1 |
|
Avocado Oil |
8:1 |
|
Flaxseed Oil |
1:4 |
|
Walnut Oil |
5:1 |
Another important thing to consider is that when oils are in their natural states – within the nut/seed/plant, they are more than just the oil, they are part of a greater whole of nutrients and anti-oxidants. Think about it. What is the purpose of the nut or seed? To grow into another plant. Therefore, within them, they have everything they need to 
grow- fats, carbs and protein. The oils in them are protected by antioxidants (tocopherols generally), and they are not directly exposed to oxygen which is death to oils- slowly or quickly, depending on how saturated they are. Also, think about our ancestry as humans… back in our hunter/gatherer past, were we eating nuts and seeds every day, all year round, year after year? No. They were a supplement to our diet as we could gather and store them, not the main course. There is so much to explore here, but I will have to leave it to you to continue on with your own research- this is just a point from which to jump off and dive in.
However, I don’t want to end without mentioning sustainability. Just like with all things, oil production can have a very detrimental effect on the environment if it is not done with holistic care. Think of wide-spread pesticide and herbicide use, genetic engineering of crops, deforestation, poor or inhumane working conditions, etc. For us at Azure, we also factor in the sustainability of the oils we offer to our customers, and choose those that have been produced with sincere stewardship of our precious earth and its people.
In parting, below are some tips to remember with your oils, and then a beautiful chart that illustrates suggested practices with a wide variety of oils. We were kindly given permission to reprint it from Andy Bellatti, nutritionist and blogger with a passion for whole foods, and food and nutrition policy. He co-developed the chart with Andrew Wilder of the Eating Rules blog. Bear in mind, this chart is just ONE perspective- there are others out there. But, I think it does give good food for thought.
"Cooking Oil Comparison Chart"
Tips for Oils & Mini-recap:
- Expose oils to air and light as little as possible. Keep lids on between uses.
- Store your oils in the cupboard or refrigerator- somewhere without light, especially if they are in clear bottles.
- Be mindful of cooking temperatures- use the right oil for the right temperature; some oils should not be used for cooking at all.
- Remember, flours have oils in them too (that’s why they go rancid!). Treat them with the same care you give your oils.
- Every fat/oil is a combination of the 3 main fatty acids: Saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated
- Saturated fats are the most chemically stable (most saturated with hydrogen). Examples: Animal fats, coconut, palm
- Monounsaturated are moderately stable. Examples: Olive, avocado, many nuts, canola
- Polyunsaturated fats are the least stable. They also contain the two essential fatty acids omega 3 & omega 6 Examples: Flaxseed oil, walnut oil, hemp seed oil, corn oil, soy oil, rice bran oil, fish oils
References:
A note on my writing and references: When I write articles of this sort, I read a lot of different material for comparison purposes. I let the information settle and digest, and then I attempt to articulate my interpretation and understanding of the knowledge. I don’t generally take specific information from any one site, even numbers. When the numbers vary from place to place (within a reasonable amount), I use an average and make sure it is understood that numbers are rough. There is literally a ton of material out there on every aspect of this article, and the following were some sites I found informative or interesting:
www.jonbarron.orb www.whfoods.com smallbites.andybellatti.com www.eatingrules.com www.marksdailyapple.com www.second-opinions.co.uk www.westonaprice.org www.aocs.org www.pureindianfoods.com www.spectrumorganics.com www.eatwild.com www.veganhealth.org www.mercola.com “Fats the Heal, Fats the Kill” by Udo Erasmus www.wikepedia.org