A: Monounsaturated fats such as olive, canola, and peanut oil and polyunsaturated fats such as corn, safflower, and soybean oils are all believed to reduce your risk of heart disease because they lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol. More recently the scientific community has also touted the health benefits of adding grape-seed oil and flaxseed oil to your diet. You might like to know that flaxseed oil aids in protecting your skin against the aging process, but it may have a more general anti-aging effects, too, because it is particularly high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have benefits for cells and for cell processes throughout your body. Some studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids help to prevent blood platelets from clotting and sticking to artery walls, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Walnut oil, soybean oil, and canola oil are also relatively high in omega-3s. So take your choice among olive, canola, peanut, corn, safflower, soybean, flaxseed, walnut, and grape-seed oils. Some have quite distinct tastes, while others are completely neutral. Corn and safflower oils are better for frying. Experiment and see what you like. 

         While I encourage you to use any of the oils listed above, you should try to cut back on cooking with saturated fats, which are found in animal products such as lard, butter, bacon grease, and fatback (and in a few vegetable oils like palm and coconut oil), because saturated fats raise LDL levels in your body, thus reversing the benefits of a healthful diet. However, at the same time that they raise LDL levels, saturated fats also raise HDL levels. In this respect they are at least better than the trans fats, which are found in shortening, in stick margarines, and in anything that lists partially hydrogenated oil among its ingredients, because the trans fats raise only the bad LDL cholesterol and have been found to have a significant impact on heart disease. So if you like to cook or season foods with margarine, be sure to read the label carefully to make certain it is one of the brands that is free of trans fats and high in polyunsaturated fat. 

         Another thing to think of as you’re cooking those vegetables: Why not try expanding your horizons in the kitchen by also seasoning with herbs, spices, juices from fruits and vegetables, and fat-free broths? This way you can drastically reduce or eliminate the amount of fat you need to add to create a flavorful dish. For example, dill is wonderful with cabbage. It enhances the flavor, and quite frankly, you won’t miss the meat. If you fancy smoke-flavor foods, sometimes you might add just a hint of liquid smoke, but be careful, it really masks the flavor of the produce. Adding sun-dried tomatoes, or lemon and orange juice is also a great way to wake up the flavor in foods. Apple juice, raisins, and a little brown sugar or stevia (a natural calorie-free sweetener) work wonders on sweet potatoes if you’re longing for candied sweets. Be creative with your choices, and don’t be afraid to try new combinations that you never thought would work. Often they do!