Olive Oil Benefits And Uses: 10 Precautions While Buying And Cooking

Learn why olive oil is beneficial for health and which olive oil is the best for health. Along with this, know the tips to be kept in mind while buying it.

Tavishi Dogra
Written by: Tavishi DograUpdated at: Aug 28, 2019 11:55 IST
Olive Oil Benefits And Uses: 10 Precautions While Buying And Cooking

3rd Edition of HealthCare Heroes Awards 2023

Olive oil is considered very beneficial for health. Research suggests that regular use of this oil reduces the risk of diseases such as: 

  • heart diseases
  • high blood pressure
  • cholesterol
  • diabetes 

That is why dieticians and nutritionists recommend the use of olive oil for cooking. To get complete benefits of olive oil, it is important that you take care of some things while buying it. Let us tell you today 5 major benefits of using olive oil and precautions to be taken while buying it.

Olive oil is a powerful antioxidant

Also Read: Fish is not the only one with Omega-3, these foods can help too

Olive oil contains tremendous antioxidants, Vitamin E and vitamin K, due to which it is considered beneficial for health (same antioxidants are found in blueberries and tea leaves). These antioxidants reduce the harmful effects of free radicals in your body, keeping your kidney, liver, heart, etc. (organs) healthy for a long time.

Olive oil prevents internal inflammation

Excess of toxins in the body causes inflammation, due to which, you can have many dangerous diseases like: 

  • Arthritis
  • Cancer
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Alzheimer's 
  • Heart attack
  • Obesity

But you can avoid inflammation by using olive oil mainly because it contains monounsaturated fat or oleic acid.

Why is Olive Oil Expensive?

Olive is a tree and olive oil is made from its fruits. Olive oil is much more expensive than other cooking oils. The reason for this is that a very small amount of oil is produced from the olive fruit. 40-45 kg of the olive fruit is crushed to make about 3.75 liters of olive oil. Apart from this, it is a seasonal fruit, which grows only in a particular season making less production.

Tips to Buy Best Olive Oil

  • Olive oil is beneficial for health, but you should take some precautions while purchasing it. The reason for this is that these oils can reduce their quality due to exposure to oxygen, light, and heat. So keep the following things in mind while buying it.
  • When buying olive oil, note that the bottle should never be transparent. Always buy olive oil, which is filled in a dark glass bottle.
  • If you are looking for healthy olive oil, always buy extra virgin olive oil. It is the highest quality olive oil.
  • Many cheap olive oils are also available in the market, which is made by mixing canola oil. They are not as beneficial as extra virgin olive oil.
  • Always buy olive oil from fresh stock. Olive oil cannot be stored for long, as it's quality decreases. So whenever you buy it, check the date on the bottle. The use of olive oil is healthy within 15 months of packing.

Tips for Cooking With Olive Oil

  • Olive oil should not be used for dishes made at very high temperatures. Many nourishing elements of olive oil are destroyed when heated above 180-190 ° C.
  • Use olive oil in salads and dips (things where you can use it without heating).
  • Never place olive oil in a place where the temperature is too high, such as around a gas stove, in an almirah above the stove or the sun because heat reduces the antioxidants of olive oil.
  • Always keep olive oil in a cool and dry place.
  • Always use cold-pressed olive oil. It is an oil that is extracted from fruits at temperatures below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Read more on Healthy Diet

Disclaimer