| Nutrition / Plants and plant products |
Vegetable Oils
All oils are not created equal, and understanding their differences and effects is essential for making informed dietary choices.
Image source: wikipedia.org
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3s are essential for heart health, anti-inflammatory effects, and cognitive function. They are sparsely available in our diets and are primarily obtained from marine life. Vegans may need to supplement with EPA and DHA,1 which are essential Omega-3s. Sources of Omega-3 for vegans are algae, walnuts, flax, chia, and canola oil.
• Monounsaturated Fatty Acids: Found in olive oil, monounsaturated fatty acids are beneficial for liver function, energy, and overall health. However, they can turn into trans fats if heated past their smoking point.
• Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: These fats are anti-inflammatory but can turn into trans fats if heated. They are generally found in foods with higher smoking points.
• Saturated Fatty Acids: Saturated fats can come from animal sources, like red meat and dairy. Odd-chain saturated fatty acids are metabolized differently and may have anti-inflammatory properties.
• Medium Chain Triglycerides: These fats, found in coconut oil, are metabolized differently and may lead to fatty liver.
• Omega-6 Fatty Acids: Omega-6s are found in seed oils and are pro-inflammatory. Excessive omega-6 consumption can lead to chronic inflammation.
• Trans Fats: Trans fats occur in meat and dairy products from ruminants. For example, butter contains about 3% trans fat. They are also a byproduct of the industrial processing of oils. Unlike naturally derived trans fats, they result from hydrogenation of vegetable oils. Intake of dietary trans fat disrupts the body's ability to metabolize essential fatty acids, raising risk of coronary artery disease.
Phytochemicals: In addition to different fats, vegetable oils also contain a variety of phytosterols that perform vital physiological functions, such as lowering cholesterol and displaying anti-inflammatory, antiatherosclerotic, antioxidant, and antitumor properties.
Plant sterols are essential functional components of edible vegetable oils, while the composition and form of these phytosterols vary significantly and can be used as a characteristic index to distinguish nutritional values between edible vegetable oils.
Flaxseed oil is not appropriate for cooking due to its high omega-3 content. Omega-3s are unstable and become damaged when heated.
Table 1. Popular oils, nutritional content per 50g. (Source: USDA Nutritional Database)
| Nutrient | Olive | Avocado | Sunflower | Canola | Walnut | Coconut | Sesame | Corn | Flaxseed | Palm |
| Calcium (mg) | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 0.00 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Choline total (mg) | 0.15 | 0.00 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.20 | 0.15 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.15 |
| Energy (Kcal) | 442.00 | 442.00 | 442.00 | 442.00 | 442.00 | 446.00 | 442.00 | 450.00 | 442.00 | 442.00 |
| Fatty acids mono (g) | 36.48 | 35.28 | 9.75 | 31.64 | 11.40 | 3.17 | 19.85 | 13.79 | 9.22 | 18.50 |
| Fatty acids poly (g) | 5.26 | 6.74 | 32.85 | 14.07 | 31.65 | 0.85 | 20.85 | 27.34 | 33.92 | 4.65 |
| Fatty acids sat (g) | 6.90 | 5.78 | 5.15 | 3.68 | 4.55 | 41.24 | 7.10 | 6.47 | 4.49 | 24.65 |
| Iron (mg) | 0.28 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Lipid total (g) | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 | 49.53 | 50.00 | 50.00 | 49.99 | 50.00 |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 0.00 |
| Potassium (mg) | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Protein (g) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.06 | 0.00 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Vitamin D (IU) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 7.18 | 0.00 | 20.54 | 8.73 | 0.20 | 0.06 | 0.70 | 7.15 | 0.24 | 7.97 |
| Vitamin K (µg) | 30.10 | 0.00 | 2.70 | 35.65 | 7.50 | 0.30 | 6.80 | 0.95 | 4.65 | 4.00 |
| Zinc (mg) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.00 |
Table 2. Smoking point.2
| Smoke point | Olive | Avocado | Sunflower | Canola | Walnut | Coconut | Sesame | Corn | Flaxseed | Palm |
| °F | 400 | 520 | 450 | 400 | 225 | 350 | 350 | 450 | 225 | 450 |
| °C | 204 | 271 | 232 | 204 | 107 | 177 | 177 | 232 | 107 | 232 |
Footnotes
1. EPA: EicosaPentaenoic Acid; DHA: DocosaHexaenoic Acid.
2. Heated past the a certain temperature, oils start to break down, releasing free radicals and a toxic substance called acrolein, the chemical that gives burnt foods their acrid flavor and aroma. Overheating oil will also destroy some of the beneficial phytochemicals.
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