How Olive Oil Out-Classes Butter

Oil is a crucial ingredient for cooking as it is at the core of many dishes. From sauteed vegetables to deep-fried meat goodness, the kind of oil used matters to how the dish will turn out. 

But what kind of oil should you use? There are actually many different types of oil available. There’s vegetable oil, canola oil, sesame seed oil, grapeseed oil, and more! One of the most popular, however, is olive oil. Not only can you use this for cooking, but you can also use this for finishing or dressing a salad. 

Olive oil is especially great for medium-heat cooking due to its lower smoke point, which is why it’s great to use for a wide variety of dishes. Even in baking, olive oil shines. Not only is it flavorful, but it’s also packed with a lot of health benefits.

Here, we will tell you why you should pick olive oil, especially when faced with a choice like butter.

Same Fat, Different Source

Olive oil and butter are both all-pure fat. The main difference between the two lies in where the fat is coming from. In the case of butter, the fat is derived from the fat and protein solids in milk. The butter sticks and bars you see in the grocery are usually dairy by-products. On the other hand, olive oil comes from olives, so it is plant-based. It’s also marketed according to region, since where the olives are grown does impact its taste and quality.

While the production of butter is very much straightforward, olive oil has more room for varietal types. You can see in the groceries options for “virgin,” “extra virgin,” and even “premium extra virgin,” which indicates how much oil was actually processed during manufacturing.

Oil Benefits

Butter tastes good and offers certain health benefits such as calcium. Those who are watching their weight, however, might want to shift to olive oil instead because butter contains up to 63% saturated fat. Olive oil, on the other hand, contains only 14% of the same.

When it comes to olive oil benefits, there’s also a lot more that you can enjoy, such as Vitamins E and K, antioxidants that help fight against free radicals and provide cell protection, and other healthy fatty acids.

Apart from that, olive oil has also been found to promote heart health. It is able to help maintain a healthy level of cholesterol and triglycerides, which protect against cardiovascular diseases. Some even claim it can help lower blood pressure. 

Because it is rich in antioxidants, it is also touted to be good for protection against cancer. Studies, in fact, have found that the oleic acid found in olive oil can suppress genes that have been linked to brain and breast cancers. 

There are many more other benefits of olive oil, which is why you should consider switching to it from butter. It’s a simple and good way to start being more healthy with your food choices. 

Categorized in: Olive Oil Benefits