Olive Oil - good or bad

[Lisa]

I recently watched a show on TV about Olive Oil.
They said that Olive Oil is very healthy as long as you don't heat it up to much.

Is this true. I use Olive Oil more for cooking than anything else. Anyone heard anything about that or knows more???

[Fitness Trainer]

Olive Oil is an excellent source of fat. It has been shown to help reduce total cholesterol while increasing HDL (good cholesterol).

The one thing to remember is that it is still a fat. It is not recommended to consume more than 25-30% fat (in calories, you should always compare nutrients in calories not grams) In your total daily caloric intake.

Keep your total fat intake low, and try to consume quality fats opposed to saturated or hydrogenated fats.

As soon as people hear that something is good for you, they overdo it. Anything taken in excess can have negative effects.

Moderation is always key.

Hope this helps

[daniellak]

Hey. I think what you heard about not heating olive oil too much has to do with its low smoke point. It is not an oil that you can get overly hot because it tends to burn. It is great for most things, but stir-frying and deep frying are not a good idea because it just can't take the high temperatures. I use canola or peanut oil for my stir-frys. I rarely deep fry, so that is not an issue for me. My family has used olive oil exclusively for generations and I think it has helped them to stay healthy is respect to their heart, cholesterol, and skin.

[Lisa]

thanks for the answers guys.

I will continue to use Olive Oil the way I have, but I will also get some Peanut or Canola oil to try it out.

[errtu140]

I try to take a shot of it every day. its very good for you

[adrian15]

yes,olive oil is very good,in comparation with other oils on the market!

[The Escapist]

How does sunflower oil compare? We use sunflower oil in my house (I think). Flora might be the brand? Vegetable oil maybe? I'm not 100% sure what it is (should probably check!) but I'd consider switching to olive oil if there are caloric and cholestrol-related benefits.

Thanks

[acaipure]

a recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology into the Mediterranean diet found that olive oil itself may not help reduce the risk of heart disease after all. Olive oil actually slowed down blood flow - a bad sign. But this effect was reduced if plenty of fruit and vegetables or fish had been eaten.

[nlp18]

using of olive oil is good for for health,i think it has low fat

[Steve]

using of olive oil is good for for health,i think it has low fat

Low fat?

Are you serious?

[Vitality!]

I recently watched a show on TV about Olive Oil.
They said that Olive Oil is very healthy as long as you don't heat it up to much.

Is this true. I use Olive Oil more for cooking than anything else. Anyone heard anything about that or knows more???

Olive Oil is very good and healthy source of fat.

However, if one tends to cook with it, one needs to be careful; it is very calorie dense, will absorb into food, and become a source of hidden calories that "could" become a source of "unaccounted calories".

And, if one is on (for example) a -500 calorie deficit, this calorie deficit "can be" be wiped out rather quickly with a few tablespoons used in cooking (as an example) during the day.

Sometimes the little things we do in our diets are the "silent calorie killers".

We all need a very good fat source in our diet (it plays some key biological functions within us), just be careful with "some" of them, because of their calorie density.

If you are concerned about your calories, a good type of oil to use in cooking is a "Fat-Spray." Fat-sprays typically provide 1 calorie, per spray/squirt. This compares with 120 calories per tablespoon of regular cooking oil, approximately. IMO, the taste suffers a tad using cooking spray as compared to regular olive oil/veggie oil, but it will control the calorie equation a bit more. Or you could use olive/veggie oil in one of your meals, and a spray in another to provide some calorie control and insert some fat in your diet.

There are some good viable fat sources from food (and supplements), that are less calorie dense, but carry some good source fat (and other nutrition), such as: Fish oil (and oily fish such as Salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, and other types of fish, sea food) and Flax Oil, as a few examples.

Personally, my silent calorie killer is Natural Peanut Butter (another very good fat source). I could eat the stuff all day long, and be happier than Santa Clause (), but I also know it contains a calorie punch in a mere 2 table spoons (200 calories-approximately). If I have weakness in my diet, it is that my fats tend to be a little high (because of you guessed it, NPB, ). I will put it in with Oatmeal, Whey Protein Chocolate Shakes, Whey Protein/NPB Oatmeal Bars (personal recipe), and etc. But, it assists me in keeping my sanity when leaning out (when not low carbing). So its both a friend a foe (good source of fat but calorie dense), so I am careful with it.

Good luck, and happy holidays,


Chillen

[jeffisbig]

Personally, my silent calorie killer is Natural Peanut Butter (another very good fat source). I could eat the stuff all day long, and be happier than Santa Clause (), but I also know it contains a calorie punch in a mere 2 table spoons (200 calories-approximately). If I have weakness in my diet, it is that my fats tend to be a little high (because of you guessed it, NPB, ). I will put it in with Oatmeal, Whey Protein Chocolate Shakes, Whey Protein/NPB Oatmeal Bars (personal recipe), and etc. But, it assists me in keeping my sanity when leaning out (when not low carbing). So its both a friend a foe (good source of fat but calorie dense), so I am careful with it.

Natural Peanut butter and I have a love/hate relationship. Its so good but one spoon of it easily becomes 2, and its not exactely easy on the calories.

[swiftyray]

nlp18: "using of olive oil is good for for health,i think it has low fat"

nlp18, by definition any kind of fat that is liquid at room temperature is classed as an oil.

Oil olive is merely the fat of the olive fruit that has been pressed out of it. Olive oil isn't low in fat, because it IS fat.
However, olive oil differs from most other oils in that it contains a greater ratio of good fats to bad fats (i.e. mono-unsaturated, unsaturated, polyunsaturated, etc etc, to the saturated and trans-sat fats...)
It's also rich in in fat-soluble antioxidants like vitamin E (the reason it's good for the skin) and phytochemicals... (not to mention many other minerals and vitamins.)

[thesilentkiller]

I use Olive Oil in all my food cooking, thats my Doctors advice. Just use it when you cook.

[Vella]

Olive oil is very good for health, its not always wise to use more fat for cooking, yet if you are already using this I advice you to continue.