Are you curious to know why olive oil is good for cooking? If so, you are in the right place.
We use a lot of cooking oil in our cooking, almost all of our dishes have some sort of cooking oil in them. Burgers, Fries, Pizzas, and many other fast food items are chock full of oil and are known to be unhealthy.
Cooking oil can be unhealthy for us because it contains a lot of fatty acids that can harm your body in high amounts. Having a high amount of fatty acids in your body can lead to inflammation, which is considered to be the root cause of diseases like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
Vegetable cooking oils are particularly bad in this case, they contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids which are responsible for causing inflammation when ingested in high amounts.
But Olive Oil stands out from the different kinds of cooking oils because of its unique benefits. Olive oil contains a lot of beneficial fatty acids and also has a lot of anti-oxidants. It is found in the diets of some of the healthiest cultures in the world.
It is this combination of beneficial fatty acids and anti-oxidants that makes Olive oil an excellent choice for the healthy eater.
However, in this article, I’ll try to answer why olive oil is good for cooking.
Let’s get started.
First of all, let’s take a look at some of the major benefits of Olive oil in detail.
Why olive oil is good for cooking: Major benefits
a) It Contains Healthy Fats
“Good fats” or monounsaturated fats are thought to help lower the risk of heart disease in people, and Olive oil contains a lot of them.
About 73% of the total oil content in Olive oil is made up of Oleic acid, which is a kind of monounsaturated fat.
There have been many studies that suggest that Oleic acid helps in reducing inflammation in the body which makes it an excellent choice as opposed to traditional cooking oils which increase inflammation.
b) It is full of Anti-Oxidants
Anti-Oxidants help protect our cells against free radicals. Free radicals are particles that are thought to play a role in promoting heart disease, cancer, and illnesses.
Olive oil contains a lot of these anti-oxidants. By consuming Olive oil, you can also get the benefits of the anti-oxidants contained in Olive oil. In addition to fighting free radicals, antioxidants also help in fighting inflammation, lowering your risk of heart disease.
c) Olive Oil Protects Against Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the developed world, one person dies every 36 due to heart disease in the United States alone.
On the other hand, countries that consumed more Olive oil in their diets like Mediterranean countries do not suffer from heart disease as much.
And one of the key ingredients that help the Mediterranean diets fight heart disease is Olive oil.
Studies done on the Mediterranean diets concluded that the presence of Olive oil lowered inflammation, improved the lining of blood vessels, and prevented excessive blood clotting, significantly reducing the risk of heart disease.
Olive oil has also been observed to reduce blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for people suffering from heart disease.
d) Olive Oil Helps Fight Bacteria
Olive oil even has antibacterial properties. It contains nutrients that inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and protects your body from these bacteria.
One of the bacteria that Olive oil kills is known to cause stomach ulcers and stomach cancer.
In fact, Olive oil is so effective in fighting this bacteria that consuming just 30 grams of extra virgin olive oil can completely eliminate the infection of this bacteria in 10–40% of people in a matter of a couple of weeks.
e) It is not thought to Promote Weight Gain
We all know that consuming excessive amounts of oil promotes weight gain in people, this is because of the high-fat content that is present in oils. Olive oil, however, is different.
Different studies conducted on the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in Olive oil showed that the presence of Olive oil did not promote weight gain.
In fact, the presence of Olive oil was linked to weight loss in the people that consumed it, even above a moderate level.
So, from the above discussion on its different beneficial aspects, I can assume that, you might have got some ideas to answer why olive oil is good for cooking.
But following relevant questions can come as olive is of various types. Let’s have a look.
Are All Olive Oil the Same?
After hearing all these benefits of Olive oil for cooking, you must be tempted to just go out to your local grocery store and pick up the first bottle of Olive oil that you see.
But, you need to know that not all Olive oil in the market is the same or provides an equal amount of benefits.
Cheaper varieties of olive oils contain more processed materials which reduce their beneficial properties.
To get the most benefits of Olive oil, you should get Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is the least processed variety of Olive oil and is known to be the healthiest type of Olive oil on the market.
Given that it is the least processed and purest form of Olive oil available, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also quite expensive as compared to the other varieties available on the market.
However, the health benefits that are provided by Olive Oil cannot be overlooked when considering its cost.
Read more- is olive oil used for cooking?
Conclusion: Why olive oil is good for cooking
We know that cooking oil is a major cause of disease and weight gain in our modern diets.
Almost all of the cooking oils we use in our daily routine are very bad for us, in this case, Olive Oil is an exception. This is why olive oil is good for cooking according to experts’ opinion.
In fact, olive oil is extremely healthy for cooking and it does not promote weight gain at all.
Moreover, it is shown to promote weight loss in those that consume it.
This is all thanks to the beneficial properties that Olive oil has. It contains healthy fats like Oleic acid which help reduce inflammation.
Additionally, Olive oil contains anti-oxidants that reduce the risk of heart disease. It also has antibacterial properties and helps fight bacteria that cause stomach ulcers and stomach cancer.
These are just some of the beneficial properties of Olive oil. Overall, it is an excellent cooking choice for health-conscious people.