Olive Oil, Which One Should I Use?

The wide world of olive oil can be confusing! But essentially there are three main kinds of olive oil, and they all have their pros and cons based on their ingredients and the methods used to extract the oil. My top pick? Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) whenever possible. It’s healthy and delicious, and using it liberally can help keep you in tip-top health while delivering highly satisfying flavor in your recipes. You will notice I use a LOT of olive oil in my recipes. I don’t always label it EVOO, but I should!

Thanks to my amazing sister, Sarah Aitken, RN, MS, WHNP/FNP, NBC-HWC, I’m sharing this article she recently published for her Diabetes Game Changer newsletter. Sign up here to get Sarah’s Monday Motivation email newsletter, it’s great!

What do you know about Olive Oil? It’s really interesting!

Olive oil is packed with a variety of polyphenols, which have powerful antioxidant properties.

Diets high in olive oil are associated with reduced inflammation, improved heart, brain, and gut health, and more. In addition, olive oil contains phytosterols, which are bioactive compounds associated with reduced cholesterol and even a reduction in the incidence of some types of cancer.

Olive oil differs from other oils, such as canola, vegetable and soybean oil in a few very key ways. The seed oils are extracted and refined using very high heat and chemicals, resulting in less flavor and a destruction of the health benefits that may be included in unrefined oils. The base foods in these oils afford few, if any, health benefits and may even have negative health consequences (more on the topic of seed oils to come!)

Olive oil is one of our oldest foods - anthropologists have found evidence that humans made olive oil thousands of years ago using stone mills.

Read the full article to know which oil to choose for your recipes.

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