# What makes deep frying unhealthy?



## amcal (Jan 13, 2003)

Is it the oil that you use that makes deep frying unhealthy? For example, using crisco or other partially hydrogenated/transfatty acid oils? How about if you fry in peanut or some other natural/unhydrogenated, transfat free oil? Then is it still unhealthy?


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## guestmama9916 (Jun 24, 2006)

Its the high heat needed to fry something that causes a problem with most veggie oils. If you want to fry something, its actually better to use a saturated animal fat such as lard, tallow or goose fat. Saturated fats are more stable when heat is added plus they contain nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Veggie oils are unstable when heat is introduced so they turn rancid during the frying process. Rancid oils turn into something like paint thinner during digestion. It robs your body of vitamin E and if you've ever seen paint thinner, you know its very sticky. IMO, this sticky, vitamin E zapping substance is what causes heart disease. According to a study published in the medical journal Lancet a while back, heart clogging substances are made up of polyunsaturated fats - soybean, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, corn oils, etc. No relation to saturated fats and heart clogging substances were found. The researchers were looking at the hearts of dead people and analyzing the substances they found sticking to the arteries. Even though an oil is trans fat free doesn't mean that it is any healthier for the body if its used for frying - especially if it isn't a cold pressed oil. Most veggie oils in the grocery store are extracted using a high heat process and methane. Think about it - how would you get oil from something so small as a soybean or cottonseed?? Heat and chemicals of course! That means the majority of veggie oils used by the fast food industry and in the grocery store are rancid already. If you use veggie oils in your home, go for high quality ones that say cold pressed on the label. Also make sure you check the smoke point for the particular oil and don't go over that temperature. In my house, we only use saturated fats, including coconut oil, for cooking. I do not fry anything simply because my body does not need to be robbed of anymore nutrients so why chance it.

Kim


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## NatureMama3 (Feb 25, 2004)

the biggest problem I can think of is acrylamides. They happen for all high-heat frying, not just vegetable oils. They can cause neurological problems as well as trigger cancer, so we just plain avoid doing that (frying) whenever possible.

Other problems include potential hydrogenation of vegetable oils at higher temps and just plain too high of fat intake.


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