Olive Oil Confusion

You need healthy fats in your diet. Olive Oil is considered a healthy fat. It is fine to have! Enjoy!

If you are following a Ketogenic diet, the olive oil is great! The fat content helps you stay at the required fat levels necessary to lose weight. If you are not, olive oil is still healthy fat that will benefit your body.

Vinegar is amazing on salad! Sometimes I squirt lemons over the salad and toss with a pinch of salt and pepper if I can't make my own dressing. Delicious! I've mixed olive oil with some red wine vinegar and some spices. More vinegar than oil, it's such a healthy alternative!

bic922 wrote: »

I eat a salad every day for lunch. Instead of dressing, I just use 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. I have been reading a lot of conflicting articles on the subject. Some say it's good for you, some say it's just fat. When I log the entire salad it ends up being 21 grams of fat. That seems really high to me. I don't want to use store bought dressing, mainly cause I like to eat as natural as possible I would love to get some advice! Is what I am eating bad? Do I need to cut out the oil? Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Here is the breakdown of the entire salad:
1 c Spinach
1 c Kale
1/2 c Red Cabbage
1/2 c Cherry Tomato
1/2 c Cucumber
2 tbsp Black Olive
15 grams Feta Cheese
2 oz Edamame
3 oz Firm Tofu
1/2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Thanks!

The bolded all have fats in them...but they are all healthy fats so you are good...

Olive oil is a healthy fat, but you shouldn't cook with it at higher temperatures (which is not an issue with your salad), and as a fat of course it has lots of calories.

I don't think olive oil alone would be that tasty as a dressing--I'm in the camp of mix with vinegar and perhaps some mustard and herbs (dill is delicious on a salad) or pepper. You can make a classic vinaigrette and I've found even that less oil and more vinegar can often be as tasty if you want to save calories. (I often do because I like to add olives themselves to the salad, plus feta or some other cheese and/or protein. Also, I don't like the dressing to be as oily just for personal preference.)

Also, it all comes down to how much dressing you add. People often think more is necessary than really is.

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Olive oil is a healthy fat, but you shouldn't cook with it at higher temperatures (which is not an issue with your salad), and as a fat of course it has lots of calories.

I don't think olive oil alone would be that tasty as a dressing--I'm in the camp of mix with vinegar and perhaps some mustard and herbs (dill is delicious on a salad) or pepper. You can make a classic vinaigrette and I've found even that less oil and more vinegar can often be as tasty if you want to save calories. (I often do because I like to add olives themselves to the salad, plus feta or some other cheese and/or protein. Also, I don't like the dressing to be as oily just for personal preference.)

Also, it all comes down to how much dressing you add. People often think more is necessary than really is.

Is this just extra virgin olive oil or regular olive oil too? I just realized yesterday I've been using evoo for baking fish, oops Was going to pick up regular olive oil today for baking and the also for stirfrys. Yes, no?

Fat helps you utilize the nutrients in greens, so I think keeping at least some of the fat is a good idea. Still, you have 5 fat-containing ingredients in that salad, so I doubt dropping one or two would hurt if you are concerned about it.

You are eating a lot of fats in that salad, from the black olives, feta cheese, and olive oil especially. They are "good" fats, but still fats. If they fit into your calorie allowance I wouldn't change anything. If you want to decrease calories or the amount of fat you are eating with this salad, consider taking out either the black olives or feta cheese.

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Sarasmaintaining wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Olive oil is a healthy fat, but you shouldn't cook with it at higher temperatures (which is not an issue with your salad), and as a fat of course it has lots of calories.

I don't think olive oil alone would be that tasty as a dressing--I'm in the camp of mix with vinegar and perhaps some mustard and herbs (dill is delicious on a salad) or pepper. You can make a classic vinaigrette and I've found even that less oil and more vinegar can often be as tasty if you want to save calories. (I often do because I like to add olives themselves to the salad, plus feta or some other cheese and/or protein. Also, I don't like the dressing to be as oily just for personal preference.)

Also, it all comes down to how much dressing you add. People often think more is necessary than really is.

Is this just extra virgin olive oil or regular olive oil too? I just realized yesterday I've been using evoo for baking fish, oops Was going to pick up regular olive oil today for baking and the also for stirfrys. Yes, no?

There is nothing wrong with cooking with extra virgin olive oil. It is not as suseptible to oxidative damage when heated as other oils. Plus, it's tastes so good!

Ah, thanks!

Unless you have been put on a low-fat (below 50 g daily) diet, there is nothing wrong with your salad. I agree with adding some flavored vinegar. It will also add health benefits without a lot of calories.

Olive oil can be used for cooking, but lower temperatures are better for it. Fish are usually cooked at a fairly low temperature, so olive oil (any kind) would be good. For stir-fries and other very-high-temperature cooking, you might be happier with peanut oil or canola oil. They both can stand the heat and are good-for-you oils, too.