The Best Oil For Cooking With written in text with image of a hand pouring a bottle of cooking oil into a skillet.

The Best Oils For Heart Health

As a fat, oils not only provide taste and texture but they also contain fatty acids that are key to several body processes, such as the production of hormones and absorption of vitamins and minerals. They also have health properties, like helping to lower cholesterol and blood pressure for a healthier heart. But those health benefits depend on the kind of oil you use.

So…ummmmmm…with all the different types of oil out there, how are you supposed to choose?

Say no more!

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Monounsaturated fats help reduce the risk of heart disease, and extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, contains the highest percentage of them among cooking oils, as well as the most antioxidants.¹

AVOCADO OIL

Much like EVOO, avocado oil can get pricey, as it’s unrefined and rich in monounsaturated fats. Added to that is its high smoke point, making it better than EVOO for actual cooking with instead of just drizzling on top of salads and shit. But that’s, like, only if your culinary skills extend to you knowing how to turn a stove on!

CANOLA OIL

Canola oil has the lowest amount of “bad” saturated fat among cooking oils and is not only a good source of monounsaturated fat but omega-3 fatty acids as well, which have a host of benefits beyond just heart health. Its high smoke point makes it ideal for frying, grilling, and baking.²

SAFFLOWER OIL

Safflower oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids, which don’t enjoy the same reputation as omega-3s but are just as beneficial for the heart and circulation. With one of the highest smoke points, this oil is excellent for deep frying all your favorite fried foods that you can then try to justify as being healthy though they’re still not.

COCONUT OIL

Depending on what day of the week it is, coconut oil, because of its high saturated fat content, might either be good for you or the worst thing you could possibly put in your body since that random guy you hooked up with a few hours ago. The research is all over the place! To play it safe, use it sparingly, preferably for baking with.

PEANUT OIL

Behind coconut oil at 92 percent saturated fat comes peanut oil at 18 percent. However, its 49 percent monounsaturated fat content makes it a healthy oil without much debate. Due to the oil’s nutty flavor because it’s…ummmmmm…made from nuts, it should only be used when making shit that should taste like nuts!

SESAME OIL

Sesame oil has a pretty equal mix of polyunsaturated fat (46 percent) and monounsaturated fat (40 percent). And with its nutty flavor, it’s a good alternative to peanut oil if you have a nut allergy.³

FLAXSEED OIL

Rich in omega-3s but possessing a low smoke point, flaxseed oil should only be used for salads and drizzling over hummus and other shit rather than for cooking with, not much of which you do anyway and is why this post was pretty much a waste of both of our time!

Those are some of the best oils for heart health.

After looking at them, you’re probably thinking to yourself where’s corn oil?

Good question!

Although popular, corn oil isn’t that great of an option because while it contains phytosterols that have heart health benefits, it’s highly refined and high in omega-6 fatty acids, which are inflammatory and people already get waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy more than enough of via the standard American diet.

So that’s why it’s not on the list!!!

Glossary: dietary fat, hormones

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Monster Longe

Monster Longe is a personal trainer in San Diego. He has been lifting weights for +25 years and training clients in the gym and online for about half of that time. When not working with clients or making content that's easy to read, understand, and apply to everyday life, he enjoys long walks and leaving buildings crushed and entire city blocks decimated in his wake.