Time for an Oil Change
Most of you know that olive oil is one of the healthiest oils that you can add to your diet. If you compare the Mediterranean, where olive oil is the main fat used, to other regions, like the United States, where other fats such as animal fats, hydrogenated fat and processed, refined vegetable oils dominate, you get some very interesting data. Turns out that people who use olive oil regularly, especially in place of other fats, have much lower rates of heart disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer and asthma.
Scientists have found that simply changing your oil to olive (kiss goodbye all the other crappy oils in your life!) and doing nothing else differently, can make your high cholesterol plummet, and possibly even promote weight loss! (I have a friend who had high cholesterol, and I told her to try this, and her doctor was amazed at how her cholesterol dropped.) Many people don’t realize that olive oil, in addition to being a healthy, monounsaturated fat, is also loaded with antioxidants and plant chemicals that protect our health in dramatic ways. We now know that inflammation plays a big, big role in many chronic diseases. The good news is that olive oil has potent anti-inflammatory compounds that have scientists’ test tubes dancing with excitement in the labs! Could olive oil become the new anti-inflammatory standard? Who knows? Someday, to prevent your arthritis from flaring, your arteries from clogging and cancer from taking hold in your body, your doctor might just tell you to “take two tablespoons of olive oil and call me in the morning!”
So we know it’s really, really good for us, right? But here’s what most people don’t know: Like many oils, olive oil is very sensitive to heat, air and light. Those things will not only diminish your olive oil’s flavour, but it can destroy a lot of the antioxidants and beneficial plant chemicals, too. Even worse, exposure to heat and light and air can cause the oil to spoil and go rancid. Ick!! That’s so bad for your body, I don’t even want to talk about it! Okay, I will. Rancid=Very bad. Trust me.
Important!! This is what you need to know about buying and using olive oil:
1) When buying olive oil, look for the words “expeller-pressed” or “first cold-pressed” on the bottle. That means that minimal heat was used in manufacturing. (High heat changes the molecular structure of oils and that can cause problems for your body.) Organic is even better since it (usually) has fewer pesticides. (Note: Just because an oil is labelled “organic” doesn’t automatically make it healthy. Some of the more mass-produced organic oils are still refined and processed and come in clear bottles. Read labels, and buy mostly from health food stores where they usually stock reputable, smaller companies, like Spectrum Naturals, for instance.)
2) Buy only the kind in dark-tinted bottles. That protects the oil from the harsh grocery store lighting and other sources of light exposure. If you can reach to get the bottle furthest back on the shelf, that’s probably a good idea.
3) Buy the smallest bottle you can and use it within three months. Once opened, air will degrade the oil slowly. The longer it’s stored, the fewer the polyphenols and other healthy stuff. If your olive oil has witnessed both the birth of your first-born and her high school prom, the time is NOW to go shopping for a new bottle! Don’t keep it around forever! It’s not good for you! (Interestingly, researchers have found that adding rosemary to olive oil might help prevent this drop in its protective qualities.)
4) Store olive oil in a cool, dry place. Avoid leaving it out on your kitchen counter where it’s exposed to more light and heat. No matter how decorative it looks, definitely don’t keep it next to the stove.
5) Don’t be a frequent fryer! Lightly sauté and steam with olive oil, but avoid cranking up the heat. It’s not stable at high temperatures. For your health’s sake, if you’re compelled to fry, you’re much better off with butter or coconut oil, which can withstand the higher heat.
Hope this helps! That’s oil she wrote!
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Sacred Suzie | November 13, 2007 at 11:10 pm →
This is excellent news, I’ve been making my own homemade salad dressings with extra virgin olive oil so that there are a lot of antioxidants in there. The chance of it helping my fibromyalgia is a potential additional bonus which rocks. Thank you!
Cora | May 21, 2009 at 11:00 am →
Can you bake with olive oil? And what about making popcorn with olive oil? Are those cooking methods at too high of a tempurature for olive oil?
What cooking methods should you avoid when using olive oil?
Janet | June 1, 2009 at 9:15 am →
Hi Cora,
As far as baking with olive oil, I wouldn’t recommend it. Like I said above, it’s sensitive to heat, and exposure to heat degrades the oil, changes the molecular structure and that’s not good. Plus, the protective antioxidants would be degraded as well. Olive oil is best fresh ie. on salads, for dipping, etc. or for light sauteeing or stir fries. I like to mix half olive oil and half butter for sauteeing. Good ol’ butter is probably your best bet for baking–it’s very stable at high temperatures. For popcorn, I recommend coconut oil. It’s very good at high temperatures, so it’s molecular structure won’t change. Butter and coconut oil are both healthy oils, despite how they’ve been given a bad rap. Coconut oil has many, many health properties, including being antibacterial, antifungal, and thermogenic, meaning that it boosts your body’s metabolism. With butter, just remember: moderation! But the sugar in baking is probably a worse dietary culprit than the fat you’re putting in, so if your overall health and figure are a concern, go easy on the baking in general.