Saturated fats often get a bad reputation, but when used in moderation, they can be a beneficial part of your diet. Cooking with saturated fats can be beneficial for your health – used as a replacement for processed vegetable oils – and flavorful for your tasty dishes.

Health Benefits of Cooking with Saturated Fats

Improve Heart Health: Studies have shown that those who consume an increased amount of saturated fats may have a reduced risk of heart disease. When replacing processed vegetable oils with foods such as butter or coconut oil, you are able to increase the amount of healthy monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids.

Weight Loss: Replacing processed vegetable oils with saturated fats may help control appetite levels and make it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Research has also found that those who consumed more saturated fats had lost more weight than those who consumed trans fats.

Reduced Risk of Diabetes: Studies have found that those who replaced processed vegetable oils with saturated fats may have a reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

How to Cook with Saturated Fats

Cooking with saturated fats can be a great way to incorporate the health benefits into your meals. Try using the following saturated fats in place of processed vegetable oils:

Butter:

Butter is a classic replacement for processed vegetable oils. Try using it to fry vegetables, meats or eggs. You can also use melted butter when baking bread or cakes as a tasty substitute for processed vegetable oils.

Coconut Oil:

Coconut oil is a great saturated fat to cook with. It is incredibly versatile and can be used to fry, bake and sauté. Coconut oil has a great flavor, making it perfect for salad dressings and sauces.

Red Palm Oil:

Red palm oil is full of essential vitamins and minerals, and is an excellent choice for cooking. It has a high smoke point, making it perfect for deep-frying and stir-frying.

Delicious Recipes with Saturated Fats

Now that you know all the benefits of cooking with saturated fats, try one of these delicious recipes!

Coconut Oil Roasted Vegetables:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, toss your favorite veggies with a generous amount of coconut oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables onto a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and roast for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Fish with Red Palm Oil:

Heat up some red palm oil in a medium-sized skillet. Place the fish of your choice into the skillet and season with salt, pepper and freshly-squeezed lemon juice. Cook until the fish is first and flaky, then enjoy!

Conclusion

Cooking with saturated fats can provide delicious dishes that are beneficial to your health. Try replacing processed vegetable oils with butter, coconut oil, or red palm oil for delicious recipes that are good for your body.