Trying a new diet and was wondering,?

[smithharshal]

if I cooked my food in olive oil would that be alot better than using canola or vegetable oil?? I watch so many different cooking shows and each chef tends to use olive oil as the main ingredient when cooking meats/poultry.

 

[RioLindoAz]

From what I've heard, it's much healthier than veggie oil. Has a stronger flavor, also.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I don't eat meat or poultry, but I cook eggs and a lot of other things in olive oil. What you'll want to keep in mind is that olive oil has a lower smoke point than, say, canola oil, so it may depend on how you are cooking more than what you are cooking. Also, because olive oil does add flavor, you might choose canola oil when cooking more delicately flavored dishes. Not all veggie oils are created equally as well. Good luck with your diet!

 

[maizey]

olive oil is a monounsaturated fat...thats a good thing. It lowers bad cholesterol and raises the good. There are other monounsaturated oils that you can use as well, such as peanut oil. Canola oil is also considered a monounsaturated oil but in order to extract the oil from the rapeseed, a chemical is used (hexane).. and I dont want that in my food. So i stick to olive and peanut. Peanut is best for frying.. olive oil for the rest. In addition to the health benefits.. olive oil is nummy

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Maizey, I did not know about that chemical used to create canola oil. That's good information. I usually don't cook with peanut oil but sometimes use it to make asian noodle salads and such. And I guess, if one wants a lighter flavor than olive oil normally imparts, there is the extra light version.

 

[Wifezilla]

Olive oil is a much better choice than canola or soy.

 

[Kassaundra]

If your "diet" is intended to lose weight, all oil will have the same amount of fat/calories. It is also my understanding that most of the health benefits you get from olive oil are destroyed in the cooking process, especially at the high frying heats. I personally use canola oil in all cooking, and olive oil where it "counts" giving flavor, or non cooking (dressings, bread topping etc.)

 

[maizey]

I always wondered why my husbands eyes would burn and water when I fried with canola oil, and when I found out about the chemical extraction I stopped using the canola.. no more burning and watering. I suppose it could be another factor but hexane residu is a pretty reasonable suspect.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

So, I was just reading about the hexane processing. Since hexane is a solvent, that indeed does not sound good. The majority of Canola oil that you buy in the supermarket has been extracted with hexane. However, if you have a speciality food store near you, or a store with a health food section, you may be able to purchase cold expelled canola oil which uses a process without the nasty chemical. I'm sure it will cost more...but there ya go...

 

[Wifezilla]

If your "diet" is intended to lose weight, all oil will have the same amount of fat/calories.

Healthy fat doesn't make you fat. For some good science on what causes weight gain, I strongly recommend this book...
http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-Borzoi/dp/0307272702​