Olive Oil

ballzasteel

New member
Is there anything special about olive oil other than its lipid profile? If not it seems that there would be some slightly better choices.
 
I think it contains more omega 3's and monounsaturates compared to other oils. But, if you use it for cooking, it denigrates the quality of it.
 
Olive oil is the least saturated "good" fat that can be used for cooking without forming an undue quantity of lipid peroxides (bad for you). Other desirable fats such as flax oil cannot be used for cooking and must be consumed cold (in a salad dressing, mixed in a shake, etc.).
 
Cogar said:
Olive oil is the least saturated "good" fat that can be used for cooking without forming an undue quantity of lipid peroxides (bad for you). Other desirable fats such as flax oil cannot be used for cooking and must be consumed cold (in a salad dressing, mixed in a shake, etc.).
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if I'm understanding you here. Olive oil isn't saturated at all. It lacks 2 hydrogen atoms and has one double bond between carbons. Are you just referring to point of saturation?

Olive oil most certainly will breakdown with excess and/or repeated heat but it is more resistant to heat and auto oxidation due to it anti-oxidant properties (the greener the better).

The single best oil for cooking that has the least breakdown is mustard seed oil.
 
Agreed. Let me clarify. Olive oil, flax oil, and hemp oil are all good unsaturated oils. However, heating unsaturated oils--especially flax oil--will cause them to form an unduly high percentage of lipid peroxides. Of these three oils, olive oil is capable of taking the most heat before oxidizing, which makes it the best for cooking of these three. The tradeoff between saturation and oxidation is a compromise, since the more saturated oils are generally more resistant to oxidation. Still, I do not want to compromise all the way to coconut oil, which is very stable for cooking, but highly saturated. (I know nothing about mustard seed oil.) Therefore, for cooking, IMO each person should want to use the "least saturated" oil that will still do the job. Although I classified olive oil this way in my earlier post, it was not meant to imply that it was saturated, but rather that it is an oil that is the most unsaturated that is still useable for cooking.
 
Agreed. Good clarification ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top