Which Fats and Oils for Keto are best?
Oils and fats are literally the lifeblood of the Ketogenic diet.
I first learned of the Keto diet from a friend whose son has epileptic seizures. For treating epilepsy doctors generally use a strict 4 to 1 ratio, meaning 4 times as much fat as protein and carbs combined, by weight of the food.
When using Keto for weight loss we use a percentage ratio and depending what site you visit or what book you read, Ketogenic ratios are anywhere from 65% to 85% fat.
The higher level should be used by people whose metabolism is basically broken and they need a jumpstart to get their body burning fat. To get up to that level requires a good deal of fats and oils so it is important to know which ones are the best to use and why.
Even if you are not following a Ketogenic diet, these fats and oils are the best ones for you to be using.
The Best Fats and Oils for Cooking on the Keto Diet
For cooking, you want to use oils that have a higher smoking point. The best fats and oils for Keto cooking are:
- Virgin Coconut Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Butter
While peanut oil and sesame oil are also very good at high temperatures, they have a high omega-6 count and should be used sparingly, if at all.
Flaxseed oil is also great but should never be heated. Buy it only from stores that keep it refrigerated.
The best oils for salads :
- Organic Macadamia Oil
- Walnut oil
- Hazelnut and other nut oils
- Avocado Oil
What Are Good Fats For Ketosis?
The best fats to use are natural fats that have not been monkeyed with by human touch. Butter, coconut, avocado, nuts and fatty fish like salmon should be the staple fats.
Oils to Avoid
Canola oil is partially hydrogenated, refined and deodorized making it very undesirable. If you must use a canola oil, make it this Spectrum brand which is organic and cold pressed, but do not heat it.
Other oils to avoid are sunflower, safflower, corn, cottonseed and soybean oil.
Fats and Oils for Keto -What’s the big deal?
We have been trained to believe that fat is bad and must be avoided, so we look for ‘low fat’ alternatives to everything. In actual fact, there is only one ‘bad’ fat and this is trans-fats.
Name a degenerative disease and you will find that it is associated with trans-fats. These are the fats to avoid like the plague!
The good healthy fats on the Keto diet will help to raise ketones in your blood. If you are interested in learning more about how this is beneficial to the human brain, you can start with this article.
Read my other article on making use of coconut oil which has my new favorite way to get my daily dose by drinking Keto Coffee!
All the Keto Guides and How To's you need to help you navigate low carb eating and the Keto way of life! There's no need to give up your favorite foods when you go Keto. We have a swap for that! All your questions answered about MCT oil for Keto and if and how you should use it. Which sweeteners are the best to use on the Keto diet and which ones should we avoid? This is why we love coconut oil on the Keto diet! Read some of the science behind the Keto diet. If you are starting keto you WILL need this drink! Lack of electrolytes is a major reason people give up their new keto diet. When you start Keto this can happen. Get some quick tips for instant relief from the Keto flu! My 12 favorite tips to do Keto while on a budget! This is the very best way to break through that weight loss stall or to kick start your new Keto life! If you are stuck in the dreaded Keto weight loss stall, then read this now!Read More About the Keto Diet
Easy Low Carb Food Swaps for Keto Beginners!
The Ultimate Guide to MCT Oil for Keto
The Best Sweeteners for Keto and Low Carb
Get Into Ketosis Fast with Coconut Oil on the Ketogenic Diet
Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) Diet Explained - Is it Extreme or Healthy?
The Best Homemade Electrolyte Drink to Beat Keto Flu Fast
What is Keto Flu and How You Can Feel Better Fast!
How to Do the Keto Diet On a Budget -12 Tips to Save You Money!
What is The Keto Egg Diet Weight Loss Fast? Blast Through a Plateau With Eggs!
7 Reasons You Stopped Losing Weight and How to Fix a Keto Weight Loss Plateau Fast!
” If you are interested in learning more about MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) and blood ketones and how this is beneficial to the human brain, you can start with those links.”
A yes, a vicious cycle if ever I saw one.
Brains does not work too well, brain is unable toperfomr the tasks which will make itself work better.
I want to put my husband and I on a keto diet, but he’s allergic to coconut. I’m assuming he could not consume anything with coconut oil. Is there a comparable oil that I can use? I need an alternative for bulletproof type coffee and cooking.
Thank you!
Butter is great in BPCs. Since you can’t use coconut oil, spring for the grass fed Kerry gold butter. It is very good and apparently higher in Omega 3s.
Why would using cold pressed canola oil to make keto mayo be bad?
No, just try to find the best quality possible.
I thought olive oil was best eaten raw! Heat destroys/breaks down the molecules and causes heated olive oil to create free radicals in the body! So to benefit from its wonderful properties and nutrition, we need to keep its uses simple: drizzle over cooked foods or add to salads!
I always thought that too! But apparently it is good for medium heat type cooking. There was a lot of great info in this Cooking Oil reference book that recently read: https://ketogenicwoman.com/the-big-book-of-healthy-cooking-oil/
Olive oil is healthiest consumed raw. However when cooked you will loose 10-15% of the poly-phonols which is the anti-oxidant which keeps olive oil from degrading in the pan. When heating any living food expert to cook out some of the nutritional value. It all depends on if there was any nutrition in the first place, standards vary especially when it comes to corporate profits!
im on a protien powder liguid diet for a week….i put mct oil…and flaxseed …and olive oil……is this ok to get my fats and protien.,.no carbs….well maybe 3 gms….i have been searching every where…thank you
Gee, I don’t know anything about liquid protein diets! I like food too much! There is book about Healthy oils that I have, check out my review on it here. I have a feeling flaxseed oil might be iffy.
Help with the Grapeseed oil! I am reading conflicting reports! One says eat it and the other says no way! Both are supposed Ketogenic supporters. We use olive oil but just cannot stand the taste, not to mention the cost, of coconut oil. We’ve tried… numerous times… and just can’t do it. I am the only one in my family doing a keto diet, but I do have to cook for the rest of my family. Butter and bacon grease are fine for shallow fry, but what do I use for a deep fry oil?????
I just checked my copy of The Big Book of Healthy Cooking Oils and grapeseed oil is not the best to use! Lisa Howard, the author of that book, recommends only using saturated fats for high heat cooking. She specifically mentions ghee for deep frying. Be sure to read my review of that book here. I was thinking bacon fat would be good as well and I save mine in a jar whenever I make it.
Hi
thanks for the contents. I am a Keto follower more so because of its scientifically backed explanation. Could you point me to the direction where I can learn about the Canola oil and how it bio-chemically affects human.
Thanks.
Hi Rahul, thanks so much for stopping by! I get much of my information from Jimmy Moore’s blog and from Mark’s Daily Apple. If you google either of those and then do a search within their sites, you will find plenty of great information on the various oils.
I used Olive Oil but when I am out of it, I used vegetable oil. Great post!
Might want to rethink the vegetable oil!
It’s so important to monitor our intake of fats and oils. This is some great information in order to stay heart healthy.
I would say the type of oil is more important to monitor than the amount for heart health.
Wow this diet is very interesting. I did not know that it can help stop epileptic seizure and be used for cancer treatment. I would love to know more as I know someone that is fighting cancer and how this would be beneficial to him.
Yes, the new research is exciting but doctors are slow to embrace it. Check out this article called Ketogenic Therapy and there is a youtube video that explains Dr. Seyfried’s research in this area.
I’m too lazy to google it… what’s a Ketogenic diet?
You don’t have to Google it, you can just read the About tab on here. Basically it is low carb, moderate protein, high fat and has been used for years to stop epileptic seizures and is now being used for cancer treatment. Bodybuilders also have been using it for years.
My wife follows Dr. Mercola closely and we learned that the best fats come from nuts and avacodoes. As you state, we need some oils, just the right oils.
We absolutely need oils and fats, just not all the trans fats and hydrogenated crap that is so prevalent in our foods.
oooh ty for this we combine vegetable oil and olive oil(not at same time) just as never been to sure which to use :/
I know, probably thanks to all the misinformation out there!
Great information lady :) I use grape seed oil for my skin problems :)
Oh that is interesting! I will have to check that out. I love these multi purpose foods!
I have never heard of this type of diet. But it sounds like a good way to lose some weight!
Yes, more and more doctors are getting their patients on it.
Great information. I’ve never hear of Keto but is seems to be alot more rooted in actual dietary science as opposed to some of the fads out there
I like that it is all real food, no fake foods!
I learned some new information after reading your article. I use coconut oil sometimes and have recently tried walnut oil. I am try to slowly incorporate more flavors and ingredients in my cooking.
That’s awesome! Walnut oil has a very unique flavor, I’m liking it!
I try to avoid oils, they lead to inflammation. It’s horrible for my recovery process
Hydrogenated oils will lead to inflammation. The oils I recommend here will help to heal inflammation.
I actually use Olive and Coconut oil. I’m originally from the Caribbean where they have a coconut oil factory and coconuts are in abundance. I don’t really pay too much attention to these things though, if it taste good I eat it. :)
haha, the old SeeFood diet! But you were raised on the good fats, so you re good to go!
I absolutely love incorporating avocado into my diet whenever possible. I know a lot of people avoid it because it’s high in fat, but it really is a healthy fat! A diet that is free of any sort of fat is not a good one.
An interesting correlation has emerged in that as North America was taught to reduce their fat, obesity rates have risen. Check out the Mediterranean Diet, super healthy people, super high fat consumption, but the right fat!
Thanks for this information. I really need to pay closer attention to what is good and what isn’t. I thought I was doing the right thing when I switched to Canola Oil. It looks like I need to rethink that.
We have all been duped about canola oil!
really nice analysis on which are the best fats to ingest. I like you line about if it has been tampered by humans then avoid
Thanks, sometimes we just need to leave well enough alone!
I use olive oil in my dressings and coconut oil too but try not to use too much anyway just becasue of the calories. Thanks for all the good inform on the best ones for you. But best of all, I love that you are promoting that everyone do their own research which I don’t think we do enough of these days.
Thanks Irene. I ask people to do that because we tend to believe what we see on TV, and as it turns out, not always the best thing!
I haven’t heard of grape seed oil and didn’t know a lot of this either. Thank you for sharing.
Happy to spread the good word about better oils and fats!
Great advice about doing our own research. So many people follow the latest fad just because it’s popular or some celebrity proclaims it to be the next best thing. When it comes to your health, you should have a vested interest in getting accurate, helpful information!
You are absolutely correct. Thanks for your comment.
Thank you for sharing this good information!! I have been focused on eating healthy and going with natural, organic.
And that really is the safest way to go, isn’t it.
Thanks for sharing and reminding us to be health conscious. I don’t know much about the Ketogenic diet, but it looks interesting enough to do a little research to find out more.
The Keto diet is definitely worth a look. No fake foods here!
My mom used to cook with vegetable oil, but she’s cooking more and more with olive oil. Great post!
Yes, many of us grew up with the so-called healthy vegetable oils. Glad to hear that she has changed her ways!
I have basically eliminated all oils in our house except olive and coconut oil. I just refuse to cook with that cheap canola oil. I can just feel a difference when I stopped using it and started only using coconut oil and olive oil. I would like to add in a few more natural oils you listed, but they are hard to find in my geographical location.
Yes, for some of these they are hard to find. Luckily olive oil and coconut oil are so mainstream now and no longer hard to find.
I only cook with coconut oil now. I used to think that canola oil was healthier than other oils but then I found out how bad it really is. Stick with the natural stuff.
That is the key, natural and relatively untouched!
Fabulous info! I always know I am going to learn something new every time I read your articles!! I had already started using grapeseed oil and really like it, and am addicted to avocados and macadamia nuts!
Aw, thank you for that! Avocados and macadamia nuts are truly a gift from nature!
i honestly thought canola was one of the good ones! Thanks for sharing this info.
I know, lots of folks do. We have been duped!
Thank you for the info about the oils. My husband and I have been discussing finding a better alternative for cooking
Glad that you found it helpful!
It looks like the oils come from an avocado, which i am allergic to.
Only avocado oil comes from avocados, the rest of these oils do not.
I have been using canola oil for years. I guess it is time for a switch!
Yes it is, check out these amazing healthy oils!
Great info about the oils.. I try to stick with grapeseed and olive oil …..
Those are great oils to use!
I am awful at knowing what is good for me when it comes to fats, carbs etc.. So thank you for this I have learned a little more :) x
I’m happy to hear that. Oils breaking down are not a good thing for our bodies.
Oh no, I always use Canola oil in my cooking :( I’m glad sesame oil is not on the list.
You may want to look into this further! Try coconut oil.
You seem to have a keen interest in good health, and I’m happy to read what you’re sharing!!!
So glad you you are visiting and learning!
Thanks. my husband is super concerned about oil use but in the US preferred canola and I told him no but it took a while. we use a lot of coconut oil.
We have been trained to think canola oil is healthy for us.
I have never heard of this diet, but it sounds interesting!
I’m sure you will hear more as more and more doctors are getting on board with this.
I’ve never cooked in Canola oil. I use EVOO, coconut and grapeseed oil. They are great and so much healthier, when I do it is only a tablespoon or so. I don’t “fry” stuff.
That is great, those are the best ones to use.
very informative! this will really help with my diet :D
Happy to hear that!
Great article, a lot of people do not understand about oils in our diet.
No they don’t. For years the industry pushed canola oil on us. Not good!
I definitely avoid canola oil.
Good move!
I mostly only use Organic Olive Oil. I find it works best with my body and problem. I used to buy flaxseed oil to take for my Omegas… but it turns rancid so fast that I don’t use it at all.
That is the biggest drawback with Flax seed oil. Keeping it in the fridge does help.
Oh wow canola oil indeed is one to avoid – and not only for the keto folks, but by everyone. It’s literally poison in disguise.
That is so true, no matter what people eat, hydrogenated oils and fats are one of the worst things.
As I have mentioned before, my liver says a completely keto-diet/lifestyle is totally not for me, but I love that you challenge us to do our OWN research. It amazes me how many people swear up & down that Canola is 1000x better than olive oil. I don’t get it …
& avocados? Don’t get me started … SO YUMMY!
I think we all have to look into these things and do what is right for our own health situations. Not everyone is suited for keto. But I think the choice of oils crosses all diet boundaries, natural is better than man made in most things!