As health and nutrition advances continue to reveal the importance of no longer fearing fat in our diets, we are also learning different fat sources offer different advantages. Learning which fats and oils are best used for varying uses helps us to maximize the health benefits of different oils.
One healthy oil that is earning a spot in every pantry for its uses and benefits is avocado oil. With its impressive nutritional profile, versatile uses, and heat stable properties, if you haven’t started using avocado oil, you won’t want to miss out any longer. Read on to find out exactly why!
What Is Avocado Oil?
Avocado oil is the oil that is made by pressing the oil out of the green flesh of avocados. It contains monounsaturated fats. It is becoming increasingly easy to find avocado oil at most grocery stores, health food stores, and online as health conscious people everywhere clamor to add it to their cooking.
Why Try Avocado Oil?
Avocado oil offers a host of health advantages. Not only does it contain the healthy fats our hearts and brains need, but it also offers vitamins A, E, and D. It is a good source of oleic acid which has been linked with helping keeping LDL (bad) cholesterol levels down and promoting higher levels of HDL (good cholesterol).
Other oils can offer most of these benefits as well, though. What makes avocado oil truly a standout for your health and wellness is its high smoke point. Avocado oil can be heated up to five hundred degrees Fahrenheit before reaching its smoke point. Once any oil reaches its smoke point, the chemical structure of the oil begins to change. What this means is that otherwise healthy oils, like extra virgin olive oil, can begin to oxidize and form harmful compounds when heated to extreme temperatures. Continue to include oils like olive oil in your diet, but stick with using it as a dressing and for lower temperature cooking and use avocado oil for higher temperature needs.
How Do I Add Avocado Oil to My Diet?
Avocado oil’s mild flavor makes it a good choice for both sweet and savory recipes. You can incorporate it into homemade salad dressings and mayonnaises and use it for baking. Where avocado oil really shines as one of the best options is as an oil for frying, sauteeing, and high temperature roasting.
The Bottom Line: Don’t toss your other healthy oils. Different oils have different uses and different benefits. Do incorporate avocado oil into your pantry for high temperature cooking without the risk of oxidation.