While the typical Indian mentality sees the price of the product every time, a typical nutritional mentality considers the value of your buy.
People are scandalized by the thoughts of purchasing olive oil in India, simply because it is too expensive and that they do not understand the types of olive oils, which is again because they never bothered to since it was too expensive in the first place.
Let us understand the reason behind the condescending tone with which this article began.
Oil is an indispensable part of any Indian diet. More over, the typical household employs a vegetable oil in most cooking.
Almost 80-90 percent of your dietary fats are sourced in the oil you use in your kitchen. Vegetable oil, in most cases.
What’s wrong with Vegetable Oils?
Now we have two types of fats – Good Fats and Bad Fats.
Bad Fats are polysaturated fats that are difficult to breakdown and increase the cholesterollevels in your body.
Good Fats are monosaturated fats that are simple in structure and easier to breakdown. Consumption of monosaturated fats is beneficial to the body and keeps at bay a host of diseases.
As you can see, vegetable oils are rich sources of bad fats and olive oil is a rich source of good fats that promote better health.
If Olive Oil world jargon like extra virgin, extra light stump you, you should probably read on..
Extra virgin –This kind is the one which comes from the fresh pressing of olives and is the least processed. It is extracted without the use of heat or any chemicals.
Virgin – This kind of oil is extracted after the second pressing of olives.
Use extra virgin and virgin olive oils for salads and cold dishes. This is because they have a very low smoking point. If you use these oils in heat that they cannot take, they will lose their properties.
Pure – Processing mechanisms such as filtering and refining are used to yield this kind of olive oil.
Pure olive oil should be used for regular cooking that doesn’t involve frying.
Extra light – This particular kind goes through several processing mechanisms before the yield of a final product.
Extra light olive oil is used for frying and sauteing purposes since it has the highest smoking point among the types we discussed here.
So much talk about olive oil makes people want to try it out even more but it is necessary to gain full knowledge about its pros and cons before making a wise decision.
Benefits of Olive Oil:
- Olive oil contains monosaturated fat which tends to reduce the risk of heart disease by controlling the unhealthy cholesterol, i.e. LDL (low-density lipoprotein) level and by raising the healthy cholesterol, i.e. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) level.
- According to some researches, there are evidences in which Olive Oil has come out as prevention for certain kind of cancers, especially breast, skin, ovary and lung.
- Olive oil also contains a good quantity of anti-oxidants called polyphenols, which helps in promoting a stable heart beat and heart health.
- Apart from providing a good heart health, Olive oil has other nutritious benefits too which reduces the risk of arthritis.
- Olive oil also prevents Alzheimer’s disease by fighting against the toxic proteins that tend to cause damage to brain cells.
Things You Should Be Aware Of:
While Olive oil is a true heart ally and a nutritious food, there are a few precautionary things you should know. They are :-
- Olive oil induces fat. It is very rich in calories (around 120 calories in one tablespoon).
- Olive oil contains chlorophyll, which as we all know leads to decomposition, that can make the oil go rancid soon.
- Olive oil hampers the normal blood flow because of the presence of fatty acids that stick to the bold and forms a clot.
- Cooking using Olive oil lead to its oxidation, which can prove to be extremely dangerous for those with liver problems. To overcome such problems, olive oil should be used with caution, using the following guidelines:
- Small containers should be purchased so that it remains fresh during its consumption.
- It should be stored in a dark place, away from any heat and light.
- Do not heat it. Use it cold for people with liver problems.
- Shut the lid soon after its use. Do not leave it open for longer period.
Like they say that ‘A little knowledge is a dangerous thing’. Now that you have full knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages on Olive oil, you can rationalize your actions. Go get that bottle of Olive oil for your family.
Wishing you a good day and good physical health!