Is Olive Oil the HFG Nutrition Director Catherine Saxelby Goes in Search of the Best Oils to Keep in Your Kitchen

myths busted with Catherine Saxelby, HFG Nutrition Director Is olive oil the HFG Nutrition Director Catherine Saxelby goes in search of the best oils to keep in your kitchen. best oil? It’s no secret that olive oil has won oil: cold-pressed, extra virgin olive point (the temperature at which remove any greenish colour and When nutritionists its way into Australian kitchens. oil, which is produced from the a cooking oil starts to smoke strong flavour. In other words: But is it the ultimate oil above all first pressing of the olives without and break down, potentially you can still use it for cooking, refer to olive oil’s role others? Not necessarily. any heat or solvent refining. contributing to the risk of cancer) but unless you’re looking for that in the health benefits Extra virgin olive oil possesses of only around 160–200°C, so it’s subtle olive flavour, it’s worthwhile Olive oil’s good a distinctive aroma and taste, is not ideal for high-temperature to look at other types of oil. of the Mediterranean points low in acidity, is rich in a host of cooking methods like stir-frying " diet, they’re referring Olive oil is a marvellous choice antioxidants and research has and sautéing. Avocado oil (at Most nutritious? for health and nutrition. It has shown it plays a role in reducing 270°C), safflower oil (at 266°C) There are certainly some fantastic to a specific type of one of the richest levels of the risk of heart disease. But don’t or rice bran oil (255°C) are all benefits to including olive oil in oil: cold-pressed extra monounsaturated fats, with only confuse extra virgin olive oil with better choices for this, and your diet, but don’t limit yourself! virgin olive oil. 15 per cent of the ‘bad’ saturated the ‘virgin’ variety – virgin olive oil they also offer additional health Olive oil lacks omega-3, which you fats. It has less than 10 per cent is of lesser quality, so it may not benefits as well. can find in high levels in flaxseed polyunsaturated fats, which means be as good for you. Extra virgin If you want to cook with olive oil (it contains 55 per cent omega- it has great ‘stability’, so it’s less olive oil is often more expensive, oil or olive oil spray, then there 3) and in walnut and soybean oils likely to oxidise (go off). And it but it’s worth it to make salad are two options: ‘pure’ olive oil (8–10 per cent). It also has little or Catherine’s New Year’s makes vegetables, salads and dressings sing and to splash over (which has a higher smoke point no vitamin E, a major nutrient that resolution is to get organised in the kitchen with a weekly seafood taste fantastic! grilled vegies. I just wouldn’t of 238°C), and ‘light’ olive oil we usually get from oils and fats. " meal plan and shopping list. recommend it for certain types (with a smoke point of 242°C). Sunflower, safflower or corn oils When is it best? of cooking. But pure olive oil may not have are the richest in vitamin E. When nutritionists refer to olive as many antioxidants, as it’s been oil’s role in the health benefits of Turn up the heat refined, and light olive oil is a the Mediterranean diet, they’re Like all unrefined oils, extra lower quality oil that may have Bottom line: Olive oil is definitely worth having in your kitchen, especially referring to a specific type of olive virgin olive oil has a low smoke been bleached or�� deodorised to extra virgin olive oil, for cold use, but you should consider keeping something else on hand for cooking – such as avocado, safflower or rice bran oil.