Oils and Fats for the Keto Life
Keto is all about getting energy from fat and one major way to do that is via oil and animal fats. This chart list the primary sources I use in my day to day life, but there are other sources. The only item you won’t find on our local grocers shelf is the MCT oil and at the end of this post I have linked to a couple I have gotten from Amazon.
SFA = Saturated Fatty Acid
PUFA = Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (this is the fat you want to limit and is lowest in the Keto healthy oil/fat family)
MCT = Medium-Chain Triglycerides
| Oil/Fat Name | SFA | PUFA | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCT Oil | 97% | 1% | -Neutral flavor -Can heat up to 320F |
| Coconut Oil | 92% | 1.9% | -Some version have coconut taste -Can be heated -Can be used as a beauty treatment |
| Ghee/Clarified butter | 65% | 2% | -Good for frying since smoke point is 475F |
| Butter | 60% | 3% | -Smoke point is 350F -It's butter what more do I need to say |
| Lard | 41% | 12% | -Mild flavor -Good for frying |
| Bacon Fat | 40% | 10% | -Yummy bacon flavor -Can be reheated |
| Extra-virgin Olive Oil | 14% | 9.9% | -Can have olive flavor -Good in dressing -Do not heat. Will oxidize and that is bad for your health. So stop cooking with it...I'll wait. |
| Avocado Oil | 11% | 10% | -Mild flavor -Can be heated -This is my main cooking oil and flash point is 520F |
A good link to keep your smoke detector from going off is:
https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points
The site has a good chart of smoke points for many other oils.
Products that I personally use
MCT Oils
These oils I use in the following ways:
- Salad Dressing
- Baking and low temp cooking
- Smoothies
- In coffee – best to use immersion blender
MCT Powder
Powder uses:
- Smoothies
- In coffee – acts like non dairy creamer. This is my houses go to in the morning.
