Cooking oils are a staple in every kitchen, but with so much on the shelves from “coconut to olive, avocado to canola” how do we know what to use, and whether we should avoid some?

Making a few small changes to your daily cooking methods can go a long way in making your diet healthy, by using the right cooking oil.

Cooking oil is one of the most important ingredients we probably use while cooking almost every meal, and of all food ingredients, it has the highest calories per gram.

When we think of cooking oil, the first thing that comes to mind is to reduce the use of oil, however that may not be enough, so cooking oils must be better understood.

There is a lot of conflicting information regarding the usefulness of cooking oils, and the oils used are called according to what they are extracted from, either by crushing, pressing or processing, and they are characterized by their high fat content, including saturated fats, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

According to UK guidelines, consuming a lot of saturated fat - more than 20g for women and 30g for men per day - causes the body to produce more LDL cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease.

olive oil

Nutrition and culinary experts have agreed that one of the most versatile and healthy oils for cooking and eating is olive oil. As long as it is extra virgin, it is not an oil that is refined or overly processed.

One study linked replacing olive oil with saturated fat with a lower risk of heart disease. Replacing olive oil with butter, mayonnaise, or dairy fat reduced the risk by 5% to 7%.

Studies have also found that people who eat more of all types of olive oil have a 15% lower risk of heart disease.

Olive oil, which is produced by crushing olives and separating the oil from the pulp, is famous for being one of the healthiest vegetable oils.

The health benefits of olive oil can be attributed in part to its monounsaturated fatty acids, which contain vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and plant-derived micronutrients.

Not only is olive oil added to the diet, but olive oil replaces other unhealthy fats.

A recent study found that olive oil has beneficial effects on the gut microbiome and heart disease, and that extra virgin olive oil can be beneficial in preventing cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Recent studies have also shown that extra virgin olive oil is safe for use in cooking, as researchers conducted a number of experiments to monitor extra virgin olive oil while it was cooked at a certain temperature, and scientists found that high temperature - not time - had some effect on the polyphenol content in the oil.

And in 2011, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that olive oil reduces oxidative stress — an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body — and protects cells and LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage, which can lead to cell aging.