Olive Oil vs. Vegetable Oil?

rschultzjr

Is olive oil healthier than vegetable oil? Can you substitute olive oil for vegetable oil? The reason I ask is because I love 'tacos' in which I fry my corn shells in vegetable oil and was wondering if it would be healthier to fry them in olive oil?

rschultzjr

Is olive oil healthier than vegetable oil? Can you substitute olive oil for vegetable oil? The reason I ask is because I love 'tacos' in which I fry my corn shells in vegetable oil and was wondering if it would be healthier to fry them in olive oil?

BrandNewLaura

Olive oil is definitely healthier than vegetable oil, although I cannot remember exactly why. It has something to do with the types of fats that are in olive oil. It would be healthier to fry your tortillas in olive oil rather than vegetable (I've never tried frying anything in olive oil, so I'm not sure the logistics of that), but it'd be even better if you baked them, as that would avoid the oil altogether.

Also, I know that you cannot always substitute olive oil for vegetable oil. I had a coworker who accidentally used olive oil in a brownie mix and ended up with a black brick.

Hope that helps a bit!

elliott062907

I use the olive oil regular nad flavored, grape seed oil, coconut oil, peanut oil and the high omega 3 oils....

Big diff in the way they are bottled, cold pressed!!!!

nightangelstars

I think the fats BrandNewLaura is referring to are MUFA's . . . at least that's what's healthy about flaxseed oil, or so the Wiki tells me :laugh: .

christymt

Canola oil is also a good substitue for vegetable oil.

Wynnie

Yes. Olive oil is healthier, but it has a staggering amount of calories. But as "fats" go, it's a good guy.

People need fat and carbs for energy, in the right proportions, and some fats are better than others. Polyunsaturated fats, like olive oil, help raise your HDL cholesterol - "H" for "Healthy" and "high". This is the good cholesterol that helps keep your arteries clean, and you want it to be a high number. Olive oil does not have the high lenolenic acid content that raises LDL cholesterol - think "L" for "lousy" and "low", or the bad cholesterol that you need to keep low.
Also, olive oil has Omega 3 fatty acids, which helps improve endothelial function, retard the build-up of plaque in your arteries and helps reduce the risk of cardiac arrhythmias.

I use olive oil almost exclusively. Vegetable oil has Omega 6, and lowers LDL, but also lowers HDL, which you don't want. Omega 6 fats should constutute less than 10% of your diet if you use them.

(Credits - I'm not such a medical brainiac... I was just studying this yesterday and must give credit to the people who wrote the Monterey Mediteranean Diet handout for doctors to give patients when they are trying to naturally reduce cholesterol).

Happy frying!

JennyGetsFit

good post, Wynnie!

Also, frying in oil is not recommended because that kills all the good properties that you need for good health.

rschultzjr: to get better/faster results with weight loss try to stay away from fried foods as much as possible. I know, this is hard, so if you feel that it is too much too soon - go slow and enjoy your favorites for now, and try to introduce healthy food slowly.
Baby steps lead to succes!!
Good luck!
Love,
Jenny

arewethereyet

Yes. Olive oil is healthier, but it has a staggering amount of calories. But as "fats" go, it's a good guy.

People need fat and carbs for energy, in the right proportions, and some fats are better than others. Polyunsaturated fats, like olive oil, help raise your HDL cholesterol - "H" for "Healthy" and "high". This is the good cholesterol that helps keep your arteries clean, and you want it to be a high number. Olive oil does not have the high lenolenic acid content that raises LDL cholesterol - think "L" for "lousy" and "low", or the bad cholesterol that you need to keep low.
Also, olive oil has Omega 3 fatty acids, which helps improve endothelial function, retard the build-up of plaque in your arteries and helps reduce the risk of cardiac arrhythmias.

I use olive oil almost exclusively. Vegetable oil has Omega 6, and lowers LDL, but also lowers HDL, which you don't want. Omega 6 fats should constutute less than 10% of your diet if you use them.

(Credits - I'm not such a medical brainiac... I was just studying this yesterday and must give credit to the people who wrote the Monterey Mediteranean Diet handout for doctors to give patients when they are trying to naturally reduce cholesterol).

Happy frying!

BEST explanation I have ever heard. My cholesterol has gone from 267 to 200 from diet and exercise. I knew what I had to do, but never understood WHY! Now i do. Thanks Wynnie:flowerforyou:

LovelyLady1977

Canola oil is also a good substitue for vegetable oil.

My oil of choice! I love it for it's neutral flavor.

SoupNazi

As most good cooks would tell you, olive oil does not do well under extremely high flash heat and therefore should not be used as an oil for frying. Canola oil is good for you and can withstand the high temps for that purpose.

BrandNewLaura

Since we're talking about oil, I have a question about Enova oil. It looks like it has about the same calories as regular canola oil, but it says that less is stored in the body as fat. So what does that actually mean? Is Enova oil even better than olive oil?

Wynnie

Since we're talking about oil, I have a question about Enova oil. It looks like it has about the same calories as regular canola oil, but it says that less is stored in the body as fat. So what does that actually mean? Is Enova oil even better than olive oil?

Check out what About and Webmd had to say about Enova. They zero right in on your question.

http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/healthandfitness/p/enovaoil.htm
http://blogs.webmd.com/healthy-recipe-doctor/2006/07/new-enova-oil-not-magic-bullet.html

"The bottom line is that Enova oil does seem to have a few benefits (it's very low in saturated fat and high in vitamin E, and contains a good amount of plant omega-3s). But from what I can tell, buying this oil is not a magic bullet, even if less of the oil is stored in the body as fat."

time2wrk

As most good cooks would tell you, olive oil does not do well under extremely high flash heat and therefore should not be used as an oil for frying. Canola oil is good for you and can withstand the high temps for that purpose.

The only thing I DO fry in olive oil is my Italian meatballs. It works with them, trust me, I can't keep them on the plate if my boys friends are over while I am cooking them!

arewethereyet

Yes. Olive oil is healthier, but it has a staggering amount of calories. But as "fats" go, it's a good guy.

People need fat and carbs for energy, in the right proportions, and some fats are better than others. Polyunsaturated fats, like olive oil, help raise your HDL cholesterol - "H" for "Healthy" and "high". This is the good cholesterol that helps keep your arteries clean, and you want it to be a high number. Olive oil does not have the high lenolenic acid content that raises LDL cholesterol - think "L" for "lousy" and "low", or the bad cholesterol that you need to keep low.
Also, olive oil has Omega 3 fatty acids, which helps improve endothelial function, retard the build-up of plaque in your arteries and helps reduce the risk of cardiac arrhythmias.

I use olive oil almost exclusively. Vegetable oil has Omega 6, and lowers LDL, but also lowers HDL, which you don't want. Omega 6 fats should constutute less than 10% of your diet if you use them.

(Credits - I'm not such a medical brainiac... I was just studying this yesterday and must give credit to the people who wrote the Monterey Mediteranean Diet handout for doctors to give patients when they are trying to naturally reduce cholesterol).

Happy frying!

bumping for a good cause:flowerforyou:

greenbaum9

Is olive oil healthier than vegetable oil? Can you substitute olive oil for vegetable oil? The reason I ask is because I love 'tacos' in which I fry my corn shells in vegetable oil and was wondering if it would be healthier to fry them in olive oil?

extra virgin olive oil adds its own flavor to the food you cook in it, and can be very expensive. It is good to use in salad dresings. a lower quaility good olive oil is good for cooking Greek, Italian, and Spanish cuisine. Vegetable oils vary in how healthy they are, i.e. there are generic vegetable oil, safflower oil, corn oil, and others. Peanut oil also is known to add a flavor of its own to the dish you are cooking.

my favorite vegetable oil is Canola oil b/c it is known to have a high smoking temperature.
I hope this will be of some help.
:flowerforyou:
greenie