By Joan McDaniel
Researchers concluded that olive oil is a major contributing factor to the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. While olive oil can and should be a healthy part of your diet, what most people do not appreciate is that olive oil should not be used to cook with. It should be used cold or applied to a dish after it has been cooked. Olive oil is primarily a monounsaturated fat which when heated can easily break-down and become perishable with oxidative damage and then forms free-radicals. As it turns out, extra-virgin olive oil contains chlorophyll that accelerated decomposition and makes the oil go rancid rather quickly. So if you plan on using a fat to cook with, your clear choice is coconut oil or butter. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid which is a proven antiviral and immune system builder.
So in evaluating plant oils for cooking, it should be clear that oils that contain a high percentage of saturated fatty acids are more stable than those that contain a high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids. When exposed to heat and light during processing, storage, and use, oils that contain a high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids tend to contain more free radicals than oils that contain mainly saturated and/or monounsaturated fatty acids.
I have found that I can add olive oil after I have cooked the food. I also found that if I mix olive oil with coconut oil, coconut oil stays liquid. As long as you don’t heat the olive oil it is very good for you.
Read more at
http://coconutcreamcare.com/2012/06/27/is-your-cooking-oil-healthy/
As for cooking with it, olive oil can partially hydrogenate after it hits its smoke point. But at ~400 degrees, you can do plenty of cooking well before the oil begins smoking. Just don't let the oil smoke and you maintain most of the beneficial properties. In certain parts of Italy and Greece, they cook with no other fat than olive oil and they do just fine!!
I'm glad you know about E.V.O.O. but I did research on canola oil and you would be surprised what I found. Use Coconut oil for sauteing. Here is the Link. Thanks for the comment Exactly, What is Canola Oil? http://coconutcreamcare.com/2012/09/17/exactly-what-is-canola-oil/
I have another article that gives some information on E.V.O.O. Is your Extra Virgin Olive Oil Really Olive Oil? By Joan McDaniel http://coconutcreamcare.com/2012/08/06/is-your-extra-virgin-olive-oil-really-olive-oil/
By the way, Joan, you should also caution people about any type of hydrogenated or refined coconut oil. The health benefits of coconut oil are lost when refined... the virgin, good stuff only!!
Thank You
Eat a Good Salad Lately? http://coconutcreamcare.com/2012/07/20/eat-a-good-salad-lately/