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The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Some tips on using coconut oil and other saturated fats in cooking

By: The Canadian Press

Monday, Mar. 4, 2013 at 7:01 AM | Comments: 0

Whether you use coconut oil or other kinds of fats when cooking, it's important to understand how they can work for and against you. The most important factor is to consult credible sources, says Len Piche, professor in the Foods and Nutrition Program at Brescia University College at Western University.

Piche has two recommendations:

— Canada's Food Guide (available online or in print through Health Canada's website at www.hc-sc.gc.ca)

— Dietary Reference Intake Reports for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients). It is available online by searching Dietary Reference Intake. The section on Dietary Fats is Chapter 8, but be advised it is a scholarly work and this chapter is 120 pages long.

Neither the Food Guide nor Dietary Reference Intake Reports make a recommendation for consumption of saturated fats. However, this is what the Food Guide advises for oils and fats in general: "Include a small amount — 30 to 45 ml (2 to 3 tbsp) — of unsaturated fat each day. This includes oil used for cooking, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise. Use vegetable oils such as canola, olive and soybean. Choose soft margarines that are low in saturated and trans fats. Limit butter, hard margarine, lard and shortening."

Source: Prof. Len Piche and Health Canada.

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