Ok, I know it is better for you than vegetable oil, but is it better for you than butter? I mean, looking at the label, 1 tbsp. has 14 grams of fat in it, and that would take up most of the fat for an entire meal. Is there anything better to use than olive oil? or do the good fats in it outweigh the fact that it is fat? I have cut my fat down to 25 grams or less a day, and am doing ok at that, but would like to have some zuccini sauted in a little oil, and garlic. Do I use olive oil, or butter?
A serving of butter and a serving of olive oil have the same number of calories.
Butter has 11g of fat, 7 of which are saturated fat
Olive oil has 14g of fat, 2 of which are saturated fat
So right there, olive oil has the clear benefit over butter.
Aside from that, from a purely practical standpoint, olive oil has a higher smoke point than butter, so you can fry foods over higher heat.
I use butter when I bake, olive oil when I cook.
But if you really want the flavor of butter, you can melt 1/2 butter in 1/2 olive oil and get the benefits of both, with just a little more saturated fat.
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Last edited by PhotoChick; 09-25-2008 at 08:05 PM.
I have heard just recently that for high heat cooking such as sauteing, coconut oil is good. But when I picked up a bottle at the store and saw how thick it is, I set it back down.
I use an oil sprayer for my roasted veggies - lots less calories that way!
I have heard just recently that for high heat cooking such as sauteing, coconut oil is good. But when I picked up a bottle at the store and saw how thick it is, I set it back down.
I use an oil sprayer for my roasted veggies - lots less calories that way!
Coconut oil looks thick, but it's really not that bad. In the summer in NC, our coconut oil went to liquid just from being in the cupboard.
I use grapeseed oil. Dr. Oz recommended it on Oprah once - he said it was even healthier than olive oil so I thought i would try it. I really like it and the flavor is more subtle which I think is good - sometimes olive oil can be overpowering.
Can I ask why you're so strictly limiting fat? Fat does not make you fat. I have reduced my carbs drastically (type 2 diabetes), and, as a result, I get about 50% of my calories from fat each day. Since I started doing this, I have lost weight, and my cholesterol has improved (including my triglycerides, which used to be high and are now well down into the middle range of normal, not even near the high end of the normal range). I do try to make sure I don't get ALL that fat as saturated fat--I still use skim or 1% milk reduced fat cheeses, lean meats, etc.
Oh, and if you want to try another oil that's even better than olive oil as far as type of fat, I like macadamia nut oil. It's more expensive, but since I don't use a ton of it, a bottle lasts quite a while.
Last edited by jillybean720; 09-25-2008 at 08:40 PM.
I have cut my fat down to 25 grams or less a day, and am doing ok at that, but would like to have some zuccini sauted in a little oil, and garlic. Do I use olive oil, or butter?
25 grams of fat per day is really low. Your body needs fat to function properly. You should be eating at least 20% of your calories from fat, but 30% is better. Even if you were only eating 1200 calories per day (which would be too low at your current weight) 25 grams of fat would only be 18% of your calories. Not all fat is bad.
I use different fats for different things. For sauteing zucchini I would use olive oil. For baking I use butter or palm shortening (non-hydrogenated.) I also use canola oil and sesame oil for some things. I make my salad dressings with olive oil.
Grapeseed oil has a higher smoke point, so it may be better for cooking at higher temperatures. It also may contain resveratrol which is cited for it's possible cardiovascular benefits. Both are healthy oils.
Butter, being higher in saturated fats, is thought to increase your LDL's (bad cholesterol), while olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, has been shown to increase one's HDL levels (good cholesterol).
Olive oil?
