by Kim Vidya, RHN
When any oil is heated, it produces a toxic chemical called ALDEHYDE. This chemical is closely related to formaldehyde, and is used in industrial practices to produce fragrance, polyurethane, detergents, and more. It is toxic and you definitely don't want it in your diet.
Cooking oils used in restaurants, especially in deep fryers, are typically sunflower, corn, or canola oil. These oils produce high levels of aldehyde after being exposed to heat, and the longer they are heated, the more of this toxic chemical is produced.
This chart shows the amount of aldehyde produced by heating various types of oils. Coconut oil is the best, and it's what we use almost exclusively at Vidya's Veggie Gourmet.
Deep fryers are kept hot all day long in restaurants, and typically changed every seven days. This produces an ideal environment for toxic aldehyde levels, and are responsible for a number of immune system responses, especially in the bowel. There is probably no greater health decision you can make to eliminate all deep fried foods, not only wings, french fries and other pub foods, but also potato chips and salty snacks.
However, even stir-fried foods are subject to aldehyde contamination. If you are stir frying foods, stick to coconut oil which is the most tolerant to heat.
But the problem with cooking oils goes beyond their heat sensitivity. Cooking oils like canola, corn, and sunflower are loaded with health-destroying glyphosate found in Monsanto's RoundUp herbicide. Cooking oils are one of the highest sources of glyphosate, along with wheat, corn, rice, and other grains. The answer is to EAT ORGANIC.
At Vidya's Veggie Gourmet we don't use deep fryers, microwaves, and other modern food abominations. We are all-organic, and our food is prepared fresh to order. We never heat our organic sunflower oil, which we use in our salad dressings. Coconut oil is our staple cooking oil, used in almost every dish. We invite you to taste the difference, and to adopt these practices in your own home kitchen.