Olive oil is considered to be one of the safest forms of oil for cooking given that if offers numerous health benefits. It is high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer & many others. However there has been a buzzword specifically within Paleo community that cooking with olive oil is not healthy since when heated, it oxidizes & produces harmful by products.
While this can be true for oils such as canola & vegetables, I am going to discuss how olive oil is safe for cooking. Olive oil has some unique qualities that make is perfect for cooking provided you are using a decent quality. Before we go deep into this, it is important to discuss what is fat oxidation.
There are three types of fatty acids: Saturated, polyunsaturated & monounsaturated. Saturated fats have zero double bonds while monounsaturated has one double bonds & polyunsaturated has more than one double bonds. While we classify fats as saturated or monounsaturated, the fact is fat we cook is made up of various fatty acids & we refer to them by majority. For example, coconut oil( what we call saturated fat) is made up of 90% saturated fatty acids. Butter, another saturated fat is made up of 60% saturated fatty acids. The rest comprises of monounsaturated & polyunsaturated fat. Soybean oil is made up of 60% polyunsaturated fats. Olive oil is 70% monounsaturated fat( oleic acid). Given that polyunsaturated fats has most double bonds it is most unstable & more exposed to oxidation. When it comes in contact with heat, light or oxygen, it becomes unhealthy. This causes an inflammatory reaction in internal circulatory system such as liver, heart & kidneys This is the reason Paleo diet followers exclude dietary fat( with high % of polyunsaturated fats) from their diet/nutrition.
So why Olive is healthy & outperforms other oils?
Since Olive oil is made up of monounsaturated fats , it is more stable & perfect for cooking as compared to oils made up of polyunsaturated fats since these fats has single double bond. Secondly olive oil contains tocopherols & polyphenols which protect oil from oxidation. These two features make Olive oil best for cooking/frying.
Olive oil consumed by Americans are mostly unprocessed however most of us buy refined version. Pressing of olives preserves its nutrients including phenolic compounds, which is known to protect oil from oxidation. Extra-virgin oil is a better version since it contains particles which acts as antioxidants & prevent from oxidation.
Our verdict: Extra Virgin olive oil is safe for cooking & can sustain heat since it is majorly made up of monounsaturated fatty acid and phenolic compounds. For those living in climate which support producing olives, it is always good to source from local suppliers. In most of the Asian countries, we get Olive oil imported from western countries which are refined version of Extra Virgin. Please remember to store your olive oil properly since exposing it to light or oxygen may lead to fatty acid oxidation.
