I got this from EFS Q&A under sports. I guess Martin doesn’t really know the whole story over saturated fat. He says that coconut is bad for you because it has too much saturated fat. I wish there was easier way to tell him without typing too much in the question section b/c there’s a limit on numbers of characters i can type. I told him to check out this website, regeneration lab or talk with Clemson.
10/20/2004 - Clinton Martin,
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What is the best type of oil to cook with?
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In your MMA book, I didn’t see you mention coffee, but you did allude to the importance of acid/base. It seems too much coffee could affect the PH balance. Do you think that coffee should be avoided?
Clinton,
Thanks for writing in. I am glad you read the book, and I will give you the best answers I can.
First off, everyone should be using fats and oils sparingly in their cooking. I ahve to say that I personally dont really cook with oil, and try to stay away from fried food. If I couldnt avoid it,though, here are my choices based on what I have learned. All of the following oils are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Some have high concentration of monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Choose corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, soy oil or canola oil if you wish to fry foods as these oils have higher smoke point. It is best not to fry with olive oil as its smoke point is only about 190C/375F.
I think it would be fine to use any one of the following “good” oils to cook.
Canola oil
Flax seed oil (super unsaturated!)
Peanut oil
Olive oil (watch it)
Non-hydrogenated soft margarine
Safflower oil
Sunflower oil
Corn oil
The following “bad” oils contain high percentage of trans fat or saturated fats. Some, such as coconut oil, even contain more saturated fats than animal products! All of them have unsaturated fats which can be damaged at high temperature and converted to a trans fat. Watch out now for trans fats on your labels. It is being monitored and you need to be aware of it.
Vegetable shortening
Hard margarine
Butter
Palm oil
Palm kernel oil
Coconut oil
I never thought I would be proud to be called a “fat guy” but I am glad I am getting this info out to everyone.
As for coffee and caffiene, just like the fats, I am not a fan. I know there are many people out there that cant live without it, but we dont really utuilize it in our training. Anything you need to add stuff to make it taste good or something that takes years to acquire a taste or affinity for should be questioned if we should injest it anyway.
I hope this helps. Now go have a plate of fried chicken and wash it down with 2 mountain dews and a vivarin!
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Martin