We all know that fried food is bad for us, but does that mean you can’t fry anything, even in the so-called good oils? For the answer to that question we asked Dr. Sasson Moulavi, MD, founding director of the Smart for Life Weight Management Centers. In particular, what if I fry my eggs? Is that bad for me? The answer is no, depending on two things. The first is that you must use the right fat, which in this case means the right cooking oil. “Fat is a very complicated question. If it’s good fat, no problem. If your fat is coming from a vegetable or fish source, we’re fine with it.” So frying food in olive oil is fine, and canola oil is even better, but both depend on the second factor: the method of frying. “Bad frying means to deep fry,” says Dr. Moulavi. Think fried chicken or French fries. If you are going to ‘fry’ an egg or a piece of fish, that’s really closer to sautéing the food; as long as the oil doesn’t burn and smoke, you should be fine. Consumption of canola or olive oil actually reduces bad cholesterol, even if it’s warmed up just a bit.
