Posts Tagged ‘olive oil’
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The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends the average intake of fat should be 30% of your total caloric intake. This fat intake should consist of balanced fat, which provides nutrients that are essential to sustain life. A Balanced fat intake should contain approximately 30% saturated fat, 33% poly-unsaturated fat, (containing Essential Fatty Acids) and 37% mono-unsaturated fat.
Comparison of smoke point and balance of fats in some commonly used oils:
|
OIL TYPE |
SMOKE POINT |
MONO-UNSATURATED FAT |
POLY-UNSATURATED FAT |
SATURATED FAT |
| Rice Bran Oil |
490º |
47% |
33% |
20% |
| Olive |
360º |
77% |
9% |
14% |
| Canola |
450º |
61% |
33% |
7% |
| Peanut |
460º |
48% |
34% |
18% |
| Soybean |
440º |
24% |
61% |
15% |
| Grape seed |
485º |
14% |
77% |
9% |
Rice Bran Oil: The most balanced and versatile oil on the market and closest to the AHA recommendations. Rice bran oil is a superior salad, cooking, and frying oil which leaves no lingering after taste. The high smoke point prevents fatty acid breakdown at high temperatures. Its light viscosity, allows less oil to be absorbed in cooking, reducing overall calories. It mixes better in salad dressings and improves the taste of baked goods, providing cholesterol reduction, nutritional and anti-oxidant value.
Olive Oil: High mono fat, able to lower cholesterol but deficient in poly fat, which contains Essential Fatty Acids (EFA). EFA’s are truly essential to life as every metabolic process in your body depends on them. A low smoke point makes it a poor choice for frying, and its heavy taste makes it undesirable in many baked goods. Traditionally a good salad oil.
Canola Oil: High mono fat with cholesterol lowering ability but there are concerns about the origin. “Canola oil” is a term coined by Canada to change the name of “rapeseed oil”. The rapeseed plant contains erucic acid making it toxic and is used as an industrial lubricant. It has been genetically modified and hybrid to produce a low erucic acid version. Commonly hydrogenated, it is extensively used in the food industry because of its low price. The hybrid plant would be the best choice.
Peanut Oil: A good balanced oil. This oil has good cholesterol lowering ability and a high smoke point, making it a good frying oil. It imparts a slightly earthy, nutty flavor. It lacks the anti-oxidants and micronutrients of Rice Bran Oil. A small percentage of people are allergic to nut oils.
Soybean Oil: This oil is a high poly fat. As recommended by the AHA your poly fat intake should be around 33% of your total fat intake. A high poly percentage is, an aid to tumors and cancer and should be carefully watched. Up to 80% of the oil consumed in the U.S.A. today comes from soybeans. Soybean oil is commonly hydrogenated and used in many processed foods.
Grape Seed Oil: A good frying and salad oil, but again high in poly fat. It does lower cholesterol because of the high unsaturated fat content but is way over the recommended 33% poly-unsaturated fat.
Comparison of natural antioxidants in edible oils
|
OIL TYPE |
VITAMIN E TOCOPHEROL (ppm*) |
VITAMIN E TOCOTRIENOL (ppm*) |
ORYZANOL (ppm*) |
TOTAL NATURAL ANTIOXIDANTS (ppm*) |
| Rice Bran Oil |
81 |
336 |
2,000 |
2,417 |
| Olive |
51 |
0 |
0 |
51 |
| Canola |
650 |
0 |
0 |
650 |
| Sunflower Oil |
487 |
0 |
0 |
487 |
| Soybean Oil |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
1,000 |
| Palm Oil |
256 |
149 |
0 |
405 |
* ppm. stands for parts per million
Source : AHA- American Health Association
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Among their many nutrition benefits, olives contain important amounts of carotenoids. Carotenoids are naturally occurring, fat-soluble pigments that give many whole, natural foods their distinct yellow and orange colors. The best-studied and most famous of the carotenoids is beta-carotene, but hundreds of carotenoids have been identified by scientists and many are also important to our health. Some of the other well-researched carotenoids include alpha-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, and canthaxanthin. Lutein and zeaxanthin are especially plentiful in olives with 3.5 ounces of canned ripe olives containing over 500 micrograms of these carotenoids.
Beta-carotene is also plentiful in olives, with this same amount containing between 225-250 micrograms. Because carotenoids are fat-soluble, they are able to be carried along in olive oils when those oils are being extracted from the olives. However, methods of extraction, temperatures used during extraction, and sequence of extraction can all make significant differences in the final carotenoid content of the oil. It can be difficult to predict the exact amount of carotenoids in olive oil due to these processing differences. However, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is better able to maintain the original carotenoid content of the olives than other extractions since EVOO is derived from the very first pressing of the olives. This carotenonid benefit is one of the reasons we recommend extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as your olive oil of choice.
In addition to providing you with its own carotenoids, olive oil may be able to help you absorb carotenoids from other foods. Researchers at Iowa State University looked at carotenoid absorption from salads dressed with fat-free dressings and compared it to carotenoid absorption from the same salads dressed instead with full-fat dressings. Salads are not only popular in a wide range of diets but are also high up on our recommended list at the World’s Healthiest Foods. Many of the World’s Healthiest Foods-including tomatoes, carrots, romaine lettuce, and baby spinach-make great salad components and are also great sources of beta-carotene. In their research, the Iowa State scientists used canola oil in their full-fat dressing, and they discovered that beta-carotene from the salad ingredients listed above was better absorbed when a full-fat (versus non-fat) salad dressing was included. While we are not opposed to the use of canola oil in salad dressings or other recipes, we think it makes more sense to use extra virgin olive oil in this situation. That extra virgin olive oil will give you the same enhanced beta-carotene absorption since it will provide the additional fat needed to boost absorption. But at the same time, it will provide you with carotenoids of its own! In addition, it will give you several other key phytonutrients (like phenolic antioxidants) and, of course, a great-tasting dressing!
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- Sanz C, Luaces P, Perez AG. Processing of Olive Fruit for Enhancement of Carotenoid Level in Virgin Olive Oil. 2007. SHS Acta Horticulturae 744: 377-380. International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables. 2007.
- Schaffer S, Podstawa M, Visioli F, et al. Hydroxytyrosol-rich olive mill wastewater extract protects brain cells in vitro and ex vivo. J Agric Food Chem 2007 Jun 27;55(13):5043-9. 2007.
- Vissers MN, Zock PL, Katan MB. Bioavailability and antioxidant effects of olive oil phenols in humans: a review. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004 Jun;58(6):955-65. 2004.
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