Olive oil - good or bad?

jobelle217

So I've read that there's are benefits to incorporating healthy oils into your diet. Anyone else heard this? If so, how much?

Pebble321

Sure, your body needs a certain amount of fat to stay healthy and function well.
Olive oil is often quoted as being a "good fat" - others are salmon, avocados, nuts etc.
Keep an eye on your diary and eat until you have reached your fat macro for the day.

mmarcy7

From what I have heard, olive oil cold = good, for cooking at high temps = not good. Good in salad dressing, but if I am cooking something that needs oil I use butter or coconut oil. You should eat some kind of healthy fats though.

PuggleLover

I just ate a steak marinated in olive oil... outstanding!!!

jadedone

I am on the olive oil band wagon (**olive oil and butter burn at high heat. Try grapeseed, canola, walnut, coconut and also I think peanut oil for high heat)

I rarely cook at super high heat, so it isn't much of a concern. I use olive oil for roasting, searing meats and pretty much all cooking where it makes sense.

Olive oil is my go to oil. I have classes of olive oil: cheaper oil for searing and sauteeing. I use it most of the time, except for things like stir-fry since olive oil doesn't have a neutral taste. I then use nicer oils for salad dressings or drizzling on a finished dish or dipping bread in. I have tons of varieties, they all taste different.

I am just starting to use coconut oil, and I really like walnut oil as well.

There are a zillion studies about how olive oil reduces your blood pressure and cholesterol. I have no idea if this is true or not, but I have been overweight for all of my adult life (around 225 from ages 22-now) and my blood pressure and cholesterol levels are normal to really good. I also have normal blood sugar. And the amount of regular exercise I have got has varied significantly over the years. I think diet played a large role. I started using olive oil as my primary oil and eating cleaner at around age 23. So I think it helps for good health.

jadedone

I just ate a steak marinated in olive oil... outstanding!!!

That sounds yummy, i should try this with my next steak!

lyttlewon

From what I have heard, olive oil cold = good, for cooking at high temps = not good. Good in salad dressing, but if I am cooking something that needs oil I use butter or coconut oil. You should eat some kind of healthy fats though.

You won't normally be using it at that high of a temp unless you are frying. A good saute shouldn't be done at a high enough heat to make the oil bad.

VMarkV

Short answer, good in moderation

To test something out, I went on a crazy olive oil diet, using tons to cook tons of green vegetables. My class would be doing clinical work things like blood cholesterol reading, so I decided to experiment myself going on this high healthy fat diet, which included lots of olive oil, coconut oil, egg yolks, and butter (not margarine). I did this diet for about 5 months, tested my cholesterol...HDL was unmeasurable since the machines couldn't read above 100mg/dL, total cholesterol was 336 mg/dL - this was not bad since my HDL to total cholesterol ratio was really good since HDL was ridiculously high.

There was a tradeoff though, I was consuming around 150-200g fat daily and gained about 15lbs in 5 months. My blood pressure went up to 130/85mmHg. Had I cut back my fat and kept my weight down, this would have been optimal. BP is down to 106/68mmHg after losing the weight...I haven't redone cholesterol though but keep the MUFAs and Saturated fats high in my 75g daily allotment.

If you need to gain weight, more MUFA from olive oil is a good way, but you still need to be strict with getting only a slight calorie surplus, nothing crazy like I did. It's good if you can fit it into your macros and stay at or below maintenance

jobelle217

So how much do you think? I've been putting it in my salads and by the end of the day, I've accumulated about 2 Tbsp daily which making my daily fat intake elevated.

thefreebiemom

2tbs for the whole day while on a salad shouldn't be a problem. Its better then other dressings that get put on salads.

About the high heat thing. I use olive oil as a base for seasoning when grilling. In the past I have also used it to fry my chicken with garlic salt in a frying pan when I didn't feel like fooling around with my Forman grill (that was when we lived in an apt with no grills on the porch allowed.) You just have to make sure not to put the heat too high.

jobelle217

Thanks!