Have you ever walked into your local store for a bottle of oil and looked at the huge variety available to meet your culinary needs.

Next time you shop for oil keep some basic facts on hand and ask yourself: Do I want an oil for flavoring or cooking.

Olive Oil -  The best oil for salads, flavor and for cooking. It’s rich in monounsaturated fats which decreases the “bad” cholesterol, LDL, and helps out in boosting the “good” cholesterol HDL. Olive oil has also been shown to improve heart health.

Extra Virgin oil possesses antioxidants that are valued for their possible ability in preventing cancer.

Canola Oil -  When you require a cooking oil with a neutral taste, a good choice is Canola oil. Canola oil is made from rapeseed, which is a relative to the mustard plant. This oil is a good choice as it provides essential omega-3 acids and contains mostly monounsaturated fats.

Peanut Oil - Excellent for hot cooking, sautéing and roasting as this oil has a high smoke point. Peanut oil also provides a good source of monounsaturated fat as well as vitamin E.

Sesame Oil - This oil offers a distinctive Asian flavor and is suited to vegetable stir-fry and chicken shrimp and meat dishes. Use it sparingly, as a flavoring agent only as it may overpower your dish. Sesame oil can be purchased raw or roasted.

Nut oils - Nut oils such as walnut, hazelnut and macadamia nut come refined or unrefined. Refined nut oils are best for low-temperature baking. Unrefined oils add a nutty flavor to your salad.

Polyunsaturated oils and Coconut and palm oils - Keep away from these options, as they are unhealthy with frequent use.

Polyunsaturated oils are less desirable for cooking. They are unstable and can break down when heated. These oils may be linked to cancer and heart disease as well as aging. Some examples of polyunsaturated oils are: sunflower, soy, safflower, grape seed and corn oil.

Coconut and palm oils are notorious for containing significant amounts of saturated fat.

As zoomers we want to watch what we eat - but enjoy it aswell!