Insanely Awe-dical

I was cooking last night and I used some olive oil, and realized that if I continued cooking like this, I may be in a problem, oil-wise. So I decided to do some research on cooking oils and apparently coconut oil would be the best oil to cook with. Apparently its very high percentage of saturated fat is attributed as its main selling point.

But wait -- isn't saturated fat bad? More research was needed.

I stumbled upon an article called "The Truth about Saturated Fat" and it explains how saturated fat has an unfairly publicized name. I am in process of reading it still, but the following excerpt gives an idea of where Atkin's started from:

"The notion that saturated fats per se cause heart disease as well as cancer is not only facile, it is just plain wrong. But it is true that some fats are bad for us. In order to understand which ones, we must know something about the chemistry of fats.

Fats-or lipids-are a class of organic substances that are not soluble in water. In simple terms, fatty acids are chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms filling the available bonds. Most fat in our bodies and in the food we eat is in the form of triglycerides, that is, three fatty-acid chains attached to a glycerol molecule.

Elevated triglycerides in the blood have been positively linked to proneness to heart disease, but these triglycerides do not come directly from dietary fats; they are made in the liver from any excess sugars that have not been used for energy. The source of these excess sugars is any food containing carbohydrates, particularly refined sugar and white flour."

Summary:
Extra carbs --> extra sugars not used for energy --> liver uses those extra sugars and creates triglycerides, which have been positively linked to proneness to heart disease.

A major reason oils such as corn or sesame are so unhealthy is the unfortunate levels of the type of fats they contain.

More polysaturated and less saturated = more prone to being overheated in cooking and may lead to rancid oils, which are characterized by free radicals, which have been characterized as "marauders" in the body for they attack cell membranes and red blood cells and cause damage in DNA/RNA strands, thus triggering mutations in tissue, blood vessels and skin. Free radical damage to the skin causes wrinkles and premature aging; free radical damage to the tissues and organs sets the stage for tumors; free radical damage in the blood vessels initiates the buildup of plaque.

From the chart, palm kernel, coconut, and olive have the best ratios of saturated to polysaturated.

My final result -- Olive oil will do fine. Coconut/palm kernal oil may be relatively harder to olive oil is pretty good in all cases:

"Olive Oil contains 75% oleic acid, the stable monounsaturated fat, along with 13% saturated fat, 10% omega-6 linoleic acid and 2% omega-3 linolenic acid. The high percentage of oleic acid makes olive oil ideal for salads and for cooking at moderate temperatures. Extra virgin olive oil is also rich in antioxidants.

It should be cloudy, indicating that it has not been filtered, and have a golden yellow color, indicating that it is made from fully ripened olives. Olive oil has withstood the test of time; it is the safest vegetable oil you can use, but don't overdo. The longer chain fatty acids found in olive oil are more likely to contribute to the buildup of body fat than the short- and medium-chain fatty acids found in butter, coconut oil or palm kernel oil. "

I don't intend to be doing any heavy frying; I am stir frying at moderate temps, so this should work out also. I'm glad we have the oil that would be relatively best to use.