From olive to rapeseed oil: which cooking oil is the healthiest?

Created: 03/28/2022, 16:15

By: Laura Wittstruck

They lower the cholesterol level or regulate the fat metabolism: many cooking oils are good for your health.

We reveal which ones.    

Whether as a salad dressing, in mayonnaise or for frying meat and vegetables:

are an important basic ingredient in every kitchen.

However, fats are considered unhealthy by many people - wrongly?

In fact, excess fat is detrimental to physical health.

For example, an excessive intake of fat promotes obesity, which can be the cause of many health problems.

At the same time, however, there are

* that have a positive effect on the body - we do the oil check.

Healthy fats: the fatty acids are crucial

Whether a fat is good for your health or not depends on what fatty acids it contains.

According to

, so -called

tend to have a negative effect.

The body is able to produce these itself: Those who also consume them through food also increase their cholesterol levels.

Saturated fatty acids are found in palm oil, for example.

On the other hand, the body is happy about

.

They lower the cholesterol in the body and are contained in rapeseed oil, for example.

are even healthier,

especially

.

They are good for the fat metabolism, the cardiovascular system and can thus prevent heart attacks.

However, Germans tend to consume too much rather than too little omega-6 fatty acids – this is reported by

.

Therefore, it makes more sense to rely on oils with a high content of omega-3 fatty acids.

These include, for example, linseed, walnut or soybean oil. 

From olives to walnuts: there is a large selection of oil types.

© Oleksandr Prokopenko/Imago

Olive or coconut oil?

These cooking oils are healthy

• Olive Oil

  : Olive oil is often cold-pressed and popular for pesto or salads.

  It has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and also contains a lot of vitamin E.

• Flaxseed oil

  : There are lots of valuable omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed oil.

  One to two tablespoons a day are ideal, for example in muesli or on salads.

  The oil is best stored in a dark, cool place, such as in the refrigerator.

• Rapeseed oil:

  Thanks to its neutral taste, rapeseed oil can be used in many areas.

  It also has the perfect ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

• Sunflower oil:

  Cold-pressed sunflower oil contains omega-6 fatty acids and vitamins E and K. These are said to have an antioxidant effect.

Edible oils: Which are suitable for frying

,

whether an oil is healthy or not also depends on the

it is prepared .

If it contains a particularly large number of saturated fatty acids, its

is also lower.

This means it will start smoking faster when heated.

This creates substances that are harmful to health.

are therefore recommended for searing or deep-frying

.

After pressing, they are treated in such a way that they can be heated well, but they lose some of their healthy ingredients.

In contrast, cold-

have been treated gently, so valuable components are preserved.

They are suitable for frying at low temperatures, for salad dressings or for pure enjoyment.