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Olive oil is surely the best fat for cooking and frying. It is better than animal fats or seed oils because it is composed mainly of monounsaturated fats which have a higher nutritional value and are more resistant to heat.
Among olive oils then, for cooking, modern nutritional science recommends olive oil that has been purified of the substances that could break down during cooking but retains all of the nutritional value of extra virgin oil.
is the ideal olive oil for sauces, roasts, sautés, mayonnaise and fried foods.
Animal fats are more difficult to digest and contribute to bad cholesterol, LDL, which occludes the arteries.
Seed oils are composed of polyunsaturated fats that break down when exposed to heat.
- it resists high temperatures due to a higher content of monounsaturated fat (about 70%)
- acidity and impurities have been removed
- has a very low rate of acidity (around 0.1%)
- does not release strong odors
- maintains the unique flavor of olive oil without altering the flavor of the food
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Frying involves immersing the food into heated oil. This cooking method, well known throughout the world, is used to improve certain sensory characteristics such as color, aroma, and texture so that the food is more appealing. Frying in oil, moreover, acts as a preservative because heat destroys microorganisms and enzymes that decompose food, and reduces the moisture.
Sources:
- Greggio Varela (Chair of Nutritional Science at the University of Madrid)
"La frittura degli alimenti in olio d'oliva ("Frying Food in Olive Oil"), published by The International Olive Oil Council.
Giovanni Quaglia (Director of the Food Technology Unit of the National Institute of Nutrition)
"Gli oli e la frittura degli alimenti" (Oils and the frying of food"), article published in "Spazio Rurale" 4/99. |
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Closer Examination
How it functions
Technically, frying replaces a portion of the water contained in food with the oil that the food is fried in. There are two phases: first, a large part of the water evaporates through heat exchange. Then the hot oil penetrates the food. The outermost part of the food loses most of its water, creating a porous crust. This permits a small amount of oil to penetrate the food, allowing further evaporation of water, and the retention of nutrients.
Eight rules for healthy frying
1. Always use the correct oil, i.e., one with a high content of monounsaturated fats.
2. Do not immerse the food until the oil has reached the correct temperature. This varies according to the type of food being fried but generally ranges from 140° to 180° C.
3. Avoid overheating the oil.
4. Do not overcook food; it absorbs more oil as it cooks.
5. Avoid reusing oil. If you want to reuse it, it should be filtered properly to remove any remaining impurities.
6. Do not add too much food at one time because it could lower the temperature of the oil.
7. Cook food that is cut into small pieces to encourage the formation of a crust.
8. Drain the food on absorbent paper towels after frying.
Frying: a healthy habit
Contrary to popular belief, this cooking method has a higher nutritional value than other methods.
Frying preserves the overall nutritional value much better than other cooking techniques:
- it is less destructive to food components that are heat sensitive
- it minimizes loss of vitamin C and protein
- fat intake is no higher than with other cooking methods
This is explained by the fact that the hot fat interacts with the food for a shorter amount of time, in the absence of oxygen.
Olive oil: the best fat for frying
When choosing fat for frying, consider how it is altered during the cooking process.
How these alterations will affect the fat depends on:
- which fatty acids it contains
- the length of time it is exposed to heat
- the cooking temperature.
When considering all of these factors, olive oil is preferable to animal fats and other vegetable fats.
Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and is more stable than seed oils (which are rich in polyunsaturated fats) during the heating process.
Olive oil withstands heating for a longer period.
Olive oil cooks at lower temperatures, between 140° - 150° so is less affected by heating. |
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Culinary wisdom through the centuries brings us a diet that is rich, healthy, simple, varied and complete. Bread, pasta, legumes, milk and cheese, olive oil, fruit, vegetables, fish and alternative meat are the foods that best represent the traditional Mediterranean diet. This diet is a model for many more industrialized countries, as well. In the Mediterranean diet olive oil plays an important role because it is the principal source of lipids, the energy reserve that our bodies need to carry out vital functions.
The intake of fat is essential for a good diet, but it is important to select the right fat for our metabolism. Olive oil is essentially composed of monounsaturated fats which are easily digested and help maintain a high level of good HDL cholesterol and reduce the effects of bad LDL cholesterol preventing the occlusion of the arteries. |
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A proper diet has the correct balance of calories:
58% carbohydrates, 12% protein, 30% fats
The Mediterranean diet can truly be defined as the ideal nutritional model
because it supplies, respectively, carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the form of
- starchy foods,
- lean meat and fish,
- olive oil
healthy food that is easy to digest but does not overwork the body.
Olive oil, in particular, furnishes monounsaturated fats, the healthiest fat for the body.
One study of the (Italian) National Institute on Nutrition ("How Much Fat, Which Fat?")
highlights the value of olive oil as a source of lipids in a balanced diet. |
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Closer examination
Proper nutrition
Nutrition means to change the food we eat into calories, the energy for the body's vital processes. Good nutrition means to know and select the proper food so that our caloric intake is balanced with our body's actual needs, thereby avoiding nutritional imbalances. Excessive or inadequate calorie intake can affect to our appearance, and can also cause actual illnesses like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, or anorexia, bulimia and hormonal dysfunctions. Bad nutrition means an unbalanced intake rather than a healthy calorie intake.
A knowledge of the priniciple fundamentals of nutrition is the best indication of a healthy diet:
- Sugar
- Fats
- Proteins
- Vitamins
- Minerals
All should be present to maintain a balanced diet. In a balanced diet, about 58% of our daily calorie intake should be supplied by carbohydrates, 12% from protein and 30% from fat. A deficiency in any of these dietary requirements forces the body to work overtime to replace it, while excessive intake leads to an accumulation of harmful substances, causing the so-called "diseases of affluence": thrombosis, arteriosclerosis, heart attack, diabetes, hypertension, digestive illnesses and obesity.
Sugars give our body energy it can use immediately. Simple sugars are absorbed rapidly, including glucose, fructose, sucrose and lactose which are found in sweets, fruit, jam and honey. Complex sugars, assimilated more slowly, include the starch in bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and legumes. Excess sugar is transformed into fat, but if we don't have enough sugar, our body is forced to transform the protein supplied by other foods into energy.
Fat gives us our energy reserves. There are two types, saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fat, which includes animal fats - butter, bacon and lard - tends to raise the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood. Unsaturated fat, represented by vegetable fats - nuts, seed oils and extra virgin olive oil - lowers LDL and increases HDL, good cholesterol. Among unsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, essentially oleic acid and thus olive oil, offer the most beneficial antioxidant effects. Fats also help our bodies assimilate fat-soluble vitamins (A, B-complex, D, E, K and PP).
Protein helps build our bodies because it contains essential amino acids, the "building blocks" of cells. Proteins are divided into animal protein - meat, fish, eggs, cheese, poultry and milk - and plant protein - grains, legumes and dried fruit. Plant proteins have a lower biological value than animal proteins, but it is increased when they are paired correctly (an effect referred to as "complementation"). For example, grains combined with legumes have a biological value that is similar to meat.
Vitamins stimulate the metabolism of other foods. They can be found in meat, fish, eggs, milk, fruit and vegetables.
Minerals are some of the basic elements of our bodies.
- Calcium is the main component of bones and teeth. The correct amount gives us stronger bones, helps prevent osteoporosis and aids our nervous system.
- Iron is the main component of hemoglobin, the molecule in the red blood cells that transports oxygen to the tissues, and of enzymes, which intervene in energy metabolism.
- Magnesium is essential in order to absorb calcium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamin C. It is essential for growth, muscle flexibility, protein synthesis, metabolism of fat and production of energy on a cellular level.
- Potassium, together with sodium, regulates the water in our bodies and normalizes proper cardiac and mental functions.
- Selenium helps slow aging, due to its antioxidant properties. Together with vitamin E, it helps keep our connective tissue supple.
- Zinc is necessary for the proper functioning of our enzymatic and cellular systems, essential for protein synthesis, and is important for the formation of insulin. Associated with iron, it improves the formation of red blood cells. It helps the healing process of internal and external lesions, increases our mental capacity and helps reduce cholesterol deposits.
How much fat, which fat
A study conducted by the (Italian) National Institute of Nutrition highlights the value of olive oil as a source of fat in a balanced diet.
- It is important to have an adequate intake of fat in our diet to stay healthy.
- In the average adult, fat must represent 20-30% of total calories
- All fats have the same number of calories (9 kcal/g), but they differ in terms of the quality of their fatty acids. Animal fats, butter, lard, margarine, contain saturated fatty acids, while vegetable fats, olive oil and seed oils, contain unsaturated fatty acids.
- The best fats for a healthy diet are unsaturated fatty acids because they tend to lower the level of cholesterol in the cells and blood, particularly the type carried by low-density lipoproteins; because an excessive amount will damage the arteries of vital organs.
- Olive oil is an even healthier fat because it not only lowers the level of low-density lipoproteins but raises the level of high-density lipoproteins, which can help remove cholesterol in the blood and plaque in the arteries. |
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Modern nutritional science has indicated that the Mediterranean diet is an ideal dietary model.
- it relies on olive oil as the main source of lipids
- its nutritional values are practically ideal
- it offers the advantages of a 'one-course meal'
Olive oil is the main source of lipids
In the Mediterranean diet olive oil is the main source of lipids. As compared to other animal or vegetable fats, olive oil has a healthier lipid content: it is composed mainly of monounsaturated fats which guarantee a series of health benefits for our body. These benefits include a proper balance between good cholesterol, carried by high-density lipoproteins which act as an "artery cleaner", and bad cholesterol, carried by low-density lipoproteins. Olive oil is easily digested, is a source of vitamins and helps absorb the vitamins contained in other foods. It is also an excellent cooking fat because it is rich in monounsaturated fats, which can better withstand heat.
Nutritional values that are practically ideal
The experts agree that our daily calorie requirements are not expressed simply by the number of calories we need to live, but also by the quality of these calories. These calorie requirements are best met by a balanced diet in which about 58% of the calories come from carbohydrates, 12% from protein and 30% from fat. The average percentage of calories in the Mediterranean diet is made up of 15% protein, 60% carbohydrates and 25% fat. Values that are practically ideal!
The advantages of a "one-course meal"
The foods typical of the Mediterranean culture are ideal for making simple "one-course meals". This means that we can get the same nutrition from one dish as we would from the usual first and second courses. Typical examples include pasta and beans, chickpeas or lentils, a stew with meat and potatoes, pasta with meat sauce and cheese, vegetable soup with grated cheese, pizza, etc. Serving a traditional "main course" after these "one dish meals" is useless and excessive: in fact, all you need to add is a serving of fresh vegetables or fruit for a meal that is light and nutritionally balanced.
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Closer Examination
A strange paradox
The situation created by the eating habits of the more industrialized and affluent countries, (with evident nutritional imbalances), especially among the younger generations (childhood obesity at worrisome levels), led various health organizations to publish protocols calling for a major reduction in total dietary fat.
These protocols were undoubtedly necessary among populations (particularly in North America) with a diet too rich in animal fats, which contains the saturated fats responsible for obesity, higher levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood and thus cardiovascular disease. However, they were certainly not essential for populations following a Mediterranean diet, in which fat intake comes mostly from olive oil, which provides unsaturated fats, particularly monounsaturated fats, and are rich in antioxidants that prevent the risk of obesity in a natural way.
The "Second Congress of the Mediterranean Society of Atherosclerosis" held in Ostuni, emphasized this basic paradox: "The danger for Mediterranean people is that the dietary trend focusing on the need to reduce dietary fat could lead our populations to reduce their intake of olive oil, which has always been our main source of lipids.. These would be a serious mistake, because it has now been proven scientifically that a healthy and balanced diet can include a calorie intake of 40-44% in the form of lipids, as long as 30% of this comes from olive oil.. The recommendation that can be made to all consumers, and not just the people of the Mediterranean, is to choose olive oil over all types of fat.." |
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