Most folks cringe at the word fat, yet everyone needs some dietary fat for good health and energy. The fats and oils used in cooking and at the table, however, should be selected wisely and used sparingly.

Butters and Margarines

If you check out the Internet, you’ll find that the “butter versus margarine” controversies have been long and passionate. In a nutshell, it’s all about saturated fats (butter) as opposed to trans fats and some saturated fats (margarines). And depending on whose information you read, one is definitely better or worse for you than the other.

In the end, eating a natural product, butter, despite its saturated fats, is probably a safer choice than most margarines with their trans fats. Note that some brands of margarine, including soy-based margarines and “buttery” spreads, are free of trans fats and partially hydrogenated oils.

So when you read the label and see that a product contains “hydrogenated fat”—which has hydrogen molecules added to the fat to increase its meltability and prevent its turning rancid—you should read that as “trans fats.” These fats have been linked to heart disease by raising the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood.

The Oils

Which are the good fats, the ones that improve cholesterol levels in the blood, the ones that are plant based in origin? If you’ve followed the fat controversy, you’ll know you’ll want to stock up on the unsaturated-fat oils such as olive oil, canola oil, and peanut oils.

You’ll also know that unsaturated fats are divided into two categories: monounsaturated fats from olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados; and polyunsaturated fats, from sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils. Oils in either category are better for you than saturated fats. Nevertheless, the USDA recommends using fats and oils sparingly and substituting fat-free or low-fat dressings for salads. And remember, all fats, regardless of the source, contain the same number of calories gram per gram.

Good olive oils—that is, extra virgin oils from the first pressing of the olive—are particularly valued in the kitchen for their full, fruity flavors that impart a seductive accent and fragrance to dressings and garnishes. Less expensive virgin olive oils are fine for sautéing and cooking, but no olive oil really stands up well to the high-heat requirements of stir-frying or deep-frying.

Besides its distinctive flavor and its lack of saturated fat, olive oil has long been favored for its possible assorted medicinal and health properties, from supporting longevity among those on a Mediterranean oil-and-vegetable-and-salad diet to being a heart-healthy food to lowering blood pressure to banishing wrinkles.