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When it comes to weight loss you know which foods you can enjoy and which foods you should avoid. However, do you give much thought to the spices, herbs, and oils that you use when you’re cooking?
Paying attention to things like cooking oil is just as important as the foods you choose to put into your body. In fact, there’s one cooking oil that’s bad for you and your metabolism.
We know cooking oil is essential when it comes to making nutritious delicious meals at home. There are definitely some cooking oils that are much health healthier than others though. Luckily, we’ve turned to the experts to explain the cooking oils that are safe to use and which ones we should think twice about.
Cooking oils that are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, such as vegetable oils, do more harm than good for your body and metabolism. According to Eat This, Not That!, researchers at the University of California found that omega-6 fatty acids contained in oils like soybean oil can lead to weight gain because excessive amounts of omega-6s can slow your metabolic rate. Yikes!
Thankfully, you don’t have to rule out using cooking oils altogether since there are much better options for weight loss. Different examples of healthier cooking oils were outlined in a Good Housekeeping article by registered dietitian Stefani Sassos.
Sassos revealed that extra virgin olive oil has been found to work well in successful weight loss thanks to its use in the popular Mediterranean Diet.
“The Mediterranean Diet has been linked to weight loss and a reduction in disease risk, plus a boost in longevity overall,” Sasso says. “Olive oil, known for its role in the Mediterranen Diet, is abundant in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants.”
Well, it looks like we’ll definitely be keeping some extra virgin olive oil stocked in our pantry!
What are some of your weight loss cooking tips? Let us know your favorite healthy cooking oils in the comments below!