Olive, Avocado, Corn, Canola....Which Oil Should You Choose?

The last time I shopped for cooking oil, I was confused by all the options.

There’s a lot of buzz about “seed oils”--canola, corn, soybean, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, grapeseed, and rice bran—sometimes called “the hateful 8.” A few restaurants have removed them from their menus.

Are seed oils harmful?

Critics claim that their high omega-6 fatty acids content contribute to inflammation and chronic disease.

Most nutrition researchers and dietitians disagree.

A large 2017 study found no change in inflammatory markers with increased omega-6 consumption. There are benefits of omega-6 andpolyunsaturated fats, including reduced heart disease risk.

Raw oils (i.e. uncooked in salad dressings) have beneficial unsaturated fats. Seed oils go rogue when they're reused or maintained at too high a temperature, as many restaurants do. When reused 3 times or more they can end up containing trans fats...and aldehydes...and other undesirables.

Seed oils aren't bad but these are better

Getting enough omega-3s is more important than omega-6 intake.

While seed oils aren't the dietary villains some claim them to be, olive and avocado oils have more evidence supporting their health benefits.

Extra-virgin olive oil has been shown to lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, inflammation, Type 2 diabetes, and dementia.

EVOO produces the lowest levels of harmful by-products in cooking because its monounsaturated fats and antioxidants help it remain stable when heated.

Buy EVOO in glass bottles. Olive oils sold in plastic bottles have been found to contain phthalates, chemicals associated with increased risk of cancer, asthma and allergies, and learning attention and behavioral difficulties in children.

Two to avoid

Butter--a 33-year long study found that replacing 10 g. (2 pats) of butter per day with an equivalent amount of plant-based oils was associated with a 17% reduction in both total and cancer mortality.

Beef tallow and lard--My dad spoke wistfully of the biscuits his grandmother made with lard. I say "wistfully" because he recognized that those yummy biscuits weren't worth their saturated fat price.

It made the headlines in the '90s when McDonald's removed beef tallow from their fryers. Now some people are trying to bring it back.

They swear it makes food taste better but is it worth it?

Beef tallow is about 50% saturated fat. Thanks to its inflammatory properties, it's linked to an increase in heart disease, high total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, and other chronic diseases

Like fish, mammals store chemicals in their fat. The bigger the animal and the longer it lives, the greater the accumulation of pesticides, dioxins, and pollutants.

Moving beyond the debate

Maybe we should think beyond asking "Which oil is best?"and reconsider our cooking methods.

✅ For cold applications like dressings and dips, extra-virgin olive oil in glass bottles remains the gold standard.

✅ For everyday cooking, olive oil and avocado oil provide excellent stability and health benefits.

✅ If using seed oils, choose high-oleic versions when possible.

✅ Limit saturated fat sources like butter, lard, and beef tallow, despite their nostalgic appeal.

✅ Experiment with alternative cooking methods—air frying, roasting, steaming, and sautéing—that require less oil.

The issue isn’t just what we cook with, but how we cook in the first place!