Choosing a healthier cooking oil is important for the heart and overall health of everyone. Too much fat or the wrong kinds of fats can cause issues with your heart, blood vessels, and kidneys. High intake of saturated and trans fats may raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and types of cooking oils and fats used in cooking have a direct effect on health.
While important for overall health, people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) especially need to choose healthier cooking oils because people with kidney disease have a higher chance of developing heart disease. When the kidneys aren’t working well, there’s more stress on the heart. Learn more about choosing healthier fat choices for CKD below.
Are oils good for your health?
Fat is essential to the human diet, but different fat sources have varying benefits and drawbacks. Plant fat sources are generally healthier than animal sources because they contain less saturated and more unsaturated fats. Animal fats are higher in saturated fats.
Plant sources of fat include:
- Oils
- Canola
- Olive
- Sesame oil
- Macadamia oil
- Corn
- Peanut
- Soybean
- Sunflower
- Safflower
- Peanut
- Vegetable
- Avocados, including avocado oil
- Nuts and seeds
- Olives
Note that the oil from tropical plants, such as coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and palm oil, contains more saturated fats, so these oils should be used in moderation. Margarine (especially sticks of margarine) and shortening are made from vegetable oils, but should also be limited due to saturated fat content.
Animal sources of fat include:
- Butter
- Lard
- Fat in meats, such as marbling in beef
- Tallow
- Fat rendered from meats during cooking, such as bacon or other higher-fat cuts of beef or pork
- Fat from poultry, such as goose or duck
Though animal fat sources are higher in saturated fats, it’s ok to occasionally use animal fats in cooking. Try to reduce the amount of animal fats used in your cooking as a starting point and experiment with healthier plant-based cooking oils instead.
Why is it important to eat less saturated fats?
According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, saturated fat should be limited to less than 10% of total calories daily. Saturated fat is included in your total daily fat for the day.
For adults over 18, total fat should make up about 20-35% of your daily calories, depending on your health needs. If you require 2000 calories daily, your saturated fat goal would be less than 22 grams, and your total fat goal is ~44-77 grams daily.
The Dietary Guidelines suggest replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats, like polyunsaturated fats. The American Heart Association’s 2021 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health also recommends using liquid plant oils, such as olive or unsaturated vegetable oils, instead of tropical oils like coconut or palm oil or animal fats such as butter or lard.
You could lower saturated fat by replacing butter with canola or soybean oil in baking or sauteeing vegetables in olive oil instead of bacon grease or lard. Per the American Heart Association, choose a more heart-healthy oil by comparing Nutrition Facts labels. Choose an oil with less than 4 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon.
Best cooking applications for oils
Extra virgin and virgin olive oils are best used in no-heat or low-heat applications, such as dressings, marinades, or sautéing vegetables. Vegetable oils can also be used in salad dressings and spreads because they have a mild taste.
In addition to no heat applications, vegetable oils, such as avocado and canola oil, are better for high-heat applications, like roasting vegetables and meats. Corn and peanut oil are good for frying because they have a higher smoke point and are often less expensive than other vegetable oils.
Tips for using healthier cooking oils in your diet
The total amount of fat matters in your diet, not just whether the fat or oil choice is higher in saturated fat. Reduce overall fat intake (and also saturated fat intake) by changing your meat choices to leaner cuts, reducing meat intake, frying foods less, or decreasing the amount of oil you add to your cooking pan or dish. Try using a vegetable oil spray to lightly grease your pan instead of starting with more oil or solid fats.
If you enjoy the flavor of tropical oils, like coconut oil, try cooking foods in vegetable oils lower in saturated fats, then add a small amount of coconut oil at the end of cooking or after plating your food just for the flavor. The same strategy could be used for animal fats. Try using a healthier cooking oil for most of the fat base of the dish, but add a small amount of animal fat to the pan for the flavor.
Instead of relying on old favorites that use animal fats as the oil source, try new recipes featuring healthier cooking oils, such as olive or canola. Choose leaner cuts of meats and low-fat dairy (skim or 1%) to reduce saturated fat further.
Remember that not all foods that contain vegetable oils are healthy food choices, as many desserts and treats often contain vegetable oils, but still may be high in added sugars, sodium, or other micronutrients that you may need to limit for chronic kidney disease.
Other considerations
Though the whole diet matters when eating healthier for chronic kidney disease, changing which cooking oil or fats you use regularly is a good place to focus. Remember that a healthy diet includes healthy fat sources and also fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and dairy or dairy substitutes. Exercise also helps improve kidney and heart health.
If you’re unsure how to apply these suggestions and need more personalized help, consider meeting with a registered dietitian skilled in nutrition for chronic kidney disease or speak to another healthcare professional who can offer guidance.
