Note: this post has been updated in January 2022.
Myth - Olive oil is healthy for you!
You are not alone here in your thoughts. Many people think olive oil is healthy. We read and see in the news that olive oil is healthy, and we should use it more in cooking and sautéing. If you read the labels on food items, you will see olive oil is in many foods and mixes, including almost all spaghetti and other sauces. Does that make it healthy? Look at all the ads and news reports claiming olive oil is beneficial for you, and we should increase our use of olive oil. There are a lot of olive oil myths, and I will try to expose these myths and provide you with some facts!
Listed below are 5 benefits of olive oil - true or false?
- Olive oil will protect you from a heart attack.
- Extra virgin olive oil is especially heart-healthy because it’s rich in polyphenols, and Olive oil will lower your “bad” LDL cholesterol.
- the Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy diet, and it’s rich in olive oil, so olive oil must be heart-healthy.
- Olive oil raises “good” HDL cholesterol.
- Certainly, monounsaturated fats are better than saturated fats.– via The Truth about Olive Oil
If you said true to any of the olive oil benefits above, you would be wrong!
Another olive oil fact!
Another exciting article claims we should lay the olive oil myth to rest as it is not the healthy oil written about in the media and the olive oil commercials. “This is the reality: just like all other oils, olive oil is 100 percent fat, lacks a significant nutrient load, contains a whopping 120 calories per tablespoon, that’s fattening.” Did you know two tablespoons of olive oil have more than three times the saturated fat of a 4-ounce chicken breast? One tablespoon contains 120 calories and 14% saturated fat. Is that healthy?
The bottom line, and something to consider
Oils are the most calorie-dense foods on earth—ounce for ounce, olive oil packs even more calories than butter or bacon. A diet with hefty amounts of oil invariably produces significant amounts of body fat, which leads to all sorts of devastating diseases, including America’s #1 killer: heart disease.
Conclusion - Get away from toxic olive oil!
Science confirms that a diet rich in whole, plant-based foods can help you live to the fullest and still get adequate protein. A growing number of physicians advocate an entirely plant-based diet for many of their patients who have diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Check out these two great sources Plant-Based Nutrition, 2E (Idiot’s Guides),
Nutrition Facts: The Truth About Food, and
The Forks over Knives is a simple plan that focuses on hearty comfort foods and does not involve portion control or worrying about obtaining single nutrients like protein and calcium.
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Express your opinion
I bet you were like me, thinking olive oil must be good for you because it is discussed and used so much. Mainstream media reports how great it is for our health, and the media sure can influence our thoughts.
After completing my research on the use of oils, particularly olive oil, I have concluded that all “oils” are harmful to your health.
I would love to read your comments on olive oils, whether you agree with me or not! If I can answer any questions or an opinion that you would like to express, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Wow. Great post here. And I have seen an abundance of the advantages of olive oil vs the other oils…..and my older sister nags me to death about it. :/ Now I can send her this, along with other references and get her off my back. (She’s a “personal trainer”….got certified via internet).