Is olive oil healthy or just HEALTHIER than other oils?

Question

Alright basically i've been trying to eat healthier, my sister freaked when she saw me putting olive oil on my bread for a sandwich because i had quite a fair bit on it to cover the bread. (she said that the mediteranean diets only use a few drops of it) i've been glancing around the internet & well...

Answer 1

Yeah, instead of looking for an article on olive oil, I found one on types of fat:

http://www.healthcastle.com/goodfats-bad...



Olive oil is healthier than most other oils. It has a decent amount of poly and mono unsaturated fats, but it still has a fair amount of saturated fat also.

Safflower oil is slightly less saturated fat per serving with similar total of poly/mono (although I think it's a lot more poly and a lot less mono)

Overall though, if you're asking in the vegetarian section, you probably still don't consume even close to the amount of saturated fats that meat eaters do (Which is the entire health benefit of being vegetarian)


Oils are still high in calories though. So watch that.

Answer 2

Olive oil is very good for you,,, but there is a few reasons why it's not used for deep frying. 1.) Differant oils have differant "smoke points". Olive oil will start to smoke at about 300 degrees. Normal frying temp is 350 degrees. Once an oil, like olive oil, reaches it's smoke point, it begins to break down, making it unusable and giving it a very bad flavor. 2.) Olive oil has a great flavor,,, but that flavor can overwhelm the flavors of other foods. When deep frying, you still want to preserve the flavor of whatever it is you are frying,,, if you were to eat a plate full of French Fries made w/ Olive Oil,,, you would get tired of the flavor about half was through eating it. 3.) Olive oil is expensive. It would cost restaurants a lot of money to properly maintain a fryer filled with Olive Oil. An average fryer holds anywhere between 2-3 gallons of oil,,, and you would need to change the olive oil about twice a day, when you can use canola or vegetable oil for an average of 2-5 days! A huge differance on cost control. I hope this helps you out in your thoughts of using Olive Oil for deep frying. :-)

Answer 3

Here's what I found from my favorite source of all things 'healthy' ~ UC Berkeley's "Wellness Letter" (I don't subscribe so I could only get the synopsis)

Greek Lessons
Every month, it seems, a new study comes out supporting the benefits of the Mediterranean diet—that it will make you healthier and smarter, prevent heart attacks, help you lose weight, and add years to your life. The diet includes lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains, moderate amounts of fish, some dairy (mostly yogurt and cheese), and little red meat or sweets. Olive oil, as the main source of fat, and wine, especially red wine, are also key features. How many people in the Mediterranean area ever ate such an exemplary diet (most don’t today) is debatable. But what’s increasingly clear is that a plant-based diet, whether called the Mediterranean diet or something else, is a healthy way to eat.

Answer 4

Effectively, they are ALL healthy because they provide essential nutrients in the right amounts. Olive oil is healthier than the rest, but only have a small amount of it.

Answer 5

It can be healthy but you don't want to have too much of it because there's a lot of calories and fats in olive oil.

I still put it on my salads sometimes though. I figure the spinach leafs balance it out.

Answer 6

With regards to olive oil a little bit goes a very long way. It is very good for you, however in moderation a couple tsp per day is really all you want to be consuming.

Answer 7

It's just healthier. It still contains the same amount of calories as any other oil. You'll have to do a search and compare the different types. Some have trans-fats, some don't. Some are saturated while others are poly-unsaturated, etc.

Answer 8

It is very healthy (contains Omega 9 fatty acids which are good for you) but don't eat too much of it, because it still has quite a bit of fat. Even though it's healthy fat it will still put weight on you if you eat too much of it. Your sister is right - just a few drops is best.

Answer 9

Olive oil is very healthy just like meat, but just like anything else it needs to be eaten in moderation.

Answer 10

olive oil makes us gud(healthier)
.
(in cardia
extra virginolive oil)

energy is 884kcal
total fat is 100g
poly unsaturated fatty acids is14g@
mono unsaturated fatty acids is 72g@
carbohydrates,protein,sugar ,cholestrol is nil