Heart-healthy oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, and sunflower oils contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil is one of the healthiest options when considering which oil is best for a heart patient. It's packed with antioxidants that can improve circulation, promote a healthy gut, boost your immune system and reduce inflammation.
Coconut oil, palm, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter supply large amounts of saturated fat, too, but are cholesterol-free. Your body makes all the saturated fat and cholesterol it requires, so you don't need to eat any.
Monounsaturated Fats
According to MayoClinic.com, consuming MUFAs improves your blood cholesterol levels, reduces your risk of heart disease and may help stabilize blood sugar levels. Foods high in monounsaturated fats include olive, canola, sunflower and sesame oils, avocados, pecans, almonds, salmon and herring.
The healthiest oils are those that are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as vegetable oil and olive oil. These types of fats can help lower your risk of heart disease when used instead of saturated fats.
Try canola oil, vegetable oil or sunflower oil work as a 1 for 1 substitute. Find organic versions of these oils if you can. They all have a neutral flavor and are pretty interchangeable with olive oil, which has a stronger, more robust flavor.
Luckily, there are so-called “good fats” – unsaturated fats – that can give your body energy and support the growth of cells without clogging your arteries. “Avocados contain omega-3 fatty acids, which is the fat that is heart-healthy,” Kim explains.
Regardless of the type, olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, containing about 75% by volume. When substituted for saturated fat, monounsaturated fats help lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol. The health benefits of olive oil have been attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Myth: Coconut oil is a heart-healthy cooking alternative.
The reality: Coconut oil has been shown to raise cholesterol levels — the good and the bad kinds — more than other plant-based oils like olive or canola.
7. Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.
Heart-healthy oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, and sunflower oils contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
It's been shown to lower blood pressure and contains plant-based compounds that offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties known to reduce the disease process, including heart disease.
Notably, olive oil is healthier than canola, as it provides many disease-fighting antioxidants and is good for your heart. If you're looking for a healthy, versatile cooking oil, olive oil is a terrific choice.
Blueberries and strawberries contain flavonoids, which help dilate arteries, reduce plaque buildup and increase blood flow.
Recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study also found that replacement of dietary saturated fats with omega-6 linoleic acid (from safflower oil and margarine) increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and CHD mortality.
Once in our kitchens, we cook them in our canola-blend oil so you can have them crispy and hot—just the way you like them. Want to hear more about our fry ingredients? Get the down low on how we flavor our fries.
Choose plant-based oils rich in unsaturated fat.
The heart association suggests the following cooking oils, which meet its health standards: canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean and sunflower, as well as specialty oils like avocado, grape-seed and sesame.
People can use sunflower oil for shallow frying. It has a high smoke point and is also a good source of vitamin E. Sunflower oil contains high levels of omega-6, however. Consuming too many omega-6 fatty acids can cause inflammation in the body.