Top 5 Unhealthy Cooking Oils

Most of us cannot cook without using cooking oils. But if you are one of those people who use cooking oil sparingly in their kitchen and believe they are leading to a healthy lifestyle, snap out. Most of the cooking oils available in the market are unhealthy because they contain harmful saturated fats. Most homemakers have very fixed ideas about which oils to buy from their kitchen. Unfortunately, this 'habit' may make you buy some really unhealthy oils.

So instead of depending on television commercials to do the thinking for you, take note of these unhealthy oils that you should never use on a regular basis.

The Worst Cooking Oils For Your Kitchen:

1. Palm Oil: This oil is the most commonly used cooking oil in Africa. In the African states of Nigeria, Egypt, Congo etc, people use this unhealthy oil on a regular basis. As palm oil is made indigenously in the rural areas of these countries, it is the only oil available to a multitude of people. Now Palm oil has up to 30 per cent saturated fats that makes it very dangerous for your heart health.

2. Palm Kernel Oil: Most people think that palm oil and palm kernel oil are the same. However, there is a huge difference between the two. The first is extracted from the fruit of palm trees and the second from the kernels of the palm fruits. This oil is popular in most coastal areas where palm trees grow. This is probably the most unhealthy oil for cooking of all. The amount of trans-fats in this oil goes up to 80 to 85 per cent depending on the way it is manufactured.

3. Coconut Oil: Coconut is anyway rich in cholesterol and fats. Thus the oil extracted from coconut too is rich in saturated fats. The constitution of harmful trans-fats in this oil is above 17 per cent. While it is good for growing thick and dark black hair, it forms thick blocks in your arteries when consumed excessively. Coconut oil is used regularly for cooking in the Southern states of India. Although it has a traditional value and a characteristic taste without which some dishes are incomplete, you must avoid it as much as possible.

4. Corn Oil: Some years back, peanut oil had made a huge hit in the the market as a healthy cooking oil. But these claims are mostly false. Although corn oil has little trans-fats and healthy omega-3-fatty acids, it should not be your first choice. This is because corn oil contains too much of concentrated fatty acids that leads to internal inflammation.

5. Hydrogenated Oil: You should never buy any kind of oil that says 'partly-hydrogenated'. Many commercial brands sell hydrogenated oil which is rich in trans-fats and leads to blocked arteries. So, avoid using this unhealthy cooking oil.