hi,

I wondered whether olives / olive oil is a good source for unsaturated fats ..?


for frying you can use flax seed oil of course, I think thats the number one choice, but for stuff like salad dressings and the like olive oil just tastes much better :) so what do you say?

Olive oil is very good.

hi,

I wondered whether olives / olive oil is a good source for unsaturated fats ..?


for frying you can use flax seed oil of course, I think thats the number one choice, but for stuff like salad dressings and the like olive oil just tastes much better :) so what do you say?

I would not use flax seed oil for frying.

I would not use flax seed oil for frying.


Me neither. It doesn't do well at high temps as I understand it. I use either EVOO or occasionally coconut oil.

And now a message from the Flax Council of Canada (http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/english/pdf/FlaxPrimer_Chptr10.pdf):

Flax oil is best used in cold applications like fruit smoothies, saladdressings and vinaigrettes. Stir-frying with flax oil can be done, provided the frying temperature is not greater than 150°C (301). [A temperature of150°C is equivalent to 300°F. Most foods are fried at temperatures of177° to 196°C (350° to 385°F) (302)].

And one from the International Olive Oil Council (http://www.internationaloliveoil.org/tm/canada/askus.asp?lang=english#10):

Can you fry with olive oil?
Yes. But take your cue from some of the best chefs in the Mediterranean: use extra virgin olive oil for sautéeing or stir frying; olive oil,with its relatively high smoke point, can be used for deep fat frying.

I would suggest that you save the EVOO for cold applications only....shakes, salad dressings etc... Heating really deteriorates the vitamin E and precious polyphenols (antioxidants) that you pay extra for in EVOO (the oil holds up in structure) but certain properties don't.

What I would suggest is regular Olive Oil for cooking and EVOO for dressings, shakes, sauces etc...

ok ..seems like its one of the topics again that everybody has a different opinion on.. :)

but at least I know that olive oil is not too bad now..

thanks :tucool:

Olive oil is actually a good thing. Full of essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Drink it by the shot glass if you want (I do right now being as I'm going low carbs high fat for a month or so). Just don't overuse, like any fat.