How many times have you come across a healthy recipe that asks for the usage of extra virgin olive oil? I am sure there have been plenty of such instances without a doubt! But have you ever wondered what makes extra virgin olive oil such a big player in the health recipe sector? That is exactly what we are here to find!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Nutrition
Let us begin with what provides the extra virgin with its amazing nutritional qualities. You see, in earlier times, making olive oil was an extremely simple process. During this time oil was extracted by manually crushing olives. However, now modern techniques Involve crushing the olives and then manually removing the pulp with the help of a centrifuge.
A single tablespoon of olive oil has close to 120 calories in around 14 grams of fat. This 14 gram contains 11 grams of monounsaturated and 1 gram of polyunsaturated A tablespoon of olive oil contains 2Gms of saturated fat but because the oil is plant-based in nature, it does not contain cholesterol.
Olive oil is one of the purest sources of fat available to us, It does not contain any other nutrients such as proteins or carbohydrates in it! Every person needs to consume a recommended daily intake of certain nutrients like Vitamin E, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K. A single tablespoon of olive oil helps provide around 13 percent of the daily vitamin E intake and 7 percent of vitamin K. Imagine all this nutrition in a low-fat breakfast recipe if you decide to include it.
Here is a nutritional breakdown of olive oil:
- Calories: 126
- Protein: 0 grams
- Fat: 14 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
Unsaturated fat in nature
Saturated fats, can end up having a negative effect on our health! Saturated fats can end up causing inflammation, weight gain, and even clogging your arteries. Saturated fats end up raising the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood which could lead to heart issues! On the other hand, both unsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats affect your health in a positive manner! However, do remember to consume it in a limited manner!
It is important to replace saturated fat with unsaturated fats in the foods that you consume on a daily basis. This will help you lead a healthier life in the long run!
Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The thing about extra virgin olive oil is that it makes for a great oil to make salads and dips and even sometimes use for sauteing. This is essential because extra virgin olive oil has a low smoking point and it does not make it well for cooking full-on!
The uses are still very versatile and the oil is definitely something that you should look to using on a daily basis to improve your health and add more nutrients to your diet as a whole! Adding EVO to your low-fat diet can also make a great dietary addition.
Bottom Line:
Extra virgin olive oil is a brilliant source of nutrition that you can add to your daily diet by replacing less healthy options.