Heart problem, high blood pressure, diabetes, and weight loss – if you have any of these, someone must have advised you to switch to olive oil.
The fatty acid profile of olive oil and its natural active ingredients make it special.
All the above properties are true in case of good quality extra virgin olive oil and scientifically proven.
However getting good quality, authentic extra virgin olive oil is not easy. It is high in demand and the yield is low, thus very expensive.
In Indian market; olive oil is available in 5 different forms...
All the above oils are not same.
EVOO- Is pure and best, it is minimally processed, oil is extracted at room temperature. It has smoking point of around 163-190 C, but the yield is very low.
VOO- It is second best and pure oil, less processed. Its Smoking point is 210 C. Yield of this oil is also low.
These both oils are used for seasoning, salad dressing. Virgin oil is also used for light cooking. Both have health benefits.
The quality of remaining 3 types of olive oils is average to poor. Extraction of oil is done at high temperature, high pressure and using chemical solvents. Smoking points are high, and have doubtful health benefits.
80% of EVOO which is available in market is fake because getting oil from olive fruits is not that easy. You need good quality olives; those have to be pressed at room temperature. Therefore the yield is very low making the oil more expensive.
VOO- Which is second best requires good quality olives but it is not virgin.
Pomace olive oil- Once you get EVOO, VOO fruits are left because oil is extracted at room temperature and the fruits remain there. Instead of throwing these fruits; they are further pressed and treated with all chemical processes of high heat, chemical solvents and high temperature. Therefore this extracted oil is not great rather a cheap quality oil.
Since the quality is cheap, little EVOO or VOO is added to suit the ṇ profitability. This is pocket friendly and many can afford. So if you are thinking it is olive oil and you will get all the health benefits, then unfortunately pomace olive oil does not give you any kind of healthy alternative.
Pure Olive Oil/Light Olive Oil- This is the most un-pure oil because this is a mixture of refined olive oil and very little EVOO and VOO. You are getting inferior quality of oil in the name of light olive oil.
Indian style of cooking demands high temperature as we cook or rather sometimes overcooks almost everything.
A smoking point is a temperature at which cooking oil starts producing smoke and begins to break down. At this temperature some toxic substances- free radicles are formed. Cooking beyond this temperature becomes extremely harmful to health.
Therefore as Indians we have to choose cooking oil which has high smoking point and can withstand high heat. Also processing technique should also be paid attention to.
Refining of oil improves shelf life and increases smoking point but at the same point processing destroys its natural active compounds and nutrients. More smoking point means more refining. Unrefined oil has typically low smoking points.
To balance this, it is better to go for cooking oil which is locally available with less processing. Kachhi Ghani mustard oil, cold pressed coconut/ ground nut/ Sesame seed oil and ghee are choices for Indian cooking medium. You can keep a bottle of good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil for use as salad dressing and seasoning.
Dt. Supriya
I am a clinical dietician and a Diabetes educator. With an extensive experience, I use medical nutrition therapy for prevention and therapeutic care of health problems. I specialize in all facets of Nutrition, which includes weight management, management of Type I & Type II Diabetes, PCOS, Gestational Diabetes, Gastrointestinal issues, Pregnancy care, Cancer Nutrition and Pediatric Nutrition.
