Oil Smoke Point, Oxidation, And Good Seed Oil Alternatives
“Each one of the substances of a man’s diet acts upon his body and changes it in some way and upon these changes his whole life depends, whether he be in health, in sickness, or convalescence. To be sure there can be little knowledge more necessary.”
It was this concept that I started to grasp in the midst of a period in which my worldview was beginning to change. During this period I was leaving the Marine Corps after, “Serving my country” and was trying to get into becoming a public school history teacher. I fell down the rabbit hole of nutrition science and noticed irregularities in the mainstream narrative. One of the things I discovered was the links between our diseases and the oils we use to cook. I’m primarily an animal fats type of guy but I enjoy cooking with coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil from time to time. I do my best to avoid the other poisonous stuff. What makes an oil harmful to our body depends on a few things.
Smoke Point
The smoke point is self-explanatory and is about the point at which the oil you’re cooking with becomes smoke. The oil at this point breaks down into fatty acids and glycerol. The glycerol further breaks down into water and Acrolein. Acrolein is a mucus irritant that causes one to cough and for their eyes to water. If you don’t want a gas chamber-like experience then avoid cooking more of your oils past the smoke point ;).
The stuff we cook with will eventually start smoking to some extent but the coughing and the eye-watering should be a good indicator that things have gone too far. Based on some evidence avocado oil and ghee(clarified butter) are the better options for higher-temperature cooking. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Butter are on the other end meaning that anything higher than stove cooking on medium will push it past the smoke point.
But, I should state that the smoke point may not be a good indicator of the breakdown resulting in harmful compounds depending on the oil. When it comes to Olive oil, several studies have shown that due to its superior stability compared to other oils, its still hands out health benefits even past its smoke point some of which I’ll share in a lower section.
The smoke point, depending on the oil, can be thought of as the partial breakdown of what makes that oil itself. However, the smoke point isn’t the only breakdown that can occur.
Oxidation
Oxidation is when oxygen is added to the molecular structure of the oil and performs a switcheroo with hydrogen causing a chain reaction that is ongoing. This is where “Free Radicals” come from which are molecules or atoms with an unpaired electron floating around not attached to anything causing havoc within what should be a peaceful system.
This can also lead to the damage of DNA causing a laundry list of other problems.
A smoke point can occur simultaneously with oxidation but the same is not the other way around. Given enough time or light an oil can become oxidized. That’s why some choose oils that come in darker containers over lighter ones. But, there needs to be enough energy for the oil to oxidize. Oils with more double bonds (more unstable connections) are likely to degrade first and all vegetable-seed oils are in this category. I don’t recommend consuming those so we don’t need to worry about them.
But healthy oils can still become oxidized as well as become rancid but you’ll be able to tell by the smell. Olive oil, has the best, “Oxidative stability” out of any oil despite its lower smoke point. The smoke point does not always equal oxidation.
My Go-To Alternative Oils
Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil is my number one choice for cooking when I’m not using animal fats. It has a smoke point of 350 degrees Fahrenheit for the unrefined version meaning keep it at medium heat. You’ll find with oils that the refined version usually has a higher smoke point which in this case is 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Unrefined, unadulterated, and virgin are the same thing meaning that they undergo the least amount of preparation process. The more process they undergo the more heat they are subjected to as well the possibility of chemical solvents being added to them. I’m the type of guy that avoids things that undergo too much processing.
But I love the coconut smell as I cook with it as well as the flavor it adds to the food. I grew up loving almond joys and samoa girl scout cookies so it takes me back. For health benefits, you’ll find many articles saying it, “May” do this or it, “May” do that.
Here in the West, there aren't many studies confirming the benefits of consuming it. Knowing what our medical and scientific system stands for as well as the stuff they have suppressed it shouldn’t be surprising. That's where foreign studies come in like this one from Thailand showing an improvement in HDL cholesterol. There’s also an animal study from India showing how it reduces inflammation.
Many of these vegetable-seed oil alternatives have similar health benefits btw.
Virgin Olive Oil
As long as you buy it from the right company, virgin olive oil is a great addition to have in your kitchen. I like it because you don’t really have to cook with it. Just throw it on some bread or a salad and the flavor of whatever you’re eating improves drastically.
Olive oil, at least the virgin/extra virgin kind, has the lowest smoke point out of all the alternatives but will still remain intact from its superior stability even during frying. However, if you choose to cook slower and at a lower temperature that has its own benefits, the main one being taste. Although this is a different tool than the stove, I enjoy cooking things more through my slower cooker these days as it just tastes a little better. Cooking things slowly definitely has the effect of, “Sealing in the flavors” as they say.
Olive Oil has many benefits to it similar to the others like brain health, fighting inflammation, improving bone health, and more. It also has the ability to improve the antioxidant capabilities of whatever vegetables are cooked in it. The one I find most important to me is that it aids digestion. With the physical life I wish to live I need nutrients that I can extract from my food to use in repairing/building up muscles, bone, and connective tissues. It’s not how much you eat it’s how much you digest. When we are living a stressful life and bombarded by chemicals and this affects our gut and its ability to break down our food. We need all the help we can get.
However, we should be aware that there are imposter olive oils out there but this has brought about more regulation from the likes of the International Olive Council, the International Standard Organization (ISO), and a few others. What makes these olive oils, “Imposters” is the addition of other vegetable-seed oils to the mix. Additionally, as long as the bottle states that the olive oil comes from one place you’re good. Because that one place has a process through which they create their oil as well as better supervision. The more locations on the bottle the more one runs the risk of getting a lower-quality oil. This is because a company will have more difficulty supervising different olive oil plants spread across the globe.
Avocado Oil
I don’t use avocado oil that much anymore because the first two keep me happy. Avocado oil has a neutral taste to it so it won’t stand out with whatever you add it to. Avocado oil however has the highest smoke point at 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
So this allows for quick cooking(especially searing) if you like that approach. It can also be used for baking due to its neutral taste and high smoke point.
The health benefits are similar to the above two. Nothing else really stands out with this one. But the same with olive oil you have to watch out for fake avocado oil.
Wrap Up
The things we eat and cook will play a large part in our health and longevity. As long as we avoid all the processed chemicals, get strong, and enjoy being in nature we have almost nothing left to worry about.
Thank you for making it to the end and comments are below.
Until next time…
