Fat and Vitamin E Content of Vegetables Oils (grams per tablespoon)*
Saturated Monounsaturated Polyunsaturated Vitamin E
Oil (g) (g) (g) (a-TE) (mg)
Canola oil 1.0 8.2 4.1 2.93
Corn oil 1.8 3.4 8.2 2.94
Olive oil 1.9 10.3 1.2 0.7
Peanut oil 2.4 6.5 4.5 1.82
Safflower oil 1.3 1.7 10.4 5.46
Soybean oil 2.0 3.3 8.1 1.4
Sunflower oil 1.5 2.7 9.2 6.86
Butter 7.1 3.3 3.4* all oils have 14 grams total fat per tablespoon; butter has 11 grams total fat tablespoonSources: USDA Nutrient Database: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl Nutritive Value
of Foods, Home and Garden Bulletin No. 72 (USDA, 1989); Briggs, George M. and Doris Howes
Callaway, Nutrition and Physical Fitness, 11th ed. (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984).The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food
In moderation.
Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food
low-fat diet
Buying This Food
Look for: Tightly sealed bottles of vegetable oil, protected from light and heat.
Storing This Food
Store vegetable oils in a cool, dark cabinet to protect them from light, heat, and air. When
exposed to air, fatty acids become rancid, which means that they combine with oxygen
to form hydroperoxides, natural substances that taste bad, smell bad, and may destroy the
vitamin E in the oil. The higher the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the oil, the
more quickly it will turn rancid. Many salad and cooking oils contain antioxidant preserva-
tives (BHT, BHA) to slow this reaction.
Vegetable Oils